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CROSSLEYS EMPLOY THE KEGRESSE BAND.

14th October 1924
Page 22
Page 22, 14th October 1924 — CROSSLEYS EMPLOY THE KEGRESSE BAND.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

For Military Purposes a 40-45 h.p. Crossley Equipped with the Kegresse Attachment is Under Test at Aldershot.

ON Friday last, at the invitation of the military authorities, we had an opportunity of witnessing a trial at Aldershot of the Crossley-Kegresse vehicle, which is a 40-45 h.p. Crossley chassis with the Kegresse endless band

driving attachment fitted in place of the usual rear axle and wheels.

The vehicle is claimed to have a speed of approximately 35 m.p.h., and to be able to undertake transport where an ordinary car or lorry equipped with wheels would probably fail or go completely out of action. It will negotiate, with considerable ease, marshy ground, mud, loose shifting sand, broken or stony ground, deep banks, ditches and snow. It will even climb steps and go over obstacles and gradients that would, at first sight, appear to be impassable. Its ability to leave the road and to travel across country without the need for alteration to any part is, of course, a very valuable feature. Its uses are numerous, for it can be employed for heavy haulage and, in fact, for any kind of transport where roads are had or do not exist, and, in many cases, it will replace horses and other draught animals for haulage work of a kind which at present would seem to be only suitable for animal traction.

In undeveloped country it should be extremely useful in opening up the land prior to the making of roads and railways whilst, in the transport. of materials and supplies for the building of railways, it would, of .course, be invaluable because it would permit constructional work to be commenced at many points beyond the railhead.

When the roads are covered with snow, ordinary wheeled vehicles are often put out of action, whereas the Kegresse attachment was specially C38 devised for work of this particular character.

It is claimed that the CrossleyKcgresse possesses great advantages for military purposes, being particularly i useful n maintaining regular supplies where there are no road"' whilst it can be used for towing guns into position • and for ambulance work.

The chassis, so far as its front portion is concerned, is virtually the standard 40-45 h.p. Crossley, and it is driven exactly as the ordinary motor lorry, ex

cept for two auxiliary controls for the Kegresse two-speed gearbox ana differential respectively. The Kegresse gear in the rear axle, working in conjunction with the four gears in the standard gearbox, gives eight forward speeds. The gear ratios are obtained by bringing a double sliding gear into mesh with one or other of the two fixed gears keyed on to the bevel-pinion spindle. The other auxiliary control locks the differential when required. The flexible bands or tracks are made of rubber aria canvas vulcanized. They are driven from the rear by grooved pulleys, in which the V tongues on the underside of the track engage. These V pulleys also serve as a guide to the tracks, preventing them being wrenched off the pulleys when negotiating rough ground. The weight is borne by a special axle fixed rigidly to the chassis, having eight idle weight-carrying wheels on each side which conform, as is shown in one of our illustrations, to the track of the bands when going over rough ground. The driving pulleys are fitted at each end of the back axle in place of the

ordina„ry driving wheels. Their function is purely to drive and guide the flexible hands. The back axle is fitted With the usual brakes•and drums acting on the driving pulleys.

The gear ratios are interesting.. The Kegresse high gear gives a rear-axle ratio of 5.5 to 1, whilst the Kegresse low gear gives a ratio of 18.25 to 1. On the Kegresse high gear, the total gear reductions are as follow ;--Top, 5.5 to 1; third gear, 8.44 to 1; second gear, 16.1

to 1; first gear, 31.07 to 1. On the Kegresse low .gear, the.total gear reductions are :—Top, 18.25 to 1; third, 27.92 to 1; second, 55.115 to 1; first, 10,3112 to 1. We propose in our next iS$116 to deal fully with the demonstration and its results.

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