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Thornycroft . 62

10th November 1931
Page 34
Page 34, 10th November 1931 — Thornycroft . 62
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NTEARLY 40 years ago the Thorny.1 11 croft concern pioneered the commercial-vehicle industry ; to-day some six examples of its latest products are attracting the concentrated attention of business men and students of engineering gathered at Olympia. Both. goods and passenger models have been revised for forthcoming trade and, particularly in the case of the coach and bus chassis, there is displayed a wealth of technical detail ingenuity.

Starting with the largest passengercarrying chassis, we have the Daring double-decker, known also as the DD Forward. This machine is of entirely new design and embodies several novel but essentially practical features. For example, it affords the lowest possible platform level compatible with worn tyres mounted upon the smallest diameter wheels which might be specified. Such metals as the light magnesium alloys have been used wherever possible to reduce unladen weight. To contend with horizontal as well as vertical loads the front axle is of box section, built up of electrically welded pressings and stampings.

A floating cam arrangement minimizes the jamming pressure in the bearing which supports the inner end of each front-brake camshaft. Yet another distinctive unit is the rear axle ; the box-form casing conceals hollow halfshafts of the semi-floating variety. These have been adopted for their inherent strength and for the width apart at which the bearings can be set. The worm shaft also is hollow.

As regards the engine, this is of the overhead-valve type, having seven main

• bearings of n ins. diameter. The firat web of the crankshaft incorporates a vibration damper which is working in D44

a perfectly lubricated state. A triplex chain drives the camshaft whilst the water pump and magneto are rotated by a cross-shaft at the front end of the engine. The output is 85 b.h.p. at 1,500 r.p.m., whilst the governed speed is 2,200 r.p.m. • The engine-gearbox unit is flexibly mounted and is arranged so that re

moval is easily effected. Behind the box is a special universal joint of the fabric type. The transmission line is offset and includes a ball-type steady bearing flexibly attached to a frame cross-member.

Another new passenger model is the Cygnet or CD Forward ; it is intended for 32-35-seater bodies, and is shown in the form of a bus for carrying 32 persons. This vehicle embodies a similar type of engine to that used in the Daring ; it also has offset transmission. This chassis, with an allowance for a standard type of body, weighs 5 tons 17i cwt.

A novel point in the construction, so far as a single-decker is concerned, is the bolted-on rear extension. This scheme possesses the merit that the platform height can be adjusted in the process of manufacture to give the required dimension.

Turning now to the goods range, the largest exhibit is the Colossus or QD chassis ; the design of the vehicle, apart from the engine, is familiar to our readers as it follows the layout of the QC model. In the case of this machine, however, the power unit is the new compression-ignition product of the Thornycroft concern.

The six cylinders are cast mdnobloc and the one-piece head is detachable. The last-named part carries the inlet and exhaust manifolds, also the horizontally placed injector nozzles which are fed by the Bosch pump, driven in

tandem with the exhauster. As the spray enters the cylinders it impinges upon longitudinal ridges cast in the piston crowns—one ridge per piston. This unit has an output of 100 b.h.p. and has a capacity of 101 litres.

Next we come to the 6i-ton Jupiter which is a model of recent introduction, and has a set-back front axle in order to give proper axle-weight proportions to comply with legal requirements. The engine has four cylinders but models are offered with six-cylindered units if preferred.

A 2i-ton platform lorry with a sixcylindered engine is a model which is well suited to fast delivery work ; a feature of the exhibit is the movable floor to facilitate unloading.

Finally, there is the smallest example, the 2-ton A 10 Forward machine; it has a fixed-side lorry body and fourcylindered engine.—John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., Thornycroft House, Smith Square, London, S.W.1.

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Organisations: US Federal Reserve
Locations: London

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