NEW TYPE OF BUS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 16

NEW TYPE OF BUS

Four Front Wheels

A new twin-steer bus chassis. one of the first of its kind in New Zealand, was delivered to the workshop of Midland Motorways Services. Ltd., yesterday. Itie chassis will have a 45-seat alloy body built on it for Kaitangata Motors, Ltd. Other twin-seater chassis have recently arrived in other parts of New Zealand but no buses using this principle are yet on the roads. The chassis has tour wheels at the front, one axle behind the other, and all four wheels turn in unison when the steering is turned.

The result is to give the 36ft-long chassis a remarkably small turning circle. The steering is powerassisted, as are the brakes, and 16in wheels are fitted instead of the more usual 20in wheels.

There are three. braking systems. The footbrake operates on all six wheels, the handbrake operates on the tour front wheels and an additional brake operates on the propeller shaft, and thus on the rear wheels. The chassis, a Bedford, is powered by a Leyland diesel engine. It has a tour-speed all-synchromesh geerlboxwith an oveddirive operating as a fifth gear. The completed bus is expected to be ready before Christmas. The dual-steer type of bus is expected to become much more common in New Zealand, and several more will arrive in Christchurch some time next year.