photo #6065059

Two trucks in one: The Konings Siamese Twin 1933A bakery and flour dealer, Smeets needed an inexpensive hauler of about five tons' capacity, company officials estimated. Smeets wanted to use a pair of 1-1/2-ton Ford Model AAs, but Dutch industrial products company Konings stepped up to the challenge. Konings, founded in 1873, had a little bit of experience with automobiles back around the turn of the century, building about half a dozen cars based on the patents of Ferdinand Anderheggen of Amsterdam. With input from H.C. Olivier, Konings owner Leo Konings and engineer Charles Konings went to work in 1932, installing the drivetrains from both AAs side-by-side in one chassis. The idea was to unite the two Fords side by side, so that the power and carrying capacity were doubled. Despite being joined together, the two trucks had completely separate engines, gearboxes, driveshafts and differentials.The rear axles were also modified a lot, to be narrower, without exceeding the width limit of the time.The driver, who sat in the middle of the vehicle, had separate controls for each engine and gearbox. This ensured that only one engine could be used when the truck was empty, for example. When the load weighed on the chassis, the second engine was fired, doubling the power.The driver needed to use two clutch pedals and two gearshift levers, as the gears were completely separate.The braking system, steering and other controls were modified to work in single systems, preventing the driver from having to juggle more in the cabin to operate the vehicle.With an ingenious system, the rear suspension was completely independent, and could rotate sideways,The front axle appears to be stock AA, but around back, Olivier and the Konings developed twin cardans - not entirely dissimilar to the setup that at least one Detroit twin-engine converter used about a decade later - that mounted the full rear suspension from both AA trucks as well as shortened single-wheel axles from both AA trucks. Konings apparently showed the Siamese Twin once in 1933. The truck was used for some time with a body on the chassis, and later gained a trailer, with a fifth-wheel hitch. The trailer also used a rear axle system with dual wheels, similar to the one used on the truck. It is unknown if any more Konings Siam were built after this first unit for Smeets Roermond. Unfortunately, it appears the truck ended up being scrapped, and there are no further records of it. The Konings company still exists today as VDL Konings BV.