• Conversion of a tractive unit to a rigid vehicle,
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suitable for drawbar operation, by extending the chassis is a service that is now offered by the York Trailer Co Ltd, truck equipment division, at any of the company's nine branches.
While the wheelbase can be extended to suit any body length, it is anticipated that the majority of fleet operators will take full advantage of the additional 3m overall length allowed for a drawbar outfit.
For example, an Atkinson seven year-old 30-ton-gvw tractive unit has been converted for T. J. Ree and Sons of Cowbridge, Glamorgan, by extending the wheelbase from 9ft 6in. to 17ft lin. to accommodate a 24ft platform body. The vehicle is employed
to can-y a 24ft lift-off cattle container and to haul a trailer with a container of the same type and size. An overall deck length of 48ft compares with a deck length of 40ft provided by the same trailer formerly hauled by the Atkinson as a tractive unit. The gvw of the drawbar outfit is also 30 tons.
A two-section propeller shaft is fitted to the Atkinson; it is supported by an additional cross-member of tubular form with a diameter of 4in. The extended section of the frame is strengthened by extra channel-section cross-members. Shunting the trailer by coupling to the front of the tractive unit is facilitated by a brake air connection under the front bumper.