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A New 5-cwt. Delivery

20th January 1933
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Page 50, 20th January 1933 — A New 5-cwt. Delivery
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Van Tested

TnEgE is now quite a number of small commercial vehicles on the market which have been developed from private-car chassis ; and the latest entrant into this field of activity is the Triumph concern, with an 8 h.p. van capable of dealing with loads up to 5 cwt. As will be seen from the illustrations the vehicle, which was briefly described in The Commercial Motor dated January 6, has quite pleasing lines, and although the dimensions for wheelbase and track are distinctly moderate, the body capacity of 55

cubic 'ft. 4s, relatively. speaking, large, considering the fact that a comfortable seat is provided for the driver and the chassis has no semblance of being overbodied.

In many respects the design of the components bears the stamp of refinement.. The engine, for example, although having bore and stroke dimensions of but 56.5 mm. and 83 mm. (832.24 c.c.), has a sturdy threebearing crankshaft with pressure lubrication to all the major journals. Furthermore, the unit is mounted on resilient blocks to eliminate vibration, whilst thernao-siphon cooling is assisted by a fan.

Wheelbase and track dimensions of 6 ft. 9 ins, and 3 ft. 7iins, respectively make the machine a handy size for town work, where good manceuvrability is an essential feature if the overall speed on a journey be an important factor. Semi-elliptic springs are fitted at the front and quarter-elliptics at the rear, recoil dampers of the friction type being used all round.

A single casting is used for the cylinder block and the upper half of

the crankcase, and this component is well ribbed internally. A detachable cylinder head with efficiently shaped combustion chambers is fitted. Side valves are employed and the tappets are accessible for adjustment, there being a detachable cover which, when fixed, permits the whole of the mechanism to operate. in an oiltight compartment. The Solex carburetter is fed from a six-gallon gravity tank situated on the forward face of the dash, and there is a short inlet pipe in which a hot-spot is formed. A gear-type pump with a filter in the circuit delivers lubricant to the main, big-end, and camshaft bea rings.

A single-plate clutch and a threespeed gearbox are mounted unitwise with the engine, the drive thereafter being conveyed by a divided propeller shaft to.an underslung worm type of rear axle. This layout permits a low floor level for the van body. Braking is by the Lockheed hydraulic system, expanding shoes• operating in 91-in. drums attached to all four wheels. This system is, of course, coupled up to the pedal, whilst the hand lever operates expanding shoes within a transmission drum.

Included in the price of £125 for the vehicle are five wheels and tyres of 27 ins, by 4 ins. section, a Lucas five-lamp lighting and starting set, a rear-view mirror, and an illuininated instrument panel, containing a speedometer, ammeter, the switches, choke and slow-running throttle Control, oil-pressure indicator, etc.

As befits a small chassis, the van bodywork is lightly but strongly built, with ash framing throughout, the roof being covered in fabric. There are two cab doors, each with a sliding window, so that the driver can enter or leave on the near side or off side, as desired—an important time saving factor on a busy delivery service. A single-piece w i n screen is is fitted with safety glass, and there is a suction-type screen wiper. At the rear of the body are two doors which open almost to the full

width of the vehicle; each has a window.

Only one seat is provided in the driver's calh the space alongside this being available, if desired, for long packages. The interior measureInents are: length 5 ft. 4 ins. (4 ft. from behind the driver's seat), width 3 ft.. 10 ins, and height 3 ft. 5 ins., giving a total capacity of 55 cubic ft.

Our test was conducted with the van fully loaded ; indeed, an overload of 1 cwt. was carried throughout the run, and considering the fact that a really good all-round performance was obtained in such circumstances, the general efficiency of this Triumph product when running under service conditions should be high.

Engine starting from cold was practiCally instantaneous. The normal working temperature was quickly attained, with little evidence of the refractoriness which is often experienced with cold engines. This .„ augurs well for the behavioer under conditions to which this type of vehicle is bust suited, i.e., delivery work where frequent and sometimes long stops have to be made. A light and smoothly operating dutch and a gearbox having well-chosen ratios • contribute towards making driving easy, and as the steering is also light and accurate, this Triumph Van is a type which could readily be handled by women drivers.

As will be seen from our acceleration graph, the engine, despite its relatively small size, certainly gives a brisk performance. We were able on one cross-country run to average well .over 30 m.p.h. without feeling that the vehicle w as being driven hard, the engine settling down nicely to a pleasant hum at speeds around

40 m.p.h. At these speeds, when on the level, the throttle was about halfway open, leaving a good reserve of power for hill-climbing.

Most main-road gradients come within the scope of top gear, provided the speed at the foot of an incline is kept reasonably high. Meriden Hill, for example, on the Birmingham--Coventry road, can be climbed in top if the speed at the foot be over 40 m.p.h. If one be baulked by traffic or other conditions when starting the climb it is necessary to change down into second, but even if the power unit be almost stalled before the change is effected, it will pick up its load and accelerate quickly to the maximum speed possible (over 35 m.p.h.) on second gear.

In traffic the wide range of enginerevolution speeds is useful, because full advantage can be taken of the accelerative capacity of the vehicle on the lower gears. From rest, 25 m.p.h. can be attained in 15 secs., whilst to reach 40 m.p.h. from rest occupies but 40 secs.—truly good going for an 8 h.p. vehicle carrying 6 cwt. of pay-load...

The brakes, too, are well up to their work, the Lockheed hydraulic system of application of the shoes giving a relatively light pedal pressure for an emergency pull up. A feature worth recording is that there is a marked steadiness on grease and although the foot be pressed hard on to the brake pedal there is little tendency for the hack to slew round, despite road surfaces which could justly be termed treacherous. For .parking purposes the hand brake functions efficiently ; it is intended to be used only in this capacity, although it should be useful in an emergency.

Steering is accurate and relatively direct—a desirable feature in a vehicle which is intended largely for delivery work in towns and outlying districts where crowded traffic conditions have, of course, to be negotiated. Another point worth recording is that despite a gruelling test the temperature of the coolingwater still remained well below boiling point. After climbing Meriden Hill three times there was no sign of boiling, yet when running at ordinary speeds the power-unit did not remain too cool for efficient operation, as our all-round fuelconsumption figure of • 30 m.p.g.. indicates.

The performance in general, therefore, of this Triumph machine is quite satisfactory, and as the general specification is replete even to details, the price of £125 must be considered as distinctly moderate.

Tags

Organisations: US Federal Reserve
People: Van Tested
Locations: Birmingham, Coventry

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