|
|
|
|
A DATE WITH A TRACTORSome of the newsletter reminiscences describe the "hairy" moments that come with our engineering territory. How to cap them? There was I! Standing in the "fast" lane of the Ml motorway! Alright; that I am here to tell the tale is not a testament to my athletic traffic-dodging ability. Neither is it the result of compassionate and considerate motorists whose timely braking had avoided the suicidal maniac confronting them. The simple explanation is that the motorway was peacefully awaiting its important opening day sometime in 1959. No traffic thundered by as I attended a "photo-shoot". Alas, no curvaceous models in sight; but a gleaming aluminium trailer that formed part of an articulated vehicle. The plot thickens! |
|
Aircraft manufacturing activity at Filton which ebbed and flowed like the tide, was at slack water in the mid-fifties, and an enterprising aluminium supplier came up with a proposal to boost their sagging sales graph. Freight, if it went by road, was usually transported on flatbed trucks or trailers, with flapping tarpaulins. American freight carriers used mainly semi-trailers ("i" in "semi" is pronounced as "eye" - if you are an American!). The trailers were basically boxes on wheels but which still used a conventional heavy steel chassis. 'Why not' the aluminium purveyors said 'build light alloy box trailers to replace those tarpaulin covered wagons?' The clever bit, which involved the Filton factory, was the proposal that aircraft design principles should be used to produce a lighter vehicle. Transport operators would benefit from the improved fuel consumption or increase in payload, Filton would benefit from the work created for skilled aircraft fitters, and the aluminium supplier would benefit from the upward kink in the sales graph. "You scratch my back ... !" Thus the aluminium box was to be built like a terrestrial version of a semi-monocoque fuselage (roughly speaking!) with the floor, sides and roof taking their share of the load instead of just keeping the weather at bay. The massive steel chassis could then be tossed into the proverbial melting pot. To cut to the chase - with the involvement of Percy Soper, John Chennery, John Symon (apprentice working for me and becoming my boss much, much later!) John Dickens, Ken Booy's lads, and just one fitter Harry? and many more - a fully tested vehicle was eventually spawned.
When standing alone, an articulated trailer would sag down at the front, like a cow going down on its front knees in order to lie down before a rain storm. A term, similar to that used in aircraft parlance, describes the crude device that prevents the trailer from such an embarrassment. It is known as the "Davies" landing gear. Both the aircraft and trailer versions are called landing gear and can be raised and lowered, but there the similarity ends. Pneumatic tyres are not macho, and so solid wheels or plain skids are provided. We chose the hi-tech version - solid wheels! The legs could be extended or retracted by means of a hand crank to control the height of the trailer bed when standing alone; a point which is crucial to the climax of my tale. The towing vehicle is known by the mundane description "tractor" which has nothing to do with the agricultural variety. The term is still used despite the introduction of the "bed-sits on wheels" that now decorate our motorways and lay-byes. Notwithstanding such modern innovations, anyone passing or more likely being passed, by these monsters will see that some things don't change. A brief glance will show a large steel horseshoe shaped contrivance dripping with grease mounted above the rear wheels. This is known for some obscure reason as the "fifth-wheel".Bolted below the bed of the trailer is a steel device known for more obvious reasons as the "king-pin". This is the important gadget that keeps the unit from separating at speed thus preventing the driver behind getting a face full of trailer. The clever bit occurs when the trailer is standing waiting for its tractor. Like taxi drivers who appear to be super-glued to their seats, the tractor driver can reverse into the trailer without any outside assistance. If his aim is good the trailer will, hopefully, slide on to the lubricated fifth wheel until its king pin is trapped by powerful spring-loaded jaws. This operation requires considerable judgement as the driver is unable to see the final mating and could be said to be the transport version of pinning the tail on the donkey. The driver's only exercise will be connect- ing the air hoses, and releasing the parking brake. The scene can now be set. The stage was the cavernous chamber that was known as the Experimental Shop at that time. Centre stage was the pristine virginal trailer awaiting an arranged marriage with an unknown tractor, hired for the ceremony. The small team that attended showed all the signs of pre-nuptial tension as last minute adjustments were made pending the arrival of the tractor to which no one had yet been introduced. It was for this reason that we planned to make sure that our two charges were completely compatible before the final mating act was attempted. After all we had only guessed the setting for the landing gear, and what was more the only thing preventing the trailer from being propelled backward into some very expensive bits of aeroplane parts and jigs was the device laughingly called a parking brake. Yes the scene was set, but for an extremely expensive disaster if we did not play our cards right! All we could do now was wait. The huge folding doors were opened
and the sunlight flooded into the hanger - all the portents seemed
favourable - when the hired tractor with its hired driver roared
into view. Tractors without their trailers look somewhat absurd,
like someone running around half dressed, but this one also looked
ominous giving the impression that its designs on our trailer were
less than honourable. Suddenly it was all over. A deathly silence ensued as the diminutive rotund figure of the driver swung down in a practised manner from the cab with a self-satisfied smirk on his stubbly face. The illusion was completed when he lit a cigarette and drew heavily on its deadly fumes despite the large sign "NO SMOKING". By a fluke, possibly unparalleled in the Company's long history, all the bits had fitted correctly at the first attempt (more luck than expertise) and the trailer had not budged. The narrow slot in the fifth-wheel had embraced the king-pin in its spring loaded jaws exactly on centre and at the right height. Despite the success of the connection we could have cheerfully thumped the driver - after all he was suitably smaller than us - and heavily outnumbered! John Payne |
It
is important for the sake of my anecdote that I provide a brief
introduction to the vocabulary of the road freight industry :-
Our
worse nightmares were realised, for, without pausing to say a polite
good morning, or to discuss our carefully prepared agenda, the driver
engaged reverse gear and bore down upon our unsuspecting protégé
at a hair-raising terminal velocity. It all happened too quickly
for anyone to shout a warning. It was even too quick to envisage
the trail of destruction that might ensue. Did I close my eyes?
I don't remember!