NEW INTERNATIONAL MODELS
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THE range of commercial vehicles offered by the International Harvester Co. of Great Britain Ltd., 259, City Road, London, E.C.1, has extended considerably this year. In our issue tlated July 22nd we published details of twe new large-capacity goods chassis, the W1 five-tonner and the W3 sevenixamer. In the past few weeks a new four-tonner, known as the A5, made its appearance, and we are now able to announce a new three-tonner which is to be called the A4.
The new three-tonner is quite a different model from the SF46 type, with which our readers are familiar and of which a road-test report appeared in our issue for April 29th last. The new machine has a six-cylindered engine of considerably bigger bore, viz., 3f ins., whilst the stroke is 4, ins., the piston displacement being 279 cubic ins. It develops at 2,700 r.p.m. 65 b.h.p., against the 50 b.h.p. output of the SE46 power unit. The new engine is governed to 2,800 r.p.m.
The A4 chassis, as marketed in this country, has a wheelbase of 15 ft. 5 ins. and the price is £585. With this wheelbase the measurement from behind the cab to the end of the frame is 13 ft. lj ins. The standard tyre equipment is 32-in. by 6-in, pneumatics, with dual tyres on the rear wheels, and, with the regular back-axle ratio of 6.5 to 1, the maximum top-gear, speed is just over 42 m.p.h.
A feature of the power unit is that it has detachable wet cylinder liners, an item introduced to simplify maintenance operations. The engine has push-rod
operated overhead valves and the cylinder head is in two detachable castings. Lubrication is of the high-pressure kind, a feature being that pipes have been eliminated, their place being taken by drilled passages in the castings, etc. ; the drilled camshaft is the main oil-distribution passage. There are seven main bearings, all of 2i ins, diameter, and the big-end bearings are 21 ins, in diameter and 1f ins, in length. The cooling-water circulation is effected by centrifugal pump and is thermostatically controlled.
The weight of the fully equipped engine is 912 lb., representing 14.03 lb. per h.h.p. The single-plate clutch has inner and outer diameters of, respectively, 6f ins. and 10-i ins., the friction area being 57.1 sq. ins. There are nine helical engagement springs, giving a total pressure of 1,683 lb.
The gearbox, which, with the engine, forms a unit suspended at three points with a trunnion at the front and rubber mountings at the rear, gives five forward speeds and reverse, the indirect ratios being 1.75, 3.13, 5.0 and 7.35 forward and 9.04 to 1 reverse. The propeller shaft is in two sections, the final section being tubular, and universal joints of the split-ring and trunnioned-yoke type are employed. The final drive is by spiral-bevel gear and, in addition to the regular ratio of 6.5, purchasers have the choice of ratios of 6.143 and 5.625 to 1. The axle-shaft diameter over the splines is 1 31/32 ins.
The foot brake operates on all four wheels, whilst the hand lever actuates shoes in the rear-wheeldrums. The front brakes are of the Bendix threeshoe type, the effective drum diameter and width being 15 ins. by 2rins., whilst the rear-wheel brakes are of the Bendix two-shoe type. the drum diameter and width being 17 ins. by 3 ins. Semi-elliptic springs are fitted all round, those at the front being 3 ft. 6 ins, long and those at the rear 4 ft. 6 ins. long.
In addition, there is an auxiliary quarter-elliptic rear spring, 1 ft. 8 ins, long, of the type familiar on many International models. The frame members are straight and parallel, and when the chassis is employed, as it may well be, for passengervehicle purposes with a 26seater bus body, the only obstacles of importance with which the ' bodybuilder has to cope are the auxiliary springs, which stand about 2i ins, above the frame height at the forward spring brackets. Thu frame height (laden) is 2 ft. 2i ins.
The A5-type four-tormer is of similar general layout to the three-tonner, and incorporates the 'same model of engine. It is suitable for 26-32-seater passenger vehicles and has full bps equipment, inchiding frame-side fuel tank and highcapacity dynamo. It is available in two wheelbase lengths, 15 ft. 10 ins. and 17 ft. gins., the chassis prices being respectively 1785 and £705.
Another -important piece of International news is that the Six-speed Special 30-cwt. Chassis is now available as a trailing-axle rigid-frame sixwheeler. Its capacity to withstand the extra stresses imposed is made quite clear in the report upon our test of the standard four-wheeled chassis with lorry body and full load, which appeared in our issue dated October
28th, and, of . course, thesix forward and two reverse speeds are invaluable when the additional load is carried. The standard chassis price. is £285, and the six-wheeler is listed at £385. The Truck and Tractor Appliance Co: (Manchester), Ltd., First Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester, is responsible for .the extension unit and has co-operated to produce this useful machine. There are brakes on all six wheels, brake power being conveyed to the trailing-wheel drums by flexible enclosed cables. :
The rear bogie is of the kind incorporating two inverted semi-elliptic springs on each side, held to a stationary pivot tube (bronze bushed) which is bracketed to the frame.
The spring-end shackles are mounted upon the axles with spherical bearings, and the arc through which the driving axle moves is controlled by a radius rod on each side, this having its fulcrum under each frame member amidships.
The original wheelbase is not altered but the frame extension gives a frame length from behind the cab of about 11 ft. 6 ins. The interior length of the body that can be fitted is 12 ft. 6 ins., the interior width being 6 ft. The tyre size on all six wheels is 32 ins. by 6 ins., conforming with the original specification. The converted chassis is intended for 2-ton pay loads.
The rigid-frame trailing-axle sixwheeler as a type has become extremely popular, and it is imperative that the components of the chassis converted should be suitable for the extra load. This chassis is for severe stresses.