This is my current project
Garrett Truck Project
History
The original Garrett Suffolk Punch Haulage Tractor was built in 1929 and 1930 (not to be confused with the well-known Suffolk Punch Steam Agricultural Tractors that where built in 1912) the gem of this project went back into the early 1920’s when an idea was mooted at Garret’s to produce a steam tractor for the export market primarily aiming at a growing sector in Africa.
The first idea was to build a three axle tractor running on continuous tracks (caterpillar) with vertical boiler mounted forward of the front axle similar to the already well established under type trucks – design calculations showed this to be front axle heavy so the boiler was moved to behind the driver with water tanks mounted either side of the boiler, a winch was fitted above the front axle and the engine mounted vertically just forward of the driver.
Design work was started in around March 1926 and the first tractor was built in 1929 following an enquiry from the AGE representative (Agricultural and General Engineering) in South Africa this was built as a traditional drive using roller chain to the rear twin bogie, as the thought of tracks had been dropped by now.
Tractor No 35320 was completed in July 1929 and trialled in and around the works yard, and various improvements carried out before she was ready to be used as a works demonstrator – loaned out to R A Dagnall Ltd of Canterbury, before being taken around county shows on the Garrett sales stand
35332 was built in late 1929 and packed up and sent to South Africa 19th February 1930 to the Randfontein Estates Co Ltd along with a large collection of spares, she must have been of use as a request for a replacement boiler was sent in 1950 which was declined.
35412 was built alongside 35332 but despite interest didn’t sell, by 1930 Garrett’s where facing hard times as sales of steam wagons was in decline with diesel trucks taking the market. The receiver sold the two tractors 35320 and 35412 to John Sadd & Sons Ltd timber merchants from Maldon Essex for £525.00 for the pair where they lasted until 1937 when they were both scrapped
The Project
The first I knew of the Tractor was spotting a sales poster at The Long Shop museum in July 2017, for the next year the thought crossed my mind that this might be an interesting machine to build as a reasonably decent size boiler could be housed in the rear section.
Early July 2018 a second visit and emails to the museum curator turned up further information along with a copy of Garrett Wagons Part 2 Undertypes – this was invaluable as by working from a scale drawing of a standard six wheeler and one or two known dimensions it was possible to create a basic working drawing, covering a side elevation and plan view, a drawing was also created for the front wheel (this was produced as a CNC turning by David Firth)
End of July saw a 150mm length of 63mm dia. round bar of aluminium purchased to turn up the rear wheels as a starting point allowing the sub assembly of the rear bogie to be built and trialled first, at the same time the front spring hanger mounts where produced as templates for profile milling along with a side profile for the windscreen hinge pivots.