A New Fire Fighter for Small Municipalities
Page 52
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THE accompanying illustration, shows an interesting conversion that has recently been carried out by R. H. Collier and Co., Ltd., South Yardley, Birmingham, to a standard Fordson 2ton 13-ft. 1-in, wheelbase chassis, in conjunction with Drysdale and Co., Ltd., the well-known pump manufacturer, of Yoker, Glasgow, and John Kerr andCo. (Manchester), Ltd., a concern of fire-protection engineers, of London Road, Northwich. The chassis is being exhibited at the Annual Conference of the Professional Fire Brigades Association, now taking place in Edinburgh. The pumping unit has a capacity of 500 g.p.m.
The power unit has been altered by the fitting of a larger sump to carry 100 per cent, more oil than the standard model, a cooling coil being passed through the bottom of the crankcase. Through this, water is passed from the radiator for stationary running, the bypass water being taken through an Auto-Klean filter.
All electrical wiring is carried in armoured cable, and an S.U. Petrolift has been fitted as a stand-by petrol supply, whilst a duplicate battery has been incorporated.
The Drysdale pump is driven by an auxiliary gearbox, twin duplex chains being used for the main drive, which is protected by a substantial cast-iron B38 case. The chain drive gives silent and efficient running under all conditions. The drive is taken from the main gearbox through Hardy Spicer needle-bearing universal joints, the shaft being manually operated by a dog clutch coupling to the chain drive. All shafts are of robust diameter and large splines are used to give rigidity and maximum strength. An external adjustment to an eccentrically mounted jockey pulley, running on needle-roller bearings, enables the chain to be tensioned, the bearing being automatically lubricated by splash from the chains. The accompanying illustration clearly shows the layout of the drive.
This handy unit has been particularly designed for use by the smaller municipalities and has, we are told, a pumping capacity which compares favourably with the larger type of fire fighter. It will, of course, be realized that. any type of body can be fitted to the chassis, and details may be .obtained from John Kerr and Co. (Manchester), Ltd., which is responsible for the distribution of this interesting fire-engine.