How Carrimore is Helping Industry To Carry On
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Trailers and Semi-trailers of Special Interest That Have Bean Recently Built By This Company For Purposes of a Commercial Rather Than a Belligerent Nature
MANUFACTURING activities to meet civilian transport needs are by no means at a standstill, as a result of the demands of the armed Forces and of home-defence Services. That business as usual is the watchword at the works of Carrimore Six-Wheelers, Ltd., Great North Road, London, N.12, was obvious to us when we recently paid a call there, whilst evidence that such is the case is afforded our readers by the accompanying pictures, which show examples of a few vehicles that have been newly built by this company. They all possess certain features of special mention.
One of four identical four-wheeled trailers constructed to the order of the Central Motor Co. (Leicester), Ltd., the low-loader with a detachable onepiece axle is a 10-tonner, designed for use with a Fordson tractor, the drawbar being equipped with a ball hitch at suitable heig++, for this purpose. It measures just under 22 ft. overall, whilst the unobstructed low-level platform length is nearly 12 ft. All wheels have twin 36 by 8 tyres, and the floor height is only 1 ft. 6 ins. unladen. It will be noted that suspension at the rear is by eight coil springs and that the axle is mounted above the frame ends—extensions, incidentally, of two of the four 7-in. by 3i-in. main channels. The springs are arranged in pairs on the ends of two inverted-Usection carriers, which embrace the frame ends, each being secured by a readily detachable pin incorporating a locking device.
Second of its type to he supplied to Coulson and Co., Ltd., and the fourth Carrimore detachable-axle semi-trailer to be built for this operator, the outfit depicted with a Caterpillar tractor on board is an 18-20-tonner, comprising a low-loading semi-trailer with wheels mounted on short rocking axles arranged in line, and a Foden shortwheelbase tractive unit, powered by a Gardner 6LW oil engine.
The wheelbase of the Foden is 8 ft. 1/ ins, and this permits a clear loading space on the low level of 13 ft. 6 ins. The platform is actually only 2 ft. above the ground, and an interesting detail is that the 2-in. boards forming the floor are sunk between the longitudinal frame members, so that their surfaces are flush with the tops of the flanges.
On this machine, the wheels are shod with 12.75-20 tyres and are mounted four on axles, each having an underslung Woodhead trunnion-ended spring. Ease of detachability of the axles is again a feature, the front ends having slippers and the rear ends being retained by locking plates, the removal of which is a notably simple operation. There are brake drums on all wheels and a pair of Dewandre vacuum cylinders provides the brake-operating force.
It will be observed from the detail picture applying to this semi-trailer that the rear mudguards are hinged and, in view of the fact that they are detachable, this might be thought superfluous. However, the reason is that the mudguards can be lifted off more conveniently after the wheels have been removed out of the way, and the hinging prevents them from interfering with the latter operation.
For needs which are civilian yet result from the War, being for service as a precautionary measure against enemy damage to power stations, the van trailer depicted is for mobile generating plant. It will have permanently installed in it an oil-engined set. It was built to the order of Davey, Paxman and Co. (Colchester), Ltd., and is one of a fleet of 7-ton straight-axle four-wheelers.
It will be noted that the body has lifting top-hinged side sections and low drop sides. The former, when raised form shelters, whilst the latter in the lowered position serve to increase the
floor area. The tyre equipment of this power-station trailer comprises eight 29 by 7 pneumatics. Observe the steadying jacks secured by hinges at the front and rear.
It is on vehicles such as those described in this article, and on the efforts of the engineers building them, that industry to-day is dependent to no mean degree. With all the handicaps under which road transport is at present labouring and in spite of the favourable position in which the rail
ways now find themselves, the big road vehicle is as indispensable as ever.
With regard to the mobile-powerstation trailers, the provision of such machines seems to us to fall in line with the arguments often put forward in these pages to the effect that the rail is so much more vulnerable to air attack than the road. Do not the permanent generating station and its road-borne counterpart present a close analogy? The respective positions in the two cases are remarkably alike.