A Useful Brake-efficiency Indicator
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1JTIRING the past few weeks we have been trying out on several staff vehicles the new Tapley brake-efficiency indicator, which is a remarkably neat instrument finished in chromium and marketed by Tapley and Co., of Totton, Southampton, at the reasonable price of 18s. 6d., with an additional 2s. for a clamp to take up to 1* in. or a steering-column clip. This indicator is small and entirely self-contained. It can be screwed to the dash or attached by a simple clip to this or any other convenient part of the vehicle, so long as it is within reach and vision of the driver.
It is, of course, purely a deceleration indicator and must not be looked upon as a scientifically accurate instrument, but it serves a very useful purpose in showing a driver whether the brakes on his vehicle be good, bad or indifferent.
At the left of the barrel-shaped body is a trigger which serves two purposes—it releases a pointer, whicn permits the barrel to be turned to the correct position when the vehicle is on level road, and resets the indicating shutters, on which are marked, respectively, "fair," " good " and "'e.g." (very good), these representing 20, 30 and 50 per cent, braking effort. Above the ordinary indicating level is a special mark, and if the pointer be spt to this mark the indicating shutters will appear only if the braking be 10 per cent. higher than the figures given, i.e., 30, 40 and 60 per cent.
Each test is carried out at 20 m.p.h., and directly the brake is applied the respective indicating shutters appear, according to the degree of braking attained. A pull on the trigger then resets the instrument and makes it ready for another test. The actual dimensions of the device arc: extreme width 21 ins., diameter of case 14 ins.