Rotinoff Introduce the Super Atlantic
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WITH a gross train weight of 103 tons,the Rotinoff Super Atlantic 6 x 4 tractor, in a demonstration at the Ministry of Supply's F.V.R.D.E. test ground at Chobhatn, last week, made a fast climb of the 1 in 7 gradient. .Rotinoff Motors, Ltd., 125 Pall Mall, London, S.W.I, brought two vehicles for test runs. One was the new Super Atlantic powered by a Rolls-Royce eight-cylindered supercharged oil engine. The other was a Viscount 6 x 4, this being a smaller version of the Atlantic—a road-test report of which appeared in The Commercial Motor on December 23, 1955.
The Viscount, which has a Rolls-Royce sixcylindered supercharged oil engine developing 250
b.h.p. at 2,100 r.p.m. and a six-speed main gearbox and a three-speed auxiliary box, was designed to carry 20 head of cattle and tow two 40-ft. trailers each .carrying 33 animals.
Two such models have been supplied to Vestey Bros., Ltd., for operation in Australia, where they will make runs of up to 500 miles with a gross train weight of 60-65 tons.
Driver comfort .and 'ease of control
were prior considerations, and the demonstration proved that with a gross train weight of about 60 tons the outfit could be manceuvred with little physical effort. Highest speed reached on the course was 30 m.p.h., but the maximum at a governed engine speed of 2,100 r.p.m.. is 47 m.p.h.
The.. Super Atlantic was designed as a tractive unit for gross train loads of up to 200 tons. The easy manner in which it dealt with the 1-in-7 climb on the test course With a gross weight of 10.3 tons was proof of the great reserve power of the engine, which develops a maximum of 335 b.h.p. at 2,100 r.p.m., with a torque of 950 lb.-ft. at 1,300.
The main gearbox has six speeds and this, in conjunction with a three-speed auxiliary box, provides for the close matching of engine torque with any particular operating condition.
A Kirkstall 25-ton bogie is Used, the single wheels carrying 18.00-25-in. 20-ply tyres. Alternative equipment is 14.0024-in. (20-ply) tyres on twin wheels. The steering is power assisted, a feature which applies to all Rotinoff models.
The brakes are operated by compressed air, the front drums measuring 19 in. by 4 in. and the rear drums 19 in. by 7 in. The Super Atlantic has a wheelbase. of 17 ft. 3 in, and is 9 ft. 9 in. wide, whilst the Viscount has a wheelbase of 24 ft. and is 8 ft. wide. Dyson 16-wheold trniiers are tr;ect.