Excluded from the Trials by the Rules.
Page 25
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It will be remembered that, a week or two since, we published a letter of complaint from Sturmey Motors, Ltd., of Coventry, to the effect that, owing to the regulation regarding loads, its 15-cwt., " Lotis," parcels-delivery van could not fairly be entered in either of the classes A or B. Whilst, perhaps, the company is ultra sensitive on the question of strict adherence to rules, and might have done, as it is manifest a considerable number of others are doing, viz., entered its van in the next class below its capacity and run it that much light, still this strictness in dealing with all matters connected with its business is one of the characteristics of this Coventry company's programme.
This very useful form of van, in spite of its not figuring in the trials—as both ourselves and the manufacturer of it could have wished—will, nevertheless, be of value to those who are to-day examining the whole question of motor delivery in connection with their businesses, and hence the illustrations which we are enabled to give to-day will be scrutinised with some interest. Our illustrations show a side view of the complete vehicle and a plan-view of the chassis, the photograph from which the former is reproduced having been taken with the undershield, which covers in the engine and gearing, removed, so that the position of those parts may be the better observed. The side view is given on page 24. In designing the " Lotis " van, the manufacturer has followed the principle, for some time adopted in its smaller " Parsons " vans, of keeping everything as compact as possible, so that the vehicle takes little room in the shed, and is more easily manceuvred in traffic and awkward places. The wheel-base is 6 feet 6.inches; the standard wheel-track is 4 feet 8 inches ; and the effective platform-area measures about 20 square feet, or, if the body is built with a sideoverhang to the wheels, another five square feet. The chassis is built up upon deep sides of pressed nickel-steel of considerable strength, and the cross-members are riveted in. The engine employed is a two-cylinder one, with ample cubic capacity, the bore of which is 4 inches in diameter, whilst the piston-stroke is 5 inches, and the power developed 12h.p. at the normal t,000 r.p.m. The engine, however, works up to 1,600 r.p.m., at which speed the brake horse-power obtainable is 181. The cylinders are set at an angle of go' to each other, across the car, thus economising on the necessary overall length of the chassis, and the carburetter is carried snugly in the angle formed between them, in which situation is also carried, in the top of the crank-case, a small, automatic oil-pump which ensures constant lubrication.
The valves are all mechanically operated from a single, central camshaft, and water circulation is secured by a pump carried in front of the engine, where is also placed a belt
driven fan. The radiator is of the gilled-tube variety, combining the water tank, and is set in the front of the dashboard with a hand-pump lubricator behind it.
The power is taken from the engine, by a short shaft, to a compact epicyclic gear. This is furnished with two drums, each of which is provided with a double-grip brake operated by an expanding cam action, and there is also a disc clutch, consisting of a central plate, furnished with cork inserts, between an outer and an inner plate. When this clutch is " home," the gearing is locked together and revolves en masse, and, as it weighs some 7o1b., it often forms a useful addition to the flywheel in securing steadiness of running. The operation of the brakes on the two drums before mentioned brings the low speed, or the reverse, as the case may be, into operation, of course without sliding gear, giving a speed in either case of 33* per cent, of that obtainable on the direct drive. From this gear-box, the power is taken by double-jointed, cardan-shaft, and bevel gearing to a crownwheel type of differential and enclosed live-axle, the casing of the axle, upon which the wheels run, and the springs are mounted, carrying the weight of the vehicle.
The operation of the control, that is to say, the working of the gear, is effected entirely by pedal levers, the hands thus being left free for the manipulation of the steering wheel and engine. The car, normally, is out of gear. Depression of the low-speed pedal starts it up, and, as soon as way has been obtained, the left foot is taken off the low-speed pedal and the right foot depressed on the high-speed one, bringing the car at once into the direct drive, or high speed, which varies from 12 to 18 miles per hour according as the engine is being run at or above its normal speed. The third or reverse pedal forms an immensely powerful brake, pressure on which automatically releases the forward gears and, the car having been brought to a standstill by its means, it instantly reverses. When travelling backwards, the low-speed gear is used as a brake, and the same instant reversal of movement, which follows the stopping of the car, ensues, so that the action of reversing, in either direction, is instant and automatic, and no time whatever is lost in changing gear between operations The car is easily handled in traffic.
In addition to the use of the reverse-gear as a brake, two, powerful, hand-applied, internal-expansion brakes, with cornperlsating action, operate in solid drums forming a part of the back-wheel hub-castings. The effective silencing-box is carried, as usual, at the rear of the van, but the outlet therefrom, as will be seen in the photograph, is carried to the off-side of the vehicle, the idea in this being to prevent the possibility of any of the exhaust fumes finding their way into the interior of the van when the hind doors are open.