The French and British Commercial Motor Shows.
Page 39
Page 40
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
'THE members of the commercial motor industry of France have not yet found a solution for the difficulty in which they lire placed in their endeavour to discover a suitable time and place for the annual show of their products. The organization of the selling side of the heavy-vehicle industry differs considerably in the two countries. Here, sales negotiations for virtually the whole of the trade are conducted direct between the buyer and the maker or sole coneessiounaire, as the ease may be. In France a substantial proportion of the sales of goods and passenger-carrying vehicles (smaller in bulk than the sales of similar vehicles In this country) is effected through agents, whilst the trade is further simplified by the fact that so many large users in France acquire their transport facilities by hire contract or by hire purchase, the art of salesmanship in consequence playing little part in the negotiations.
What would suit the French industry would be to hold the private-car show and the commercial-fl show concurrently, and if possible in adja cent buildings, but the Grand Palais in Paris has no other available neighbouring building that could house the heavy vehicles. To clear the Grand Palais of the one set of exhibits and replace them with others cannot be done in less than. a week., and agents from distant parts of the country and elsewhere will not wait in Paris from one show to the other or make the second journey. The British commercial-vehicle show has its own clientele of users and is not affected by the contiguity or otherwise of the private-car show.
There is no peak point in the buying line of goods or public-service vehicles, although after the spring-time purchases the sales of motor coaches fall off steadily until the late autumn. So there is no particular reason for holding the commercial-vehicle show in October or November except that they have become the recognized show months of the automobileyear. Shows have been held in the summer months in this country, and in France the show this year has been made a part of the annual Paris Fair just closed. We have come to the conclusion that it has not been an ideal arrangement, as proper housing for the vehicles was not possible and the show lacked the dignity necessary for a consideration of the claims made on behalf of the vehicles. Tents and flags and bunting—well, we have always felt that they are out of place at our agricultural shows, but we realize that they naturally serve to attract the crowd, whose shillings help to cover the expenses.
The association of the World's Transport Congress with the forthcoming Commercial Motor Show at Olympia in November next is a dignified relationship, and the opportunity which it will afford for the discussion of important matters and the ventilation of views on vital subjects will be an added inducement to the attendance of men of influence in the world of transport. Thus the British exhibition this year should show a distinct advance over the French organization.
Why Not More Use of the Impulse Starter ?
SOME of the engines employed on commercial vehicles are at times very difficult to start. This, of course, applies particularly in cold weather ; but, even at the best of times, it will often take a strong man to crank up a powerful petrol engine and to get it over compression at a speed high enough to effect a start. It is therefore somewhat surprising to find that on but few of the magnetos used in connection with these engines are impulse starters employed. It is not as if devices of this nature have proved unreliable. Actually, they have been utilized for a long time on many private cars and certain commercial vehicles, and in the majority of cases have proved most satisfactory. Their first cost is quite reasonable and the maintenance cost practically nil.
For those who are not quite conversant with the operation of an impulse starter we will give a brief description of its mode of operation.
We have already alluded to the fact that it is difficult to turn a crankshaft at a speed sufficient to cause the magneto to produce a good powerful spark ; in fact, just at the moment when a really powerful spark is required it is usually conspicuous by its absence, or is very feeble. When an impulse starter is employed a spring is released in the drive to the armature. This spring is under initial compression, but if the armature side of the starter be arrested the side from which the drive is taken continues to turn and so further compresses the spring. If the armature be then released it flicks forward at a comparatively high speed—say, 500 r.p.m. The arc through which it rotates in relation to the drive is but small, but it is sufficient to carry it over the sparking point and thus cause a strong spark to occur at the plug points.
When starting up with one of these devices in use a starting handle can be turned quite gently, and usually the engine starts almost immediately, there being. no necessity to swing the engine, as is usually the case.
All impulse starters are so arranged that their "flicking" action is stopped immediately the engine reaches a predetermined speed, the cut-out usually consisting of balance weights which are thrown out by centrifugal force, and thus ol8 release the pawl or pawls which engage and release one side of the starter coupling. In some devices, however, this cutting-out operation is performed mechanically, in which case, if the device fails to start the engine at the first revolution, the trigger must be touched again to release the pawl.
One great advantage with these starters is that the spark occurs at the best time of starting, irrespectite of the position of the ignition control lever, if one be fitted.
In considering the design of impulse starters there are several points which should be taken into account. Perhaps the most important of these is that of reliability. It should not be possible for the breakage of a spring, for instance, to throw the whole engine out of action, and in such case it should be possible to start in the ordinary way, although without the benefit of the flicking armature. We do not suggest that spring breakages are frequent, but occasionally they do occur, and it may not• always be easy rapidly to obtain a spare spring. Another point is that there should he no wear on the device except when its services are actually required.
Mobile Publicity as a Business Asset.
(-1REAT strides have been made in the develop ment of advertising on—and we might almost say in—the bodies of business vehicles, but stiti comparatively few users of commercial motors appreciate to the full the wonderful publicity value which it is quite possible to derive therefrom.
Certainly, a well-conditioned smart vehicle is in itself a valuable asset from this viewpoint, but much more can often be made of its potentialities. It is impossible accurately to assess the exact advertising value of any particular vehicle. There is no doubt that when attractively finished or made in some novel or particularly elegant form, such a vehicle will draw to itself the attention of almost everyone it passes, and this is more than can be said for most other forms of publicity. Where a vehicle is employed in busy centres it must, during the year, be noticed by many thousands, perhaps even millions, of people.
In some instances, with certain vehicles we have often heard strangers asking if their acquaintances had seen a particular vehicle, and the answer was, usually, yes. This goes to show how widespread such publicity can be.
There is another point to consider and that is the remarkable cheapness of this form of adver tising. It costs nothing more in many cases than a few, hours' labour by a signwriter. Even with an elaborate body built to represent some product, the cost is comparatively small a n d, when spread over the whole life of the 'chassis, represents n, almost insignificant amount per year, and yet the actual value given may easily be many hundreds of pounds per annum; in fact, in certain instances it may reach four figures, depending upon the class of work performed and the vehicle.