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This new Foden cab irons out the bumps
Page 63
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by R. D. Cater • I have just completed a half-day's running with a 32-ton-g.c.w. six-wheeled Foden tractive unit fitted with the new sprung cab (CM April 5) and I found it offered a remarkable improvement over the ride normally experienced in a heavy artic — and I speak with experience of many such vehicles over the years.
The method of suspending the Foden cab does not permit the whole of the assembly to rise and fall vertically as might be imagined. It only rises and falls at the rear mountings, pivoting about the bondedrubber forward mountings. By allowing this degree of flexibility in the rear mountings the kicking up of the chassis at this point is absorbed by the mountings.
I drove the Roden for 45 miles with an unladen semi-trailer. A double-drive machine of this capacity is of necessity quite "hard" at the back end, and although my route took us from Sandbach via Middlewich, Winsford, Nantwich and Crewe back to Sandbach over road surfaces which were far from billiardtable smoothness, the vehicle rode in a manner that enabled me to sit in the driving seat, rather than on it.
Part of the route was over road which had recently been prepared for resurfacing.
• In the usual manner kerbs had been raised and the surface-water drain gratings made up so as to be level with the new surface when this was laid. The resulting 3in.-high humps along the kerb admirably suited my purposes and the vehicle was driven at 30 mph with its nearside wheels crossing the gratings.
The results were so surprising that I returned to the factory, uncoupled the trailer and carried out the same exercise with the tractive unit on its own. The route from Sandbach to Crewe lies over a second-class road surface which would not allow a speed of much above 20 mph with a standard tractive unit running solo. The Foden was driven at a constant 40 mph with me riding in the rigidly mounted passenger seat— having sampled the suspension seat fitted in the driver's side during the earlier run—and I found that even in this firmly mounted seat the ride was still extremely good.
Damping of road shocks was further illustrated when at 30 mph we again drove over the row of drain gratings—a rolled-up duster placed on the shiny surface of the scuttle over the radiator did not fall to the floor.
Throughout this last exercise I found that I could sit quite firmly in the seat without holding on.