The Early Origin and Evolution of Modern Articulated Tractors
It is generally claimed that the idea of a vehicle with the ability to swivel in the middle was first conceived in Cleveland, Ohio in 1898. Here, a manufacturer of “horseless carriages” named Alexander Winton was faced with the problem of having to deliver his finished vehicles to customers in towns and cities all across the United States.
Driving them, often for hundreds of miles, would have meant exposing them to wear and tear and also entailed the extra expense of paying a driver. To solve the problem, Winton built a flat-bed truck on which to transport his new cars. However, to ensure that it could negotiate the sharp bends along the narrow roads of the time, he built it in two parts with the flat-bed section connected to the motorised section by a pivot joint that allowed each to move independently. This type of setup eventually became known as a mechanical horse or tractor and trailer, an articulated lorry, or a semi-trailer truck.
The value of a vehicle that could turn in far more confined spaces than those with a rigid structure quickly became obvious and the concept was quickly adapted to create more flexible forms of various existing vehicles such as busses, trams, railway rolling stock, and even barges. Still used to transport new vehicles by road, Winton’s humble efforts have since been vastly upgraded and today’s car manufacturers enjoy the benefit of much longer, double-storey trailers, often towed in pairs, and that are able to carry a dozen vehicles or more between them.
Faced with the same need to operate in confined spaces, the agricultural industry has also benefited from Winton’s concept with the development of articulated tractors. Their ability to haul heavy and awkward loads whilst adding the flexibility needed to turn in a much smaller circle than was possible with their rigid predecessors is already a bonus while the introduction of the 4-wheel drivetrain has added the potential to manage as much as double the previous daily workload.
Today, most manufacturers of agricultural equipment will feature one or two such models in their product line-up but, on the African continent, few of these workhorses are likely to be more widely appreciated than those that roll off the Bell assembly line. A proudly South African company, Bell Equipment has been meeting the material handling requirements of the agricultural, forestry, mining, earthmoving, and construction industries for more than six decades. Bell’s range includes everything from dump trucks, excavators, cone crushers, and cane loaders to feller bunchers and forklifts, as well as, of course, articulated tractors.
Known both for their exceptional durability and best-in-class off-road performance, the Bell range provides for the needs of an equally wide range of users. It includes models with gross power ratings of 160, 205, 295, 315, 335, and 375 kW, capable of developing between 810 and 2400 N.m of torque.
Supplying and supporting Bell’s articulated tractors and its other products across Africa with expert after-sales service, well-trained mechanics, modern workshops, and ample stocks of all essential spares and accessories is another well-established and respected South African company – Kanu Equipment.
