What's new? Mark 2 is what's new!

MARK II TRANSIT HORDERN 6x2

With the introduction of the Mark 11 version of the Transit Hordern 6x2, major changes have been made to the pivoting of the rear lazy axle to the load carrying beams.

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows a photograph of the Mark 1 axle attachment to beam by means of 'U' bolts. This system has been successful, however more articulation can be achieved by pivoting the beam where the axle attaches.

Figure 2 clearly shows the Mark II version where the axle attaches to the beam by means of a steel casting welded to the end of the beam. The lazy axle also has a new casting which locates into the end of the beam casting and held together by a special through bolt. Within these castings there are thrust washers and bushes made from sintered metal material and coated with Teflon. At the time of assembly, lubricant is added and is held within this pivoting unit by means of 'O' rings. With this new beam-axle connection, the unit is free to pivot therefore the chassis of the vehicle remains level when the axles are on uneven surfaces, such as kerbings, driveways, etc.

LOAD CARRYING COIL SPRINGS

Changes have been made to the coil springs. Their rating has been lifted by use of new chrome vanadium materials available from BHP.

Special aligning buffer bushes made from urethane locate the outer spring in position and also locates a second coil spring of 50mm diameter and 18mm shorter than the outer, therefore only coming into operation when the vehicle is loaded above 600kgs. With this combination we have been able to maintain a good ride at no load and when heavier loads are applied, the load is shared over the two springs allowing for better compression of the springs when travelling over uneven roads.

Figure 3

Figure 3 clearly shows the advantages of this new axle beam attachment. As you can see, 100mm blocks placed diagonally under the tandem leaving the chassis still parallel to the road surface. This eliminates strain from the chassis frame when approaching driveways and uneven road surfaces, maintaining tyre contact with the road surface.