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Gabriel flies high On SA six-legers
Page 24
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THE GABRIEL group of Enfield in north London who bought the first Seddon Atkinson 300 Series double-drive six-wheeler in September 1978 has since bought three more. The company now says it plans to make its fleet, which currently stands at about 35 vehicles in the heavier range, all SA.
The first 300, like the latest in the fleet bodied as a concrete mixer, has clocked up a low mileage on local work, but has had to contend with harsh site conditions.
Fleet engineer Trevor Platups commented, "We had our share of teething troubles, but the engine is a good workhouse, and the vehicle is fast on the road."
The six-leggers are powered by the 144kW (194bhp) International turbocharged 7.64-litre engine coupled to a ZF six-speed gearbox.
Minor modifications by Seddon Atkinson to the original model have included reinforcement of the gearchange mount ing bracket and changes to the air intake mounting.
A more significant benefit to Gabriel after the first year of operation was the introduction of a higher back axle ratio (6.55 rather than 5.57 to 1). This option, fitted to Gabriel's later 300s, is said to have improved traction on rough sites.
Thompson concrete-mixer bodies transferred from earlier chassis are fitted to three of the four 300s. A RANGE of Aluminium lpg containers —both portable cylinders and automotive fuel tanks — will be introduced by Grundy (Teddington) Limited at the 6th European Liquefied Petroleum Congress and Exhibition in May.
The containers on show are comparable in strength with conventional steel containers, but give considerable weight saving — up to a third it is claimed.