A STARTING UNIT FOR FLEET USE.
Page 52
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Details of a Valuable Aid to Fleet Efficiency which is Being Adopted by Many Important Users.
ONE of the most difficult problems facing the manager of a fleet garage is how quickly and easily to start the engines from cold. The problem, -of course, exists in the case of a single vehicle, but the equipment which we are about to describe, whilst not being expensive if spread over a number of vehicles, would be rather too much for the owner of just one or two.
It is a common sight in a bus or coach garage to see four or more men turning a starting handle by means of ropes, and, where an engine is stiff after an overhaul, as many as eight men are sometimes employed. At other times, where sufficient man-power may not be available, starting is effected by towing, but at its quickest this is a comparatively slow process. If a census could be made of the man-hours and vehicle-hours lost through the period of starting, the total would be really surprising, and efficiency could be greatly improved if the time expended could be reduced toan averagetof, say, half a minute per vehicle. With this object in view, the Equipment and Engineering Co., 2, Norfolk Street, Strand, London, W.C.2, which is well known as a supplier in a large way of equipment for tramways, trolley-buses and road motors, is manufacturing an engine starter, built under the patent of Mr. C. F. Whipple, and comprising a complete mobile power unit provided with a clutch, reduction gearing, torsion spring and clamp, by which it is connected to the starting handle of each vehicle as required.
For its operation it requires a man and a boy, one controlling the starting unit whilst the other looks after the throttle, ignition, etc., on the engine to be started, although it can be easily operated by one man only if necessary.
At the invitation of the company we were recently present at a demonstration of the device held at the Reigate garage of the East Surrey Traction Co., Ltd., by permission of the general manager, Mr. A. U. Hawkins.
The demonstration proved conclusively the value of the device, and We saw powerful bus engines started direct from cold, without the slightest difficulty, in a matter of a few moments.
The use of the device does not require any particular skill; in fact, we were ourselves able to employ it successfully at the'first'iattempt, as it permits of exceedingly easy control, itheing,necessary only to-push one handle forward, thus engaging the starting-handle dogs with the crankshaft, and to depress one pedal, whieh is so connected to the throttle of the starting engine that it accelerates it before the pedal moves far enough to insert the starting clutch.
To avoid any risk of severely damaging the starting unit in the case of a back-fire, which, incidentally, is very seldom experienced, the casing of the torsion spring on the starting shaft is held by copper pins, which would shear under exceptional load ; these pins can, of course, be replaced with ease, their number depending upon the size of engine to be started.
The whole unit is mounted upon a robust, two-wheeled truck. There are two permanently fixed legs at the front of this, and a third leg, controlled by a handle, at the rear, this leg being forced down to lift the wheel free of the ground when the unit is in position. A folding step at the left of the unit -enables the machine to be steadied by the foot of the operator. For convenience in wheeling the starter round the garage, two handles are provided. These remain up automatically and can be released instantaneously by handle grips.
The power unit of the starter is a 6 h.p. Coventry Victor engine with twin, horizontally opposed ,gylinders. This engine is firmly mounted in a east-iron bed plate bolted down to the' steel carriage of the starter. It has a B.T.H. magneto and a Cot Atmos carburetter. In front of the engine is a Perodo-faced cone clutch running in oil. At the front of the machine is a high casing, split vertically and containing a double reduction gear giving a ratio of 19 to 1. 'The gears are of steel, hardened where necessary, and with phosphor-bronze bearings. At the top of the gearbox is a
slidable cross-shaft driven by a pair of bevel gears. This shaft is connected to the starting shaft through the medium of a universal joint, and a second universal joint is provided at •the front end of this starting shaft.
In the model we saw there was a channel-shaped clip which was passed over the boss of the starting handle and secured by a single bolt, but, if required, a special clip can be mounted permanently upon each starting handle.
The machine will couple up to vehicles with starting handles of from 17 ins. to 37 ins, above the floor level, depending upon the length of the starting shaft.
To assist in cooling the engine, there are fan blades on the flywheel, but these are protected by a sheet-metal casing. A means for adjustment is provided between the clutdh pedal and the throttle, so that the throttle opens to just the desired extent, without unduly racing the engine.
The price of this interesting and useful outfit is £145, and it is known as the Eqnipple engine starter. The cost of running the starter, allowing for depreciation, repairs and interest on capital, amounts to £40 per annum if distributed over five years, whereas compensation to even one man injured in starting up a refractory engine, as often happens, can easily amount to a sum far exceeding the total capital cost.
In addition to its other uses, the starter may be employed for running-in gearboxes, back axles, etc., before these units are fitted into chassis.
It is interesting to note that many users are already employing this starter, for instance, Birmingham Corporation has purchased seven and Sheffield three. It has also been adopted by the Royal Army Service Corps. .