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A COACH CHASSIS ON CAR LINES.

20th January 1925
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Page 10, 20th January 1925 — A COACH CHASSIS ON CAR LINES.
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Details of the New Reo-Pullman, which Embodies a Six-cylindered Engine, Separate Gearbox, Four-wheel Brakes, and Rear Springs Self-adjusting to Load.

IT HAS long been recognized in passenger transport circles that there is a need for an increasing divergence between the chassis employed for this class of work and those used solely for the carriage of goods, and it appears that the large-capacity passenger vehicle is tending more and more to follow private car lines, the parts, of course, being properly proportioned to provide adequate strength.

Some months ago we were able to give the first details of a new model designed by the Reo Motor Car Co., of Lansing, Mich„ to meet the peculiar requirements of passenger service, for which company's vehicles Harris and Hasell, Ltd., of 24-32, St. George's Road, Bristol, and 130, Great Portland Street, London, W.1, are the sole concessionnaires.

Vehicles of Rea make have already achieved a sound reputation for their lastink qualities, power and speed, and the new model, on which we had a long run last week, certainly surprised us by its remarkable capabilities.

We had expected to find a good chassis of sound construction and design, knowing that the concessionuaires have had lung experience in the motor trade, and would not handle anything in which they had not the greatest confidence, Mr. C. C. Harris having had experience with vehicles of French, Swiss, Italian and British make running both in England and in the countries of their origin, and having sold the first coach to run up Porlock Hill some 15 years ago.

The flea-Pullman has been designed for use as a 22-seater bus or a 28seater coach, and has a grass load capacity of 50 cwt. As we have said, it is designed particularly for passenger Work, but it would also be an eminently suitable vehicle for bulky but light goods transport where large areas have to be covered. Such work would, we consider, include the transport of drapery, biscuits, furniture, etc.

One of its important features is its low frame height, this being 231 ins. unladen and 21 ins, under load. The frame is of particularly fine design. It is straight throughout, except for a slight kick-up over the back axle. It is tapered slightly to the front and rear, and even the upper and lower webs are made of varying width in order adequately to meet the stresses experifticed and yet be as light as possible.

The engine and gearbox are built as B26 separate units, and are both four-point supported on a channel-steel sub-frame, which also is carried at four points in the main frame. Protection from dirt and water is afforded by an undershield, which passes under both units and is held by half-turn clips.

An important feature is the straightline drive to the rear axle via a two piece propeller shaft with three universal joints, one of the block and pin type, a centre of the sleeve and yoke type and a rear joint of the ring type, all these being protected from the entrance of dirt and grease-lubricated on: the Alemite system.

We took exceptional interest in the power unit, as this shows some interesting tendencies in design. It is a sixcylindered nionobloc, with removable head, overhead-inlet valves operated by enclosed push rods and rocker arms, and side-type exhaust valves.

The bore and stroke are 3116-. ins. and 5 ins. respectively, giving a piston displacement of 239 cubic ins, and developing 50 b.h.p. at 2,000 r.p.m. The adjustment for the rocker arms is simply effected in each through the medium of a screw cup secured in the split end of the rocker arm, and provided with a felt oil-lubricating pad. The overhead

valve gear is enclosed by an easily detachable cover of pressed steel provided with spring clips, and a neat lead carrier is mounted inside this cover.

The exhaust is swept to the front end of the engine and then back through a large-diameter pipe to a valve having two outlets, by which the hot gases can be passed through heating pipes to warm the inside of the body. Carburation is attendkl to by a vertical Schebler in • eteument, above which is an inlet pipe with a hot-spot.

Particular attention has been paid to adequate cooling. The cylinders and the upper half of the crankcase are cast integral, and the design includes complete water jacketing of the cylinders in the combustion area, the valve seats being encircled by the water jackets. A, centrifugal pump is used for circidating the water.

Steel and Fabricoid pinions are employed for the timing, and there is nearside all-in-line drive to the fan pulley (which is unusually placed behind the timing case), the water pump, and thence through two flexible-disc couplings to the combined North East dynamo and distributor.

A point in the construction is that any play on the timing gear for this drive can be taken up by moving the water pump bodily along in the bracket by which it is secured to the main casting.

Cooling is assisted by a six-bladed fan driven by a rubber and fabric V belt. The fan adjustment is easily effected through the medium of a rocking bracket and adjustable push rod.

Four bearings of the white-metalled bronze-shell type are employed for the crankshaft. Lynite aluminium alloy is used for the pistons, each of which has two two-piece rings at its top and a scraper ring below, holes being drilled for the return of surplus oil.

The pin in each piston is secured by a retaining screw. Force-feed lubrica

tion is used to the main bearing % valve gear and timing gears, and splash to the big-end bearings and pistons. Oil is circulated by a plunger pump driven by an eccentric on the camshaft.

The radiator is of the fiat-tube 'type, with continuous horizontal gills. Thirteen plates are employed in the clutch, which is of the dry type. It has a ball-thrust withdrawal, slippers on a fork pressing against the steel flange of the thrust face.

A double-thickness flexible disc is mounted on the clutch shaft, and conveys the drive to the three-speed gearbox, Which has a ball-type lever and a centrally mounted brake lever, the brake operation being on the ordinary principle and not operated by the clutch pedal as in private cars of the same make. The whole top of the gearbox can be removed with the selector gear, the locking for which is a spring plunger. The total gear ratios are 21.1 to 1, 10.II to 1, direct 5.714 to 1, reverse 28.6 to 1.

Behind the gearbox is a speedometer drive with steel and Fahricoid pinions.

The starter is of an ingenious and unusual type. It is mounted at the near side of the gearbox, and is connected by a roller chain to a chain wheel which runs on a roller bearing on the primary shaft. Depression of the starter pedal brings together the contacts for the motor, and at the same time brakes a pulley on the first-motion shaft of the gearbox. A pin on this pulley immediately throws a pawl on the chain wheel into mesh with ratchet teeth, thus turning the engine. A safety device is incorporated, as the starter plunger is continued through to the selector rods, and cannot be depressed unless the gear level is in neutral.

An advantage of the chain drive is the prevention of excessive load on the battery.

Strong but light construction is the feature of the rear axle, which is of the Nertical banjo type, being built of Pressed-steel, riveted and welded, the join being in the vertical plane. This axle has a short torque member of channel-steel tapered to the front end and supported by a link suspended from a cross-member through the medium of a laminated spring, which reduces shock.

Careful design is exemplified in the rear springing. The springs are underslung, and supplementary leaf springs are employed underneath them, thus permilting easy riding, whether the vehicle be light or laden. Rubber bumping Pads are fitted on the top of the spring trunnion blocks. The final drive is by spiral-bevel gears, and all the wheel bearings are Timken taper rollers.

Braking is effected on all four wheels. At the rear are external and internal brakes, and at the front internal. The internal brakes on all four wheels are connected to the hand lever, and are used as emergency brakes. The front brakes are compensated, but those at the rear are of the uncompensated type. The total braking surface of the four wheels is 621 sq. ins.

The chassis price, with single 7-in. pneumatic tyres, is 1595, or, with 6-in, tyres all round and, twins at the rear, £620. Singles are recommended for coaches and twins for buses. These tyre ,s are mounted on disc wheels of the Michelin type.

During a lain of Peveral hoims on a chassis carrying approximately half its total load, we were afforded every opportunity of observing its roadworthiness. Speeds up to 45 m.p.h. were easily achieved, and on top gear it was found possible to run at 4 m.p.h. without cans

ing a jerky motion; in fact, starting could be effected on top gear. We • were quite unable to note any uncomfortable periods.

Hills up to 1 in 4 were tackled and surmounted with ease, and with no signs of overheating, and the braking proved not only extremely powerful, but re.-markably smooth-acting, giving no sign of chatter or squeak.

The coil and distributor ignition gives a large range of spark control, and appears to help considerably in steady pulling on hills.

The control and the running of the machine can only be described as silky ; in fact, the vehicle is easier to drive than many private cars of which we have had knowledge. The steering is. particularly easy, and is a special type, embodying bevels with a spur pinion formed on the eroWn wheel and meshing with a rack sector on the drop-arm spindle.

It should be noted that the Rea is built throughout by the makers, and not assembled from proprietary units.

Tags

People: CHASSIS ON, Work
Locations: London, Lansing, Bristol

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