New Trailer for Recovering Vehicles
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IN view of the Lord Chief Justice's ruling 1 on towing ambulances (reported on this page) the introduction by the Ibbett Engineering Co., Ltd., Kempston Hardwick, Beds, of the Eezion 3-ton groundlevel-loading vehicle-recovery trailer is Most timely. It costs £465.
It is a four-wheeler running on 27 by 6-in. (8-ply) tyres. The wheels are mounted on separate right-angled assemblies, the lower arm of each consisting of a box-section member pivoting about a stub axle. The upper arm is a quarterelliptic leaf spring rigidly . fixed at its upper end when the trailer chassis is in the elevated position.
Two hydraulic rams with a 23-in: stroke are fitted at the front of the chassis on each side and attached to link members which connect the springs. To lower the chassis to the ground a locking bar is released and the hydraulic pressure reduced by means of a hand-controlled valve incorporating a limiting device in case of hydraulic failure.
As the rams retract, the wheel assem.blies pivot around the axle at the Corner of the right-angled member and the platform settles on to the ground. A vehicle can then be driven directly on to the trailer. A Thompson 10-cwt, winch at the front allows a disabled Vehicle to be hauled aboard.
The chassis is raised by a Newton handoperated hydraulic pump, which will complete the operation in about 2 min., lifting a vehicle weighing 30 cwt. The locking bar automatically comes into position when the correct height is reached. The ground clearance of the trailer is 8 in. when raised.
Girling brakes are fitted on the two forward wheels, the drum dimensions being 12 in. by 21 in. As the unladen weight of the complete trailer is only 19* cwt., an overrun braking system is employed.
The two rear wheels are interconnected by a bar running inside one of the tubular chassis cross-members. This reduces rolling when in motion and ensures that, whatever the condition of the rams, the trailer will sink evenly when -being lowered.