SIX-WHEELED MOTORS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 3189, 31 January 1928, Page 2

SIX-WHEELED MOTORS

The practice of employing six road wheels, in place of the conventional four, for commercial motor vehicles is a conspicuous tendency of recent design, says the Times. The Ministry of Transport have bestowed their blessing upon it, and, indeed, give it some preferential treatment over the fourwheeled arrangement in respect of per missible length and weight. Motoromnibuses in which the principle is applied are running in a considerable number of large towns in the provinces, and a few have been introduced into London with more on order. Double decked buses seating 72 persons have already been built on six-wheeled chassis. Discussing the advantages of the larger vehicle, the Times says its adoption on an extensive scale might, assist in increasing the capactiy of the roads and thus relieve congestion. In relation to its length it provides more passenger accommodation than can be contrived in a smaller vehicle, and hence a smaller number of units, oc- j cupying a smaller length of road space, j would suffice to carry a given amount j of traffic. Further, when a string of j vehicles is passing along a street they j must always be separated by a longer J or shorter interval, and these interval represent waste of road space so far as traffic is concerned; but with long sixwheeled omnibuses there would be fewer of these wasted spaces and the road would be utilised more effectively for ! its proper function of carrying traffic, j In respect of road wear, again the sixwheeled vehicle would seem to be to the public advantage. Though its to- ! tai weight may be greater the load is | distributed over three axles, with the j result that each wheel carries a smaller I weight and the destructive effect it exerts on the road surface is proportion- j ately lessened,