Fordson Thames Other models
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Fordson Thames 500E – British truck chassis with eight-cylinder engine: 3,180kg unladen weight, 3,250mm wheelbase, 2,160mm width, model year 1951
Fordson Thames was the commercial vehicle brand of Ford's British plant, building trucks and vans in the post-war period. The 500E from 1951 belongs to the heavier chassis of this brand.
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The eight-cylinder engine powers a chassis with an unladen weight of 3,180kg. With a gross vehicle weight of 3,280kg, a payload of 100kg remains. A wheelbase of 3,250mm combined with a width of 2,160mm on four wheels results in a compact but heavy chassis.
An eight-cylinder engine in a chassis of this weight class was, in 1951, a powerful but elaborate solution compared with the four-cylinder engines then common in light trucks. The low ratio of payload to unladen weight points to a heavy special body, for instance with its own drive equipment or additional fittings, rather than a simple dropside or box body.
When preserving or acquiring a vehicle of this age, the condition of the frame and axles matters most, along with the originality of the eight-cylinder engine, since spare parts for a British commercial engine of this period are practically only obtainable through classic vehicle specialists. The brakes, steering and the condition of the body, built especially solidly given this high unladen weight, are also worth checking. The leaf springs and clutch also deserve attention, since they carry a correspondingly heavy load given this weight distribution.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells 500E
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