Loading Aids in Their Element
Page 46
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FORTY-ONE makers of earthmoving and mechanical-handling equipment, based on Fordson industrial tractor units, are being demonstrated at the Dagenham works of the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., this week. It is the biggest practical exhibition of
its kind yet held. .
The machines vary from fork-lift trucks capable of cross-country running, to an ingenious trench digger which is capable of digging a trench 9 in. wide to a depth of 3 ft. 6 in. at speeds up to eight chains an hour. This machine, which is powered by a Fordson Major oil engine, and has Rotoped traction at the rear, is made by Rotary Hoes, Ltd., West Hordon, Essex.
Cross-country Fork Truck Mathew Bros., Ltd., .Matbro Works, Sandy Lane North, Wallington, Surrey, are demonstrating their 2-ton fork-lift truck with •a full load without any respect for obstructions or ground conditions. The company also show the capabilities of their Super Loadstar loading shovel, which was one of the first to have front-wheel drive.
A machine that is comparatively new to this country is the Domobile universal excavator, which utilizes the Fordson oil engine and other Fordson components. It is notable for its highmounted control cabin and ability to slew the bucket through an angle of 270°, The concessionnaires for the machine in this country are Ernest Doe and Sons, Ltd., Ulting, Maiden, Essex.
An interesting diversion was provided on Monday by the arrival of a helicopter which landed on the demonstration ground. It was quickly coupled up to a Sutton Triton tractor—a product n12 of Messrs. Pratt of Sutton, 268-270 High Street, Sutton, Surrey. The basis of the tractor is a Fordson industrial model, the major modification being the centrally pivoted twin front-wheel assembly which enables the machine to turn in its own length.
A road roller in which the roller is caused to vibrate all the time the vehicle is moving, is shown in action by its makers—Stothert and Pitt, Ltd., Bath. A Ford 954E industrial oil engine provides the power, which is conveyed to eccentrics housed within the roller. The effect of causing the roller to vibrate is to produce a degree of compaction much in excess of that of a dead-weight roller running normally.
Another interesting item of equipment is the earth-boring machine made by the Cheshire Engineering Co., Ltd., Yorktown Works, Camberley, Surrey.
The installation is carried on a Thames chassis and is provided with its own Fordson Major oil engine and an ETC-type four-speed gearbox. It cuts at an extremely rapid rate and will form a hole 2 ft. in diameter to a depth of 10 ft. in about three minutes. For setting the poles after the hole is drilled a power-driven winch is provided.
There are various types of Fordsonpowered compressor being demonstrated, but one of the most interesting of these is the Holman Holpack. This is a linkage-mounted compressor carried on its own frame, By operating the hydraulic linkage of the tractor the compressor unit is raised above ground level and can therefore be readily transported, This, together with the Holman Tractair, which is an inbuilt compressor unit driven from the power take-off of the tractor, is made by Holman Bros.. Ltd., Camborne. A County Full-track tractor, provided with a rear-mounted winch, showed the ease with which it could pull a concrete pile over rough ground. Resistance to the pull is taken by a rear-mounted sprag coupled up for operation to the tractor's hydraulically operated linkage.
Much interest was shown in the Merton Overloader which, unlike the majority of the loading devices demonstrated, is mechanically operated. The loading bucket travels up and down a platform, the angle of which can be varied to give low and high discharge. Traverse of the bucket is by cable and the action is particularly smooth. The makers are the Merton Engineering Co., Ltd., Faggs Road, Feftharn, Middx.
Loaders and Dumpers Examples of the equipment made by W. E. Bray and Co., Ltd., Faggs Road, Feltham, Middx, and the Chaseside Engineering Co., Ltd., Hertford, Hefts, illustrate the time-saving and the efficiency of hydraulic-powered loaders and dumpers. The Chaseside Loadmaster 600 fork-lift truck can also be used as a shovel. In the form of a forklift truck its maximum load capacity is 3,000 lb., which it can lift to a height of 10 ft. in seven seconds.
The only trailer being demonstrated is a Taskers 3-tormer by Taskers of Andover (1932), Ltd., Waterloo Iron . Works, Andover, Hants. It is designed for coupling up to the hydraulic system on the Fordson tractor.
There is an increasing number of mobile cranes based on Fordson industrial tractors becoming available, and one such is the Taylor Jumbo Junior, rated as a 2-tanner. It can deal with 250 tons of coat a day.