Horseboxes
Page 59
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for the
Hunting Man
WE learn from Messrs. Vincents, of Reading, that they have been busy at their works in Station Square, Reading, executing orders received for their horseboxes for the hunting season.
The new Favourite-Two now has the exterior specially finished, the main panelling being mahogany hand-grained, whilst ash frame-members are left in their natural colour and varnished. This model is supplied, fitted to the Bedford lcmg-wheelbase chassis, at a cost of from £395. The Ford chassis also can be used and in this case the. cost is from £365.
The company's patent laminated wood is employed for the bodywork, this com bining strength with lightness. The partitions, which are carried on hinges and have quick-acting bolts, are wider at the top than at the bottom, so that whilst affording easy loading and unloading they permit of a high standard of protection for the animals.
In the grooms' compartment there are two folding seats, doors are supplied under the breast bars and it is possible, after removing the centre partition and fixing it up at the side of the box, which takes only a few seconds, to convert the vehicle into a loose box suitable for the conveyance of a mare and foal. Elec trio light, electric bell and a folding step at the rear are also fitted. It is important to note that drop windows are supplied all around the vehicle, and the driver's cab is thus suitable for an owner-driver. Incidentally, this actual model obtained a premier award in the coachwork competition at the recent Olympia Show.
This winter the three-horse box seems particularly popular. The main point about this is that it has two ramps, one on the off side and the other at.the rear. The off-side ramp is used for loading, and at the end of the journey the horse at the back leaves by the rear ramp.
Despite the fact that this horsebex is only about 18 ins, longer than the Favourite-Two, the rear compartment is spacious, and provision is made for two grooms to be carried at each side.
Close attention has been paid to the matter of headroom, this being sufficient for the largest hunters, and on a recent occasion ;hire horses were successfully carried in one of these vehicles, thus indicating that the space and height are ample. Quick operation of the partition hinges and bolts is a feature of this model, as it is of the Favourite-Two, and another point is that the springs which control the ramps are so placed as to preserve the appearance of the vehicle and at the same time are not likely to cause obstruction. The new Favourite-Three box, built on the Bedford chassis costs £595 and upon the Ford chassis £530.
Another product of the Reading works which attracts interest this season is the new patent hound van and flesh car,' which is built on straightforward and practical lines. The ventilation is the subject of a Vincent patent. The cost of this vehicle, when the Bedford chassis is used, is £495.