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NEW EQUIPMENT
Page 60
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and Publications
Four Tyre Maintenance Machines AT demonstrations held recently by the Grantham Rubber Machinery Co.' Ltd. a number of tyre maintenance machines which the concern is to market in the U.K. were shown. Four will be of particular interest to commercial vehicle operators, two being of Canadian origin. one American and one German.
The American item is an air-operated tyre changer made by the Coats Co. Inc. of Iowa, a subsidiary of the Jack P. Hennessy Co. Inc. Tyres with rim sizes from 12 in. to 17-5 in. can be accommodated on this changer which is of very compact design. The tyre is mounted horizontally on top of the changer, over a centre post, an adjustable pin locating in one of the wheel-stud holds to prevent rotation of the wheel. A coneshaped casting is then screwed on to the post to hold the wheel firmly down. The job of breaking the tyre beads from the wheel disc is done by two powered shoes, one connected directly in the body of the machine which forces the lower bead upwards, the other (at the opposite end of the machine) being at the end of an arm which locks in position when the shoe is placed on the top bead of the tyre.
After the beads have been broken from the rim, a special tool is used to remove the tyre, this tool being used also for tyre fitting. A spindle through the centre post (powered by air pressure) has a driving tongue at its end on to which a slot in the removal/refitting tool fits. The removal end of the tool is inserted beneath the tyre beads—both can be removed together—and as the centre spindle is rotated the tool is slipped over the tongue so that it is forced round the rim to remove the tyre. To fit a tyre, the reverse procedure is carried out, the tyre beads at one point being placed in the well, the tool positioned on the rim, slipped over the driving tongue and power applied to force both tyre beads on to the wheel together. The machine was very efficient and the time taken to remove and refit a tyre was less than one minute. The two Canadian tools are made by Vulcan Equipment Co. Ltd. of Toronto. The Vulcaspector is designed for use on the inspection of internal tyre walls. The casing is placed on the machine over a shaft carrying an inflatable rubber wheel, and arms on either side of the tyre are fitted over the beads. When power is applied, the rubber wheel is inflated to force up the tread area of the tyre and at the same time the arms at the sides move outwards to spread the beads apart. This has the effect of inverting the tyre from bead to bead, in which position it is rotated by the wheel for inspection. All car sizes of tyres can be accommodated on the machine.
The second Vulcan item was the B-20 Vulcanizer designed for sectional repairs of commercial vehicle and earthmover tyres up to 18.00-33. The equipment employs an external belt. tightened by a hand-wheel, and inside and outside heat pads.
The fourth machine now marketed by Grantham Rubber Machinery is the Collmann 4-Claw Hydraulic Tyre Press from West Germany. This press has been developed from a 2-claw model already available from the Grantham company and caters for tyres up to 16.00-24. Pressure is applied to the wheel disc from below the tyre which is placed on the machine horizontally, the claws being adjusted hydraulically to locate on the tyre bead under the top flange of the wheel. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the unit a tractor tyre which had stood in the open for a considerable time and was "welded" to its wheel by rust was used. No damage was caused to the casing which was removed from the wheel with relative ease, although the wheel was "dished " in the process by the amount of force needed. The machine was used, incidentally, to straighten the wheel afterwards. I Distributors: Grantham Rubber Machinery Co Ltd., Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham, Lincs.
Price (net ex works): Coats Powerman 990 tyre changer, £210; Vulcan Vulcaspector, £147; Vulcan B.20 Vulcanizer, £208 10s.: Collmann press, £742.
.Translucent Roof Panels ONE-PIECE translucent circular panels measuring 11-375 in. in diameter, for use in the roofs of van bodies are now being marketed in this country by lntertruck Ltd. Called Skylites and made in America, they are claimed to be weatherproof and cannot be shattered. Another feature claimed is easy, quick installation, no special tools being required. A leaflet is available from Intertruck Ltd.
Distributed by: Intertruck Ltd., Kelliebank, Alloa, Scotland. Price: £1 19s. each (for quantities of 50 or over).