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Improvements in a Patent Movable Floor for Lorries

3rd March 1933, Page 37
3rd March 1933
Page 37
Page 38
Page 37, 3rd March 1933 — Improvements in a Patent Movable Floor for Lorries
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IN view of the growing interest in the patent movable floor made by the Principality Wagon Co., Ltd., Port. field House, Adelaide Street, Cardiff, the well-known -concern of railwaywagon builders and repair contractors', we have taken the opportunity for visiting the company's works at Ferry Road, Cardiff, to observe the manufacturing process from beginning to end. At the present time about 15 floors of all sizes, some for side and some for end discharge, are being manufactured monthly, and the design has been considerably improved in certain details, in particular, the 2-ton model is becoming pepular.

The company makes and assembles the floor and sends iterated. to the bodybuilder, but, if necessary, the company will make also the body and send the complete outfit away in a crate by rail or road, or, if preferred, will receive the chassis and fit it at no extra charge.

The fitting of this floor makes practically no difference to the loading height of the vehicle, raising it by, at the most, an inch. There is no serious inequality of stress, and the rear overhang of the Vehicle beyond the rear axle does not have to be shortened. Again, the floor facilitates loading as well as unloading, it being a simple matter to stack boxes, sacks of coal, etc., in rows from the rear and move the whole load forward a short distance at a time. In many cases this saves the services of cue or two men otherwise required within the vehicle for stacking purposes.

In discharging, also, it is possible to dump only part of the load at one time, or even to spread the load while the vehicle is slowly moving forward. This is most useful for road-making purposes.

A sand and ballast concern has a lorry doing 8 to 10 daily journeys with 21 tons (i.e., 18 to 221 tons in the day), and is able to complete two more journeys in the day with this floor than with a similar vehicle having tipping gear. A coal merchant in Landon, using a 10ton trailer with movable floor, finds that 10 tons of loose coal can be discharged in three minutes. For dividing bulk loads—in a manner not practicable with a tipping body—the sliding partition illustrated on this page is invaluable.

The standard end-discharge floor consists of four longitudinals (channels and angles), holding three banks of rollers. These are seamless tubes of 21-in. diameter, incorporating ball races pressed into their ends, which are afterwards turned over, firmly locking them

in position. The races are graphite lubricated in manufacture and need no further attention. A spindle passes right through each roller, Split-wood rollers grip the ends of the belt and are carried in long phosphorbronze bushes within geareases bolted to the outer channels. The gearcase has been much improved by making it as an aluminium-alloy die casting. For loads up to about two tons it has a single 4-to-1 reduction, and for bigger loads a double 14-to-1 reduction is employed. A pawl, positioned by an over-centre spring, can be used to lock each end roller and, by thus bolding one end of the belt, the other end roller can be turned, drawing the belt taut. This permits loose material like quarry stones and even sharp flints to be shot in from a considerable height without damaging the floor. The taut band relieves the rollers of impact strain.

A. vertical rubber flange, about II in. from each side of the belt, proves a satisfactory seal, even for material such as macadam or hot asphalt. This does

not prevent the vehicle. being equipped with drop sides, which are useful for loading material from the road side.

As to the belt itself, the standard material is a rubber compound containing two or three plies of strong cotton duck, forming a homogeneous substance like the wall of a pneumatic tyre. There is a special heat-resisting belt for such materials as hot asphalt, which is often loaded at temperatures as high as 380 degrees F. When macadam is carried, the usual practice is first to throw a bucketful of water over the floor to prevent the material from sticking.

Prices depend upon dimensions, etc., but because of the popularity of the 2-ton size it may be noted that the price of the Principality floor and body on the Bedford long-wheelbase chassis is £114 5s., the dimensions being 11 ft. 6 ins. by 6 ft. 1 in. On the short wheelbase Bedford the body is 8 ft. 9 ins.

in length and the price is £92 15s.

We timed the unloading of three tons of bricks from a Thornyaroft 7-tonner having a 14-ft. body. One man could discharge this load in 1; minutes, and it was not necessary for him to put both hands to the handle. The floor on this vehicle had been in regular service for two years, carrying all kinds of load, and although the belt had never been turned lengthwise or reversed to use the other surface, no sign of surface deterioration could he detected.

The largest end-discharge unit that we saw in the works was one 22 ft. 6 ins, long, intended for a Foden oil-engined six-wheeler, and we learned that nominally a long side-discharge floor would be made up of two 8-ft. units, one behind the other. If required, a partition could be fitted between them, whilst operation of both units would be effected from the rear end.

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Locations: Cardiff

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