New Equipment at B.I.F.
Page 50
Page 51
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ARECORD number of overseas buyers is visiting the hardware section of the British Industries Fair at Castle Bromwich this year, and many will see vehicles and lorrymounted equipment of new or modified design which have already created interest abroad. These include machines used for major development projects and those built for the small operator and manufacturer to whom first cost is all important.
Because of its unusual design and the history of its development, a machine of Nutstanding interest is the straddle carrier, produced by the British Straddle Carrier Co., Ltd., which is available as a timber or steel transporter. The machine is based on a vehicle evolved for pest-control spraying, which was later modified to its present form for use in this country as a carrier. A substan
tiaI order from Russia was partly responsible for its production on a quantity basis.
Both the Timber Wolf and Steelmaster straddle carriers are powered by Perkins P6 oil engines and have a road speed, forward and in reverse, of 25 m.p.h. The timber transporter has a load-carrying capacity of 10 tons and the steel carrier a capacity of 7 tons.
Designed for towing all types of trailer and for use as a load carrier, bulldozer, snowplough, mobile crane and so on, the Motormuli crawler tractor, shown by Atkinson's Agricultural Appliances, Ltd., is seen fitted with rubber tracks for road use. Equipped with a five-speed gearbox, its maximum speed is 22 m.p.h. and it can climb a gradient of I in 2.25.
Fork-lift trucks are again an important feature of the Fair, and many new machines are shown, including a range of electric trucks exhibited by the Yale and Towne Manufacturing Co., who started production of trucks in this country a few months ago. Machines powered by internal-combustion engines will be added to the range later.
The Yale Worksaver is a threewheeled machine mounted on 10-in. wheels with solid rubber tyres. Two models are shown, the M15HTF having a capacity of 1,680 lb. and the M25TTF a capacity of 2,500 lb. at 2-ft. load centres. Other Yale exhibits include warehouse straddle trucks of 20-cwt. and 30-cwt. capacities and pallet-platform works tractors with capacities of 2 tons and 3 tons.
The advantages of using a horizontally opposed air-cooled power unit are shown by the compact design of the new FD223 fork truck, shown by Lansing Bagnall, Ltd., which is fitted with an Enfield oil engine. The machine has a capacity of 2,240 lb at 1-ft. 8-in, load centres and incorporates a number of new features, including load and tilt indicators and a tilting-fork mechanism attached to a fixed mast.
Improved Models Twin mast-tilt cylinders, a high-lift mast and steering-column gear change are improved features of the new TMD and TLD fork trucks shown by Coventry Climax Engines. Ltd. The TMD212 has .a capacity of 1,500 lb. and a lift height of 12 ft., and the TMD209 can lift 2,000 lb. to a height of 9 ft. The TLD2I2 has a capacity of 2.000 lb. at 24-in, load centres and can lift to a height of 12 ft. Other new models include the FDC 4.000-lb. truck, powered by the concern's threecylindered oil engine.
Heavy-duty fork trucks are represented by the well-tried Freightlifter. shown by Shelvoke and Drewry, Ltd.
It has a capacity range of 8,000 lb. at toad centres, to 18,000 lb. at 2 ft. wd is demonstrated with various ma•chments. A particular feature of tje :vehicres'Aisplayed by ConveyanCer .Ork' Trucks, Ltd., is a hydraulically peiafed rotating head.
The -_development of suitable at tachtents for fork trucks continues to play ail,. important part in increasing their idapiability and efficiency. Two original types of Hydrurn gripper Attachment, displayed by R. H. Corbett ind CO., Ltd., are therefore of particu lar irtlefest. The first comprises a ;cries of gripper plates, attached to a Coventry Climax TMD truck which is originally adjusted with alever control but when lifting, Ahe,pressure on the load is autoniatically increased.
A concrete-block griper has, two sets of forks with rubber-studded clamping arms, which also exert a side pressure on the load in proportion to the weight. These are attached to a Ranscirnes, Sims and Jefferies 4,000-1b. electric truck.
Fully Enclosed
A notable addition to the large range of electric fork trucks and tractors manufactured by Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ltd., is a new tractor, the T.4, which is displayed for the first time. This is a fully enclosed type, of modern appearance, which can haul up to 10 tons at a speed of 31 m.p.h. A Modified version of the Runabout crane is also shown.
In the lightweight class of works truck a vehicle of special interest is the Pyramid Power Tug 106, displayed by The Excelsior Motor Co., Ltd., which has a load capacity of 4,400 lb. and is seen attached to a four-wheeled trailer capable of carrying 1-1tons. The tractor is based on an easily detachable power-pack steering head. incorporating a Villiers air-cooled single-cylindered engine, and is marketed at a highly competitive price.
The Tubo Truc-Tractor, shown by R.S.A. Motor Cycles, Ltd., now has a 4.75-b.h.p. engine in place of the original 2-b.h.p. unit, and is fitted with
an improved hand brake and a sturdy bumper bar.
The range of heavy dumpers and earth-moving equipment shown this year has diminished compared with previous Fairs, and it is therefore of significance that the FE6 9-cu.-yd. dumper and the FED4 5-6-cu.-yd. machine are exhibited by Fodens, Ltd., both vehicles being fitted with the new half-cab, designed for maximum visibility and easc of maintenance. These form one of the most impressive exhibits of the indoor stands, whilst, on the outdoor stands, the Vickers VR180 tractors with matched ancillary equipment, shown by Jack Olding and Co., Ltd., together with the large scrapers on the same stands, displayed by Onions and Sons (Levellers), Ltd., are outstanding displays. The 3/4-cu.-yd. loading shovel on the stand of F. E. Weatherill, Ltd., is coupled to a John Allen trencher attachment; also displayed is the recently introduced 314-cu.-yd. hydraulic overloader.
Amongst the smaller dumpers, an entirely new machine is shown by George Fowell, Ltd., which is a 1-tonner powered by a Petter two-cylinder-inline oil engine, mounted transversely in front of the driver. An interesting feature of the 13.M.R. President public works tractor, which is included in the exhibits of Brockhouse Engineering (Southport), Ltd., is a hydraulic balancing mechanism fitted. to the front pivoted-beam axle.
Original Design Two exhibits of diverse but original interest are an earth-borer attachment, shown by the Cheshire Engineering Co., Ltd., mounted on a Thames Sussex sixwheeler, and a range of agricultural trailers anti tipper trailers, displayed by Alan Foster-Clarke and Sons. The Cheshire borer can dig a hole of 2 ft. 6 in. diameter in 10 mm. and is ideal for short-pole work. A feature of the Foster-Clarke vehicles is the lightness of the tubular chassis frames, a notable example being the 3-ton three-way tipper whieh weighs 16 cwt. The ram is operated hydraulically by the tractor pump or by hand lever.
Vehicle loading by portable conveyor can often reduce handling costs without a heavy capital expenditure, and equipment of this type, exhibited by R. A. Lister and Co., Ltd., and C. H. Johnson (Machinery), Ltd., should provide a solution to many manufacturers' and operators' problems.