The Cusick trailer was a BTC,thats the only one with any info apart from the Leyland Beaver grossing at 24ton with a single axle trailer.Useless info Bewick but gets the thread going.
John
When I was a garage fitter in the early '70’s,we had a contract to service Tesco’s trailers at their depot that was in Winsford in those days.
They had a lot of 4 in line box van trailers that we had to do brake overhauls on,they were pigs to work on.Mauled your ■■■■■■■■ off getting the inside wheels off!
Sorry no pics.
I wonder who the tie up with Cusicks was in North Newbald. Scanlon’s, Bayram’s or Fishers, it could be a source of some good old photographs.
Stanfield:
The Cusick trailer was a BTC,thats the only one with any info apart from the Leyland Beaver grossing at 24ton with a single axle trailer.Useless info Bewick but get the thread going.
John
Wasn’t that the point of the clumsy 4 in line, that it wasn’t classed as a single axle but as a twin axle to get the 24ton gross?
I never pulled one but they looked real trouble with a puncture with the wheels leaning at odd angles.
Trev_H:
Stanfield:
The Cusick trailer was a BTC,thats the only one with any info apart from the Leyland Beaver grossing at 24ton with a single axle trailer.Useless info Bewick but get the thread going.
JohnWasn’t that the point of the clumsy 4 in line, that it wasn’t classed as a single axle but as a twin axle to get the 24ton gross?
I never pulled one but they looked real trouble with a puncture with the wheels leaning at odd angles.
We used an old low loader to move forklifts between yards, it had a four in line & to load it, the axles came off and even as a semi disabled schoolboy I could do that. Suppose that would have made it easier to fix a puncture 
Hi Bewick i think Dyson also made 4 in lines and i seem to remember as a nipper seeing a Scammel one .
phil the book:
Hi Bewick i think Dyson also made 4 in lines and i seem to remember as a nipper seeing a Scammel one .
Hiya Phil well well quite a response to the thread!!! some positive— some negative ! but intersting all the same.Twin ossalating ? axles! I knew there was a very special technical description for them but I couldn’t for the life of me re-call it (let alone spell it).I suppose the successor to the 4-in -line was the tandem 4 that appeared in the late 60s with Pitt being the foremost producer.A Primrose tandem 4 was the first trailer I bought at Bewick Transport to run at 26ton GVW behind a BMC Mastiff but I didn’t fancy the centre knave wheels on the Pitt or the York so Primrose built us one with wide track axles and Mastiff front hub assemblies which allowed us to use a standard 1100X 22.5 wheel.We could carry a payload of 18 ton at 26ton gross but I believe that this could be described as being right at the extremes of safe operation as you needed to have a steady driver on an outfit like this (fortunately we had).Anyway I am getting off the thread a bit and yes I do believe all the then trailer builders produced the 4-in -line during that period-----some more than others! And I do believe it was a nightmare to change an inner wheel at the roadside but the trailer had been designed to maximise the then 24ton highest GVW for artics.Interesting stuff Cheers Bewick.
Stanfield:
The Cusick trailer was a BTC,thats the only one with any info apart from the Leyland Beaver grossing at 24ton with a single axle trailer.Useless info Bewick but gets the thread going.
John
The chassis on the last two shots clearly show the thin fabricated chassis that were used compared to the Knowles photo that has a normal solid chassis rail!! Bewick.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Useless information Dennis but worked at Killingbecks of Blackburn in the 60s they had quite a few of the things and in the days of carrying spare wheels you would be expected to change a punctured tyre if the need arose and believe me it was a nightmare with those things the inventor should have been roped on a pile of them and set alight, most drivers hated them with a vengeance.
thanks harry long retired.
No no “H” this is where you can come into your own speaking from first hand experience !! The idea of the 4-in-line was fine on paper but in practice and in operation would seem to have left something to be desired!!Cheers Dennis.
HI all ,
I know it’s not a 4 in line but i remember seeing these about in the 70s & remember Rockware glass had a few . What was the reason/point of these trailers & did they have a name? [ 40ft in length & made by York ]
In the bolton area were i used to work they were nick named mickey mouse trls[dont know why].The wheels were the split rim type thats all i can remember
regards dave.
Bewick:
Stanfield:
The Cusick trailer was a BTC,thats the only one with any info apart from the Leyland Beaver grossing at 24ton with a single axle trailer.Useless info Bewick but gets the thread going.
JohnThe chassis on the last two shots clearly show the thin fabricated chassis that were used compared to the Knowles photo that has a normal solid chassis rail!! Bewick.
Dont you just love ,the old pics of loaded flat trls,ALL HANDBALL not a pallett in sight thats in the days when a days work was hard graft but thinking back i think it kept us fit and unlike today you nearly always got a lift.
regards dave.
PS Sorry if ive gone a bit off the thread.
Bewick:
Does anyone have any shots or spec sheets of this type of trailer that was popular in the 50/60s and ran at 24 ton GVW prior to Plating and Testing starting.I know that the market leader for these trailers was BTC of Trafford Park (I think) and also York built them but were they built by anyone else? PS I might get more response to this thread than I got for Guy Big Js with an 8LXB engine!!! Bewick.
hi Bewick,when i worked for Smiths in Bristol in the 60s we had about 10 4in lines,BTC,YORK,and Scammell.all much the same to use, but the YORK had better brakes,and all of them were v
ery unstable loaded! often saw the wheels lift, if i got a bit carried away on the roundabouts, and dont mention trying to change a puncture on the inside wheels 
…chris
ps,The piccy of the Dodge and 4 in line of Knowles,looks like a Scammell trailor.
From the Horses mouth Bewick this is what BTC say about the Four-in-line they manufactured, Four-in-line running gear makes up a large proportion of the output of the BTC range. This running gear can be found operating throughout the world and employs four spring suspension with the springs situated above and below each oscillating axle. The axles are carried on trunnion brackets and the centres of the axle stubs and the trunnion are on the same level, thus allowing universal movement without tyre scrub (hope your following this). Many types of trailers are made in the range from straight frames, through to step and drop-types to machinery carriers, pole carriers, skeletals, coil carriers, vans, tippers and bus body trailers (mainly for airport use to carry up to 100 people, these did not comply to highway operations regulations in the UK). Of course they also made other configurations and bogies and dolly types for indivisible loads as well as bodies and fifth wheels, one of the few trailer makers to do so. Hope this adds a bit of knowledge and interest.
Just for fun who remembers these British Trailer makers, there were quite a few in the Sixties; Arrow (Blyth, N/land), Boden (Oldham), Brockhouse (W Brom), BTC (Trafford Pk), Carrimore (Stanley, Co Durham), Carter (Car transporters, Tamworth), Charrold (Huntingdon), Crane Fruehauf, of course (Norfolk), Dayson (Stourport), Dixon-Bate (Drawbars mainly, Chester), Duramin (Lydney, Glos), Dyson (Liverpool), Fox (Liverpool, these also made a unique type that could convert from Scammell coupling to Fifth Wheel or visa-versa by the driver), Fromant (Bognor Regis), Hands (Letchworth), Halson (Car and recovery types, Newhaven), Highway (Southampton), Hoynor (Essex), HWP (Doncaster), King (Market Harborough), M&G (Lye, Worcestershire), Merriworth (Dartford), Murfitt (Wisbech), Northern (Bishopbriggs), Peak (Stockport), Pitt (Winchester), Primrose (Burnley), Scammell (Watford), Seaway ( a new kid on the block in the late Sixties, Greenock), Taskers (Andover), Thompson Trailmobile (Gloucester), Walker (Stockton), Weeks (Hessle), Welford (Tippers mostly, Tipton), York (not from York but Corby!), there were one or two others but they were mainly special types the above built generally all the range, so if you didn’t pull most of these then your not a proper driver! Only kidding, now how many are left! Franky.
Frankydobo:
From the Horses mouth Bewick this is what BTC say about the Four-in-line they manufactured, Four-in-line running gear makes up a large proportion of the output of the BTC range. This running gear can be found operating throughout the world and employs four spring suspension with the springs situated above and below each oscillating axle. The axles are carried on trunnion brackets and the centres of the axle stubs and the trunnion are on the same level, thus allowing universal movement without tyre scrub (hope your following this). Many types of trailers are made in the range from straight frames, through to step and drop-types to machinery carriers, pole carriers, skeletals, coil carriers, vans, tippers and bus body trailers (mainly for airport use to carry up to 100 people, these did not comply to highway operations regulations in the UK). Of course they also made other configurations and bogies and dolly types for indivisible loads as well as bodies and fifth wheels, one of the few trailer makers to do so. Hope this adds a bit of knowledge and interest.Just for fun who remembers these British Trailer makers, there were quite a few in the Sixties; Arrow (Blyth, N/land), Boden (Oldham), Brockhouse (W Brom), BTC (Trafford Pk), Carrimore (Stanley, Co Durham), Carter (Car transporters, Tamworth), Charrold (Huntingdon), Crane Fruehauf, of course (Norfolk), Dayson (Stourport), Dixon-Bate (Drawbars mainly, Chester), Duramin (Lydney, Glos), Dyson (Liverpool), Fox (Liverpool, these also made a unique type that could convert from Scammell coupling to Fifth Wheel or visa-versa by the driver), Fromant (Bognor Regis), Hands (Letchworth), Halson (Car and recovery types, Newhaven), Highway (Southampton), Hoynor (Essex), HWP (Doncaster), King (Market Harborough), M&G (Lye, Worcestershire), Merriworth (Dartford), Murfitt (Wisbech), Northern (Bishopbriggs), Peak (Stockport), Pitt (Winchester), Primrose (Burnley), Scammell (Watford), Seaway ( a new kid on the block in the late Sixties, Greenock), Taskers (Andover), Thompson Trailmobile (Gloucester), Walker (Stockton), Weeks (Hessle), Welford (Tippers mostly, Tipton), York (not from York but Corby!), there were one or two others but they were mainly special types the above built generally all the range, so if you didn’t pull most of these then your not a proper driver! Only kidding, now how many are left! Franky.
You are a star Franky!!Defo!! I can re-call a good number of those old names but the ones I was involved with were limited to Primrose,York (Corby and Northallerton),Boden,Crane Fruehauf( who took Boden over),Peak,Task (er) ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Tautliner bodies) and we had one Merryworth (I think it was!).Cheers Bewick.
tonyhogi:
HI all ,
I know it’s not a 4 in line but i remember seeing these about in the 70s & remember Rockware glass had a few . What was the reason/point of these trailers & did they have a name? [ 40ft in length & made by York ]
This is a shot of the first Bewick artic stood loaded at Henry Cooke’s Beetham Mill.The 32ft Primrose tandem 4 was loaded with 18ton 3 drops London.But some of the loads we did into Kent were two pallets high right through and 18ton! It didn’t half make the Mastiff roll I can tell you! Bewick.
Hi boys
Bewick:
Frankydobo:
From the Horses mouth Bewick this is what BTC say about the Four-in-line they manufactured, Four-in-line running gear makes up a large proportion of the output of the BTC range. This running gear can be found operating throughout the world and employs four spring suspension with the springs situated above and below each oscillating axle. The axles are carried on trunnion brackets and the centres of the axle stubs and the trunnion are on the same level, thus allowing universal movement without tyre scrub (hope your following this). Many types of trailers are made in the range from straight frames, through to step and drop-types to machinery carriers, pole carriers, skeletals, coil carriers, vans, tippers and bus body trailers (mainly for airport use to carry up to 100 people, these did not comply to highway operations regulations in the UK). Of course they also made other configurations and bogies and dolly types for indivisible loads as well as bodies and fifth wheels, one of the few trailer makers to do so. Hope this adds a bit of knowledge and interest.Just for fun who remembers these British Trailer makers, there were quite a few in the Sixties; Arrow (Blyth, N/land), Boden (Oldham), Brockhouse (W Brom), BTC (Trafford Pk), Carrimore (Stanley, Co Durham), Carter (Car transporters, Tamworth), Charrold (Huntingdon), Crane Fruehauf, of course (Norfolk), Dayson (Stourport), Dixon-Bate (Drawbars mainly, Chester), Duramin (Lydney, Glos), Dyson (Liverpool), Fox (Liverpool, these also made a unique type that could convert from Scammell coupling to Fifth Wheel or visa-versa by the driver), Fromant (Bognor Regis), Hands (Letchworth), Halson (Car and recovery types, Newhaven), Highway (Southampton), Hoynor (Essex), HWP (Doncaster), King (Market Harborough), M&G (Lye, Worcestershire), Merriworth (Dartford), Murfitt (Wisbech), Northern (Bishopbriggs), Peak (Stockport), Pitt (Winchester), Primrose (Burnley), Scammell (Watford), Seaway ( a new kid on the block in the late Sixties, Greenock), Taskers (Andover), Thompson Trailmobile (Gloucester), Walker (Stockton), Weeks (Hessle), Welford (Tippers mostly, Tipton), York (not from York but Corby!), there were one or two others but they were mainly special types the above built generally all the range, so if you didn’t pull most of these then your not a proper driver! Only kidding, now how many are left! Franky.
You are a star Franky!!Defo!! I can re-call a good number of those old names but the ones I was involved with were limited to Primrose,York (Corby and Northallerton),Boden,Crane Fruehauf( who took Boden over),Peak,Task (er) ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Tautliner bodies) and we had one Merryworth (I think it was!).Cheers Bewick.
Was your Dayson suppost to reed Dyson or was that another firm, and what about Overlander from Kidderminster.
Any more 
Regards Keith
and Multiwheeler, but dont know where they were from, the firm i was with also had a home made single axle (from an old Albion) tipping trailer! very high and unstable,dont think VOSA would be very impressed to-day! 
…chris
The maker was Dayson, easily confused with Dyson so not a good choice of name but both offered standard range trailers. Overland doesn’t appear in the list from 1968 I have, were they actually British made and around then. As you see I put a pic up of the BTC 4-in-line and it gives a better view of the suspension. Funnily enough I was at a Van Hee get together a couple of weeks ago and the Four-in-line came up in the conversation, I know my Dad and his mates during the 60’s/70’s were’nt too keen on them as they had a tendency to want to roll on corners and the ex Van Hee lads confirmed this during the conversation but like all strange configurations in transport they were developed to over come some of the archaic regulations at the time to allow max payload, weights, length limits etc and I suppose served a purpose at the time, how diverse it was to be a driver or fitter in those days. Cheers Franky.
Hi boys
Franky,Overlander British made and built there own trailers but not sure whether they were going in the 60s definitely in the 70s as they made us a set of chassis rails for a lowloader we were making. We used to do axle conversions on units and trailers and made a few trailers from scratch under the name of KPM trailers from Whitchurch Shropshire.
Regards Keith.