An F.W.D. with Roadless-Traction Equipment
Page 19
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AN INTERESTING type of vehicle is now under construction in the Slough works of the Four-Wheel Drive Lorry Co., Ltd. L is practically one of .their standard vehicles with pneumatic tyred front wheels and Roadless-Trac. tion driving units in lieu of the standard rear wheels. The chassis is arranged with the rear axle mounted an the frame and carrying at its ends the large pulleys which drive the endless chain tracks. There is an idler pulley carrying the forward end Of each track, whilst brackets bolted to the rear springs carry at their lower ends small rubherAyred wheels which take the weight of the vehicle and which run on the interior surfaces of the tracks.
This combination of • four-wheel-drive and track-laying units should prove of exceptional service, as there is no tendency for the front wheels to dig themselves in, as, for instance, in crossing a ditch, the push of the tracks merely assisting them to exercise their lifting power.
In the tests carried out by the War Office it was shown that, whilst being effective over rough ground, the vehicle with non-driven front wheels had a tendency to jam into banks.
In the drawing which we reproduce, the machine is shown egniptied with a winding drum, but the actual type under construction has a shorter wheelbase, and the winding dram is not included.