Air-cooled Oiler in Milk Float
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TWO new dairy vehicles, one a battery-electric and the other an oil-engined chassi s, and a pedestrian-controlled fork-lift truck, are the highlights of the vehicle exhibits at Olympia, where the Dairy Show opened on Tuesday last. It closes today.
The new oil-engined chassis, as was exclusively announced in The Commercial Motor on October 5, is being shown by Wales— and Edwards, Ltd„ Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury. It is based on the maker's three-wheeled
25-30-cwt. battery-electric chassis, so that a number of units is interchangeable.
Iris powered by an Enfield 1.13-litre indirect-injection air-cooled horizontally opposed two-cylinclered oil engine. This develops 15 b.h.p. at 1,250 r.p.m., at which speed the torque is 45 lb.-ft. The compression ratio is 19.5 to 1.
As the maximum speed of the vehicle is 18 m.p.h. at 2,120 r.p.m., little advantage can be taken of the oncoming air for cooling purposes and to assist in this direction the cooling fins are made of a special light alloy with the iron barrels cast in. The engine is fully shrouded, the air input to the fan being through port holes which expose the finned barrels on the forward side.
The C.A.V. injection pump is neatly enclosed in the main shrouding casting. • In unit with the engine is a three-speed gearbox, the assembly being three-pointmounted on rubber. Gear changes are remotely controlled, the gear lever being taken forward from the box to a balland-socket joint carried just forward of the enclosed injection pump.
Immediately behind the gearbox is a pulley which drives the rear-mounted dynamo by a belt. A point of criticism here might be that should the beltbreak or require renewing, it becomes necessary to dismantle the front universal joint. Gear ratios are 3.55, L73 and 1 to 1, with a 5 to 1 reverse,
From the gearbox the drive is taken by a short Hardy Spicer. shaft with needle-rollerbearing joints to an• ENV. double reduction rear axle. It is a spiralbevel unit with helical reduction gears. The ratio is 8.94 to I.
The single front wheel is mounted in • a pressed-steel fork which carries a bonded steel and rubber suspension unit integrally mounted with the steering shaft. Semi-elliptic springs are used at the rear.
Braking is by Lockheed hydraulic units, working in 11-in. drums. The facings are 21 in. wide. The weight of the chassis is 15 cwt. and the leading dimensions are Wheelbase, 7 ft. 10 in.; overall length, 13 ft.; overall width, 4 ft. 84 in.; turning circle, 17 ft.
Also on this stand is a dairy float with all-plastics bodywork by Mickleover Transport, Ltd. A feature of this body, apart from the inherent advantages of using glass-fibre, is that the components are not wholly bonded together. Instead, bolts are used, so that a damaged unit can be quickly replaced. A. saving in weight of about 87 lb. is effected as against a normal type of body.
The use of plastics is extended to the floor which, on test, has been found to give better resistance to wear, is easily washed and gives less resistance to the sliding of crates over its surface.
The new battery-electric is the Smith's N.C.B. Suburbanite made by Smith's Delivery Vehicles, Ltd., Team Valley, Gateshead-on-Tyne, 11. Based on a modified 18-20-cwt. SS chassis, the body provides for stand-up drive for houseto-house delivery and a quickly fitted pedestal seat for the ride home. Ease of entry and exit are assured by sliding doors and an unobstructed floor.
By sliding back the doors in the R9
bulkhead, access is given to the load, avoiding the need for walking round the vehicle. Other interesting features of the vehicle are its rubber mudguards and rubber buffers at the rear in lieu of the normal bumper.
Increasing use is being made of fork; lift trucks in the dairy trade and the Harborough Construction Co., Ltd., Harbilt Works, Market Harborough. Leicester, have met this demand with a neat, pedestrian-controlled machine designed for 10-cwt. loads. Its maximum lift is 9 ft. with the forks 2-1 in. off the ground.
Turning Radius Of 3 ft. 11 in.
Forward tilt of the fork carriage is 2° and rearward tilt 12°. Ground clearance is n in.
The fork carriage is mounted on needle-roller bearings and the hydraulic system is electrically powered. This fork truck has a turning radius of 3 ft. 11 in. Its width is 2 ft. 8 in., it has a wheelbase of 2 ft. 10 in., and it weighs approximately 2,500 lb.
The wheels are equipped with solid tyres, those at the front measuring 10 in. by 4 in. and the drive wheels 121 in. by 5 in.
The same company are also showing an improved version of their 25-cwt. dairy truck, which now has four-wheel brakes and larger tyres. The body is in light alloy.
A bigger body is now fitted to the Morrison Electricar 25-cwt. batteryelectric. Austin Crompton Parkinson Electric Vehicles, Ltd., 95-99 Ladbroke Grove, London, W.11, are showing an example of this model which, without a cupboard fitting, will take 18 crates per tier,
The Commercial Motor was informed that the company received an order. worth £14,000 from Independent Milk Supplies, Ltd., .before the Show was opened. The vehicle concerned in the order was the 12-20-cwt. model with a special body to meet the needs of the Scottish dairy farmer.
A longer body is now obtainable on
the Electruk 25-cwt. chassis and an example is shown by T. H. Lewis. Ltd., Station Estate, Balmoral Road, Watford. This company is also showing a dairy vehicle with glass-fibre body and cab. Messrs. 'Sydney Hoic s Electric
Vehicles, Withdean, Brighton, Sussex, are showing examples of their Manuelectric Model IV pedestrian-controlled dairy vehicles and their Manuelectric Standon types.