Sturmey Motors, Limited.
Page 35
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Principal Exhibits : Two Vans ; one sample Carrier ; one Chassis.
This company is exhibiting a travellers' brougham, two delivery vans, and a chassis. The mechanism is identical throughout, and the chassis which is shown with the gears exposed serves to explain the very simple but effective transmission that has been adopted. The vehicles are made under Mr. Harry Parsons' patents, and are similar to the one described in Our issue of July 20th, 1905. The travellers' brougham has been in use for twelve months, by J. and R. Allan, Limited, of Edinburgh, by whom it has been lent. One of the delivery vans has an ordinary box body, and the other has a novel body divided into four separate compartments, each with its own door, and these compartments are again each divided into two by a shelf, so that eight separate loads can be made up, and kept distinct, it being possible to get at each one independently. The engine employed in these vehicles has a single cylinder, of 44-inch bore, and a 6-inch stroke ; it is designed to develop 8b.h.p. at 800r.p.m. The unique feature of the engine is that the exhaust valve is inside the inlet valve, both being concentric. The consequence is that the incoming mixture is raised to a fairly high temperature by the heat communicated from the exhaust of the preceding stroke, and, in fact, paraffin can be used with the same ease as petrol, once the engine is warmed up, without any alteration or even adjustment to the carburetter. The engine is placed under the driver's foot-boards, and drives direct to the gear-box, without the intervention of a clutch. This is rendered possible by the employment of an epicyclie gear, each variation being brought into operation by a separate foot pedal, actuating a band brake in the gear-box.
There are two forward speeds and a reverse, and the gear-box is one with the live axle casing, which further tends to simplicity.Depressing the centre pedal of the three, the first or slow speed is brought into action, and depressing the right pedal locks the gear so that the whole revolves togetner giving the top speed, or direct drive. Gentle depression of the left pedal applies another band brake in the gearbox, and acts first as an ordinary brake; further depression makes the brake hold firmly, and brings the epicyclic reverse gear into operation, causing the van to move backwards.
The band brakes are inside the o:1bath, so their action must always be smooth and gradual, and no sudden shocks can be transmitted to the engine or live axle. Another feature is the placing of the tubular radiator pipes as a tier of guard rails around the top of the van.