SPECIAL VEHICLES for Unusual Classes of Work
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Some of the Products of an American Concern which is Specializing on the Construction of Special-purpose• Machines.
TNTRODUCED originally for use as the basis of vans and lorries intended for the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods, commercial-motor chassis are tó-day being used for a variety of special purposes, and this quite apart from their employment as lire-engines, prison vans, refuse-collecting carts, gully-emptiers, etc. An American concern which appears to be making a feature of what we may term special-job vehicles is the Le BlondSchacht Truck Co., of Cincinnati, 0.
The recent products of this concern include a concrete-carrying lorry in which the tank and its contents are kept in a constant state of rotation whilst the vehicle is travelling, as well as a vehicle equipped with a combined moving ladder of buckets and lateral travelling-band device for the rapid digging of trenches in streets and roads in connection with water, gas and
other main-laying tasks, the excavated material being deposited at the side, but well clear of the trench.
The maker has sent us the accompanying illustrations of another specialpurpose vehicle which it has lately completed, this being intended for "icing refrigerator freight cart " which, converted into English, we take to mean loading ice into the cooling compartments of refrigerating railway vans which are used for the transport of meat and other foodstuffs.
The chassis of the vehicle is one of the company's standard 5-ton vans; with a wheelbase of 13 ft. 8 ins. The motive power is supplied by a six-cylindered engine stated to develop up to 86 h.p., the bore and stroke being 4-1 ins. and 4/ ins. respectively. The power is transmitted through a dry multiple disc clutch and a special gearbox providing seven fotward speeds
and two reverse speeds to a warmdriven fully floating rear axle.
The main 'feature of the vehicle is the body, which is constructed of steel and so arranged that its platform can be raised to -a height of 13 ft. 6 ins. above the ground level. At the corners of the chassis are mounted four vertical channel steel members which form guides for . the body-steadying brackets, and supports and housings for a similar number of long steel screws„ which can be rotated by Suitable gearing by using the power of the erigine."The screws are connected With worms secured to the body, so that the latter Can be readily raised or lowered. For the rapid loading and unloading of the body, which is 11 ft. 4 ins. long, 5 ft. 10 ins, wide and 3 ft. 2 ins. deep, dxop ;doors are fitted on the Aides and at the roar. :These must be closed when raising or lowering the body.