Italian War Models.
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Oar Own Correspondent Pays a Special Visit to the Principal Motor-Vehicle Factories in the Land of Our Southern Ally.
No American "Trucks" in Italy or Germany.
There are two Eibropean countries into which the American " truck " has failed to penetrate. One is Germany, the other is Italy. Obviously the reasons for this failure to be employed are entirely different. We can assume • that our enemy would readily hold out the glad hand to Uncle Sam's goods; we are certain that the Italians have voluntarily put up a substantial barrier. After travel
ling in almost all of the Allied
countries, this absence of American automobiles. appears as the most striking feature of the Italian situation. It 'would be more correct to say " this absence of foreign cars," for not only are American 'trucks' absent from the Italian army, but very few English, French and Belgian cars are to be found in the whole of Italy. The Ford penetrated before the war, but not in any appreciable quantity, and during an extensive
tour on Italian territory not ono was seen in the hands of Italian soldiers.
All Italian Factories Working for Allies.
The entire Italian motor in.7 dustry is working on the production of motor lorries for the Italian and other Allied armies, for the output is sufficient to meet more than local requirements. The motor factories of Turin and Milan have not been diverted from
their usual activities_ by reason of the war, and although they have undergone changes, these changes are of much Jess magnitude than those affecting other Allied countries.
Got to Work on Lorries when War Broke Out.
As is generally known to British motorists Italy was not a very
great motor lorry . producing country prior to the war. F.I.A.T. had a considerable output, but even here the touring-car business outdistanced the commercial-vehicle section; S.C.A.T. and Spa an 1, in a certain measure, IsottaFraschini built utility vehicles as entirely distinct from touring cars. The others confined their energies to pleasure ears. •Long before Italy was -involved in the international struggle, the whole of her factorieshad weaned themselves' away from the itouring • car and were building: lorries for whoever liked to buy them.
Touring-car Types in Hard Service. _
Many of these lorries were, and still are, if strengthenedtouringOar types, carrying hp to two-ton loads and fitted with pneumatic tires, generally twins on the rear wheels. It is not suggested that the service is poor, for the Italian standard of motor engineering is unusually high; but it would be interesting to compare operating costs of these two-ton, 40 miles an hour, pneumatic tired lorries, driven by .unskilled men,. side by side with the cost of pure lorry fleets. Against whatever disadvantage there may be under this heading, there must be offset the entire absence of purchases abroad and the advantage to the motor industry of being able to continue under conditions very nearly approaching the normal. It is an advantage which will be felt as much, if not more, at the close of the war as at the present. time, to retain the old -staff and to have the plant working on the product for which it was originally designed. Some European motor factories have been transformed out of recognition, and to change them back again when war material is no longer required will be no easy task ; the Italian factories have been modified and enlarged— TIC) al g more.
Italy's Advantageous Entry into the War.
With the factories already working on lorries, it was only logical that, on the declaration of war, the Italian Government should have decided to continue therri on that class of work, However much one may be inclined to criticise some of the vehicles used, in my own opinion to have solely iput the-• motor factories on shells or gun mountings and placed lorry orders abroad would have been absurd. It is evident to any ',visitor what an advantage Italy gained by being able to come into the war at her • own time. There was none of the abrupt break, the enforced idleness, and then intense activity in an entirely new direction which characterized the French industry when the war cloud burst. Raw Material. Coal at £7 a Ton.
Although there has been the same general problem regarding raw material as in neighbouring countries, conditions have enabled the Italian makers to procure and to maintain unusually big stocks., There are no -signs of lessened activity because of diffieulty in securing material. The commodity which appears to be giving the greatest concern is coal, most of which is imported from England and is not now delivered in as big quantities as could be desired. The present price, £7 per ton, is sufficiently above normal rates to add appreciably to manufacturing costs." •
Italy Used Bosch Magnetos, but • Now Fits Americans.
It has not always been found an -easy matter to get a regular supply of magnetos. For these Italy was dependent on Germany, no magnetos being made locally. It is true that the isupply wa-s not out off until lOng after other European -countries were at war-, and in consequence 'there are still some German-made magnetos in stock in Italian factor/es. Probably 70 per cent, of the motor lorries' now turned • out, are equipped • With American:made magnetos which for comparatively slow-speed • engines are ' variously deseribed. •as frOm fair to indifferent, A general complaint is the difficulty of getting a spark at low speeds, and as battery ignition never has been used as an auxiliary on Italian motors this is rather a
serious, objection. Erit.ish-made magnetos do not appear to have held their place on the Italian market in competition with the American article.
Plenty of Castings but Few Forgings.
There is no difficulty in obtaining castings, for practically all these are produced at Turin, which is. the centre of the Italian motor in
dustry. Several of the factories, including F.I.A.T., S.C.A.T. and Lancia, make all their own cylinder castings. Forging-s are not so readily obtainable, for in this respect Italy was largely dependent on Belgium. England, France and America are now supplying. Tool steels are particularly expensive. There is an abundance of tires, both pneumatic and solid. Pirelli and Michelin are the greatest producers, but several foreign makes are imported in quantities. Continental wasobliged to close entirely when the call to arms went forth. Only the trade mark remains on the office buildings as a souvenir of a firm which, it is declared, will not come back again. Goodrich has taken up quarters next door to the abandoned German camp, and appears to have secured a very big slice of the band-tire business for the Italiart,army requirements.
F.I.A.T. Factory's 10,000 Work men.
F.I.A.T. outshadows all other Italian motor firms by reason of its magnitude. At the present time the staff is 10,000 workmen, working on day shift only and producing 1000 lorries a month. In addition, the works are occupied on aviation motors and on a certain number of touring ears. The claim that this is the largest motor factory in Europe is doubtless justified. There appears to be no doubt that it is the largest factory engaged exclusively on motor vehicles. Not only is the factory interesting by reason of its huge dimensions and big product, but it is also one of the best equipped and most skilfully managed in any part of Europe. The factory, too, is unusually cornplete, the firm now producing its own cylinder and other castings, its own radiators, its own springs, its own wheels, doing all its own sheet-metal work and producing all its own bodies.
No Italian Lorries with Un-. enclosed Chains.
The type of lorry most commonly supplied is a three-tonner, with motor under a bonnet, chain drive fitted with ehain eases, and having cast-steel wheels equipped with twin band tires at the rear. As the Spa factory also builds enclosed-chain-drive lorries, this type predominates in Italy. There are no open-chain-drive lorries and no worm gears In rear axles. S.C.A.T. has. internal-gear drive and all others use bevel, sometimes with spur-gear reduction, as in the case of the two-ton Spa.
Cast-steel or Disc Road Wheels Only.
In addition to the three-ton F.I.A.T., a very large number of one-ton and 30-cwt, models are being produced by this firm. A distinctive feature of these is the use of disc wheels. As a geneeal rule it may be stated that wood wheels are not fitted to Italian lorries. At the F.I.A.T. factory all the heavy models---from three tons and upwards—have cast-steel wheels, and all below this capacity have the disc type, coriaPosef of ,a pressed-steel disc weIded.tu a 'steel rim. All these wheels are of detachable type, being secured by five or six bolts and nuts.
F.I.A.T.'s Special War Tractor.
F.I.A.T. is devoting a lot of attention to a heavy tractor produced before the war, but raised to a position of importance since fighting broke out This veiiiele is designed to hardleheavy loads, and particularly heavy artillery in the mountains and across country. It is a load-carrying tractor with a 70 h.p. motor in front and. final B44 drive by side chains to big-diameter east-steel wheels with a herringbone tread. One of the interesting features is the use of a flexible steel band of the same type as the endless bands used by caterpillar tractors, which can be conveniently secured to the rear wheels, and when not in use can be carried on the top of the rear mudguards.
Special Facilities Tor Starting Big F.I.A.T. Engines.
The F.I.A.T. tractor has a fourcylinder motor in pairs with cylinder dimensions of 130 ram. by 200 mm. Incidentally, this appears to be the only engine in Italian Army service which does not have bloc cast cylinders. For such a big power producer the half-compression device is doubtless a necessity. The ignition is automatically retarded as compression is released and full
advance given with full compression, the ignition point then remaining fixed. In addition the starting handle is of sufficient length for two or three men to obtain a hold. There is an almost complete absence of aluminium in this motor and indeed in most of the Italian lorry motors, the cast-iron crankcage being mounted on a substantial subframe. The water pump is placed midway on the right-hand side of the engine, and has a separate water inlet pipe to each group of cylinders. It. was noted that the radiator, winch is carried in trunnions, carried a steam whistle in the filler cap.
F.I.A.T Tractor has Separate Winch Drive.
The frame is a particularly rigid construction, strengthened by rather closely placed cross members with gussets. The drive shaft is not taken direct from the disc clutch to the gearbox, but passes through a transverse housing attached to the main frame members. Within this housing is the gear selector mechanism and a silentchain drive from the main shaft to the winch shaft placed along-side the left-hand frame member. The side lever controls both the gears and the dog clutch commanding the winch shaft. The first speed gives .86 miles an hour with the motor turning at 1000 revolutions ; the fourth gives 5.6 at same engine speed and almost 8 miles an hour with the engine turning at the maximum of 1300 revolutions. There are two external ribbed brakes on the countershaft, with water-cooled drums. Although these brakes are equalized, they can be applied separately, a condition which is necessary when operating on winding mountain roads. The rear wheel brakes are also water-cooled.
F.I.A.T. Radius Rods and Spring Mounting.
The very substantial chain guard, with sheet metal facing, also forms the radius rod. The housing is of sufficient strength to carry the weight of the vehicle if the road wheels embed. The rear wheels are 70 ins, in diameter ; the front wheels, which are also steel eastings, are shod with band tires cf 160 info, section. While there is nothing special in the springing, the size of the shackle bolts is con.siderable. All these bolts are bushed, and the rear spring hangers have an oil reservoir cast with them, so that lubricant is automatically fed to the bolts. The front spring assembly is intereating, for instead of the leaves being held together by a centre bolt, each one has a longitudinal groove to prevent splaying sideways, and the full set of leaves is forced through the rectangular opening in a forged assembly box, as is often the method in locomotive practice. The base of this assembly box is
ieceived on the spring seating of the axie and bolted to it by four bolts ; thus there are no clip.s encircling the leaves. This arrangement is found on several Italian lorries.
Can Haul 100 Tons While Carrying Seven.
The F.I.A.T. tractor weighs rather more than seven tons and carries a load of from five to six
tons. With this load it will haul 20 tons up a 6 per cent, gradient and 10 tons on a 12 per cent. incline, the ordinary steel road wheels being used. With the grip bands fitted to the rear wheels, it is declared that 100 tons can be hauled on a level macadam road, 35 to 40 tons on a 12 per cent, gradient, and 20 to 25 tons -on a 15 per cent. hill, Without trailers the tractor can tackle a30 per cent gradient. It was evident from a, visit to the works that numbers of these tractors are being supplied to the Italian Army. They are giving excellent service in the Alps, both over main roads and across country and are declared to be capable of operating under conditions impossible to the ordinary four-wheeldrive tractor. Incidentally no tractors of the four-wheel-drive type appear to be employed in the Italian Army.
In addition to their standard lorries the F.I.A.T. Co. is producing electrie searchlights and various special vehicles such as motor workshops, aeroplanetenders, etc.
The Spa Lorry Engine a Model of Neatness. .
In addition to the -ordinary lorries, the Spa factory is interested in a special heavy, short wheelbase gun-carrying chassis. It is stated that the gun is of the 6-in, variety, although this is a point on which the works engineers are not closely informed, the fitting being carried out at the artillery establishments. The bonnet space is a model of compactness, and the big motor, nteasuring 95 mm. by 200 mm. bore and stroke, is one of the neatest ever produced for this class of work. In accordance with the usual Spa design, the water pump is inside the cylinder casting, the pump shaft also driving the fan, and the throttle is also inside the casting, there being, of course, no external intake manifold. The exhaust manifold is separate, but the pine passes directly through the metal dashboard, and the valve stems are perfectly accessible. This tractor has gearbox and differential in the same housing, double water-cooled brakes on the jack shaft and final_ drive by enclosed side chains. The general design is similar to that of the three-ton lorries, but the entire construction is unusually solid.
Air-cooled Gear-box on S.C.A.T. S.C.A.T., which with F.I.A.T. and Spa ranks among the most im
portant commercial-vehicle manufacturers, is producing a two and four-tonner. This latter, which is very largely employed in the Italian Army, has the internal-gear
type of final drive. The larger model is -a four-cylinder monobloe of 100 mm. by 150 mm. bore and stroke, the engine being controlled by a centrifugal govern-or combined rather neatly with the fan. As it is sometimes necessary for the Ital.. ian lorries to pull on low gear foram hour, or even hours, at a time, the S.C.A.T. has a gearbox with a deeply ribbed base to assist in cooling. The two-ton S.C.A.T., of 90 mm. by 140 mm. bore and stroke, is a shaft-driven type.
Lancias and Bianchis as Armoured Cars.
Lancia is largely employed on a two-ton type of chassis, many of which are used in Italian and British armoured-car service. The design is exactly the same as that of the touring car, but with the entire chassis strengthened in view of the -heavier load. Bianchi, in addition to producing a 70-cwt. lorry, is also building a. heavy but fast chassis for -armoured-car service. Diatto and Itala are both, produe, ing.three--ton shaft-driven lorries in addition to the lighter types, and Isotta-FrasAini is devoting a large portion of its factory to heavy tractors for cross-country work.
Bianchi Propeller-shaft Governor.
Governors are favoured on the Italian Army lorries. In nearly all cases they are on the engine, Bianchi being an exception with the appliance fixed on the front end of the propeller shaft. Tow hooks, bolted direct to the frame members, are found on the best
lorries. There is not much uniformity about radiator guards ; the best firms handling the bulk of the Array ordershave fitted a substantial type, but some of the others recently recruited to "commercials " have not risen to such details.
Substantial Ridge Poles and Tilt Hoops.
Bodies are fairly uniform, the standard type being a platform with demountable, sides and tail-board and a, canvas top carried on metal hoops. in many eases these hoops are of sufficient strength for a portion of the load to be suspended and are fitted with rings for this purpose. Evidently the intention is, as in the case of the French Army, to suspend stretcher cases. Steamers have not found a place in the Italian Army, nor indeed in. civilian service. Elect-ties are fairly commonly used for city work.
Horses and Mules "Somewhat Rare" in Italy.
It,is stated that one result of the war has boon to increase the civilian demand for commercial motors. Army iequisitions have made hors-es and mules somewhat rare, and the war has served as an example of the value of mechanical haulage, with the result that business houses are showing a readiness to purchase. The home factories are able to meet this demand. 'Undoubtedly, after the war, there will be a considerable increase in the use of commercial motors, but the increase will have to be very great to put Italy on the same level as other countries.