Getting Down to Customers' Level
Page 51
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gIMPLICITY is the inherent quality Is.1 of every outstanding invention whic-h provokes the cry, " Why was this not thought of before?" This question will surely be heard when the features of the Ryte-Hyte trailer become generally recognized. At present applied only to a simple form of mobile kiosk. the Ryte-Hyte design makes . use of retractable wheels. whereby the vehicle can be lowered to the ground in a matter of seconds, so that the floor itself is only an inch or two above ground level.
In the case of the mobile kiosk this confers the additional advantage that the serving counter is brought within comfortable reach of the purchaser standing outside the trailer, and it is from this feature that it derives its sobriquet. Future applications of the design, which is covered by a patent application for a number of countries in Europe and America, will no doubt take even more advantage of the retracting system. One suggestion is for a cattletruck. for, with the wheels retracted, the ramp will be eliminated, so that cattle can be driven straight in. Other possible uses are being considered.
In its present form the Ryte-Hyte trailer consists of a two-wheeled, oval. all-metal structure. The wheels are independently sprung by means of nested coil springs adjustable through the medium of a handwheel to suit the load carried. Between the springs and the arms on which-the wheels are carried there are hydraulic rams, connected to a pump and valve unit in the interior of the body., By releasing the valve the rams are closed and the vehicle sinks to the ground, resting on three steel bosses affixed to the chassis. The serving counter is then brought down to 3 ft. 6 ins, from the ground. The hydraulic equipment is by Power Jacks, Ltd., Acton, London, and the vehicle can be made ready for the road in 15 secs. by means of the doubleacting pump.
Integral construction is used for the body, and with theexception of the main-floor members is entirely of light alloy. Overall length is 9 ft., and the height in the travelling condition is 8 ft., and in the serving position 7 ft. 2 ins.: overall width is 6 ft. Double skinning is used for the floor as well as for the roof, and the interior is kept cool in the hottest weather. Glazing is normally in Perspex, and curved double windows on each side hinge to give access to the serving counters. There is a full-length door at the rear. The weight of the standard version is 6 cwt. unladen, so that, even laden, the trailer should not prove a heavy burden for a 5-cwt. van. Manual and towbaroperated I0-in, brakes are fitted.
In the de luxe version,' provision is made for ice cream sales, and apart from the two counters provided in the standard trailer, a plastic sink with a Calor gas heater, wasteand fresh-water storage tanks are fitted, as well as an electric pump to draw water for the heater. A 12-volt battery in the rear of the body supplies current to the plastic roof-light and the pump. With the rams retracted and the trailer resting on the pads, the wheels can be removed without disturbing the vehicle.
The standard kiosk, manufactured by the Ibbett Engineering Co., Ltd., Hardwick, Bedford, costs £350, whilst the de luxe model is priced at £390. Distributor of the vehicle is Henlys, Ltd., Commercial Vehicles Division, Osnaburgh Street, London, W.C.2.