New Milk Tankers For Wellington

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14883, 21 January 1949, Page 3

New Milk Tankers For Wellington

Considerable Economies Proved

9 Back Haulage Of Empty

Cans Avoided

The Wellington City Milk Department’s second milk tanker will be on the road within a few weeks, and will be followed by three more during the year. Like the first, it has a capacity of 1800 gallons, but a rearrangement of axles and tractor unit attachment—to give a better spread of the loaded weight of 15 tons over the Otaki and Waikanae bridges—gives it a good deal more height. With its stainless steel tank and cream chassis it will be quite the most impressive vehicle on the roads about Wellington. The tankers will bring milk in from up-country stations, Rahui, and Te Horo, and such other depots as may be arranged for the‘collection, testing, and cooling of farm milk, but collection of milk from individual farms must still be done by standard truck.

Considerable economies have been proved by the operation of the first tanker, especially in labour at the city depot, for instead of 200 cans having to be manhandled, the 1800 gallons are simply piped to the depot tanks, from which they pass to the treating units. Back haulage of empty cans over a long road distance is also avoided. The first tanker is drawn by an American petrol tractor unit, but the new vehicles will be drawn by British diesel units, and with the later wheel plan the tank chassis may be detached and left on its own axles, while th Q tractor unit goes about some other milk haulage business. '<

The stainless steel tanks are spun and welded at Palmerston North, and the specialised trailer chassis are built at Wellington. One southern dairy factory operates a 3000-gallon tanker, but Wellington district hi'ghwav bridges could not take that weight.