A - FRENCH-BUILT CHASSIS FOR MEDIUM LOADS.
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MANY of our readers may remember that at the time of the 1921 Corn-, . mercial Vehicle Exhibition Messrs; Automobiles 31. Berhet, of Lyons, Prance, and 40, Sackville Street,. London, W. 1, produced a :31-ton chassis. shod with pneumatic tyres and fitted with a. worm-driven rear axle. The method of firial drive represented a radical departure from this.; company's practice, for all their previous heaty, duty Vehicles had been fitted with chain
drive. •:
nig pneematie-tyred vehicle met .with considerablesuceess, and a large number has been supplied for both passenger-car'tying and long-distance delivery work, loth on the Continent and in this country. Realizing, however, that there was demaricffor a similar vehicle for heavy haulage, the manufacturers decided to produce ...a similar model fitted with solid tyres, and it is .proposed in this article to give a brief résumé of this chassis; which we are sure will interest our readers, inasmuch as it possesses Several outstanding features.
In a general way, this chassis follows the lines of the pneumatic-tyrecl vehicle in that it embodies the same engine, gearbox and rear axle, although the axle is of more robust construction to enable it to stand the additional vibration im_posed by the use of solid tyres. The engine itself has four cylinders cast in pairs, having a ,bore and stroke of 110 mm. and 140 mm. respectively. The valves are "located on the left-hand side and are operated by a single geardriven camshaft. The lubrication is attended to by a gearwheel pump which delivers oil under pressure to the three white-metal dined main hearings, whence it flows through ducts in the crank webs to the big-ends, the cylinder walls and pistons being lubricated by oil thrown off from the revolving crankshaft.
The gudgeon pin is locked in the piston by a setscrew, and oscillates in a bronze: bush in the connecting rod small end. The magneto is pladed in a very accessible position across the front of the engine, with the make-and-break facing one on lifting the right-hand side Of the bonnet. Carburation. is by means of a Berliet carburetter, whilst cooling is on the thermo-siplionic. principle. A centrifugal governor operates a separate butterfly in the induction pipe and limits the speed of the engine to 1,250
r.p.rn.
A multiple-plate clutch conveys .the drive by means of a short shaft—having
one alignment joint—to the four-speedand-reverse gearbox, which is positioned amidships. The shafts of the gearbox are in nickel steel, are of large dimensions and revolve on ball bearings.
The speed ratios are as follow :-1st speed, 33.16 to 1; 2nd speed, 19.44 to 1; .3rd speed, 11.31 to 1; 4th speed, which is direct drive, 6.75 to 1. The gear lever operates in a gate and is positioned at the driver's right hand.
Immediately behind the gearbox is positioned a star-type universal joint, which is totally enclosed in a dustpro-of cover. In order to ensure proper -lubrication of this oft-neglected point, a copper pipe runs from the universal joint cover to a lubricator positioned' on the engine side of the dash, and it is only necessary to fill this lubricator with ail to ensure that the universal joint is re
ceiving its sufficient share of lubricant.
An open propeller shaft conveys the drive to the rear axle, and a flexible disc joint is positioned at the rear end of the shaft immediately in front of the rear axle.
The rear axle itself is of the full-flouting overhead worm type, with. a bevelgear differential. The casing is so constructed that the entire worm gear and . differential can be lifted out from the
top after the axle shafts have been withdrawn and the cover holding-down bolts unfastened.
The front and rear wheels are of cast steel and revolve on ball bearings. The front wheels are fitted with 940 ram. by 130 ram. single solid tyres, while the rear wheels are shod with twin tyres of 950 IBM. by 130 mm, dimensions.
The steering is of the worm-and-nut type with the cross-red mounted ahead of the front axle, whilst the front wheels are mounted on jaw-ended stub axles.
The principal dimensions of the chassis are as follow :—Overall length, 19 ft. 4 ins.; overall width, 6 ft.. 3 ins.; length available for body, 14 ft. 11 ins.; wheelbase, 12 ft. 8 ins.; Track, front 5ft. 10 ins., rear 5 ft. 4 ins, Chassis weight, 130 cwt. The price of this classcis is £765.