Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co
of 44-46, Kingsway, London, W.C.2 and Buckingham Avenue Trading Estate, Slough, Bucks.
of Charing Cross, London, S.W.1., and Slough.
US background
1904 The Four-Wheel Drive Wagon Co was formed in Milwaukee, USA
Subsequently presumably became the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co of Wisconsin.
WW1 During the war more than 16,000 F.W.D. lorries were delivered to the Allied Governments. The British Government began purchasing from the American factory in the autumn of 1914, but, owing to interference by German submarine activities, the Ministry of Munitions started to manufacture F.W.D. lorries in this country. These British-built F.W.D. machines, although they were copied from the original design, differed in many ways. Certain parts and materials had to be substituted on account of the difficulty in obtaining correct materials throughout the latter part of the war, and also certain changes which were considered necessary by the American and Canadian plants were not made to the British-made vehicles.[1]
F.W.D. vehicles were used in France by the US Army. The vehicles had a track width of 4ft 8.5 ins so that the wheels could be changed and the vehicle used on the standard gauge railway tracks
General
1919 Henry Nyberg, vice-president and general manager of the F.W.D. Auto Co., Ltd., of Kitchener, Canada, was requested by the American factory to come over to Europe to see what it would be advisable to do in order to straighten out the F.W.D. business here.
He started to organize a service system in Britain. He had a difficult task to handle, on account of the fact that more than 1,000 F.W.D. machines had been sold from the dumps and put out amongst users without any service information or instructions.
He formed The Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co., Ltd., whose head offices are at 44-46, Kingsway, London, W.C.2 and extensive works at Buckingham Avenue Trading Estate, Slough, Bucks. He was assisted by Captain C. F. Cleaver, A.M.I.C.E., M.I.A.E., as chief engineer and factory manager.
Initially the factory was engaged in rebuilding a number of F.W.D. lorries purchased from the Disposals Board, but when this work finished it was intended to build complete vehicles.
1921 The company established works in Slough, first to convert the US Army models and then produce vehicles from scratch.
1924 Supplied the chassis of a petrol-engine driven railway coach to the Norwegian State Railway
1926 Hardy railcars were built by the Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co for Hardy Rail Motors, Ltd. (an associated company). One was equipped with a Foamite Firefoam tank, hose reel, etc., which was shipped to the Anglo-Persian Oil Co., Ltd., Abadan, for combating oil fires. Another was a tower wagon which had been delivered to the Leeds City Tramways for use in connection with the repair of overhead equipment.
The company have recently been carrying out some tests with one of their Hardy shunting locomotives fitted with the new large petrol engine. On the first test the locomotive was shunting on a gradient of 1 in 24, which is extremely steep for railway work. In further tests, carried out on a practically level line, the locomotive was tested by pulling various loaded wagons.
Several extensions had recently been made to the machine shop and the carpenters' shops at Slough. In the latter the machines are being run off an underground line shaft which is driven from an overhead motor.
F.W.D. creeper-track vehicles have given remarkable results in cross-country haulage and transport.[2]
1927 The FWD sometimes known as the Quad was produced with a 70hp engine
1927 Exhibited a six-wheel vehicle, driven on all wheels, at the Commercial Motor Vehicle Exhibition at Olympia[3]
1929 A working arrangement was concluded between the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., and the Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co., Ltd., which also included Hardy Rail Motors, Ltd. The general features of the arrangement were that the principal units in the construction of F.W.D. and Hardy products would be of A.E.C make.
In addition to the standard four and six-wheel-drive chassis there would be an F.W.D. low-loader of six tons capacity, driven through the front wheels, fitted with 36-in. by 8-in, pneumatic tyres. The loading platform was 2 ft. 3 ins, from the ground.
The F.W.D. commercial tractor had a 7-ft. wheelbase, a four-cylindered engine of 65 b.h.p. and a seven-speed gearbox. It was capable of hauling loads up to 20 tons on trailers, and had 36-in. by 8-in, pneumatic tyres on the four driving wheels. The road speed was 26 m.p.h. at normal engine revolutions.
There were three models of the six-wheeler, a four-cylinder of six tons capacity, a six-cylinder to carry eight tons and a six-wheel-drive tractor with a drawbar pull of 12,000 lb. and a powerful winch.
There were also half-track machines and, in the Hardy range, a standard shunting locomotive to haul 230 tons on the level, tower wagons, inspection coaches, etc.
Owing to the four-wheel drive many of these vehicles used with special equipment, such as fire pumps, cranes, grabbing machines, etc., and other equipment which the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., considered would be of great interest to many of its dealers and customers. All A.E.C. branches were to be in a position to supply complete information regarding these chassis and equipment. Some of the latter could be incorporated in the A.E.C. chassis, and the A.E.C. welcomes this arrangement, which it hoped would lead to the further enlargement of its programme.[4]
1929 Mr D. R. Walters (recently returned from heading AEC Australia) was appointed secretary and accountant of Four Wheel Drive Motors, Ltd., and Hardy Rail Motors, Ltd. [5]
1930 4-ton vehicles bearing the designation Hardy were the latest types of what were formerly known as F.W.D. machines. They are manufactured by Hardy Motors, Ltd., the offices of which are at 46, Charing Cross, London, S.W.1, and the works at Slough. [6]
1931 Four Wheel Drive Motors was "connected with AEC"; they made Hardy vehicles, a special War Office design of 6 wheel vehicle[7]
1932 AEC took a controlling interest in the businesses. The vehicles were then marketed as Hardy
A subsidiary company Hardy Rail Motors was engaged in making rail traction units.
1936 Production appears to have ceased around this time
List of Models
- Quad (1927- )
See Also
Sources of Information
- British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing