Sliding Doors Prevent Theft of Goods
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Interesting Developments of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., Include the Manufacture of All-metal Light-alloy Bodies
ONE of the recognized good features of the sliding type of door, as applied to vehicle cabs, is that of increased safety, as a swinging door, it must be admitted, is always a potential dancer. There is, however, another application of the sliding door which, hitherto, seems to have been overlooked, and that is as a safeguard against the loss of goods when a vehicle is left unattended for any length of Oil. a recent visit to the depot, at Searles Road, New Kent Road, London, of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., we were shown a number of interesting body-building develOpments in which sliding doors form prominent features.
An Unusual Combination One was the use of a sliding door or panel at the back of the body, in conjunction with a normally hinged door. The sliding portion is on the near side, and when the driver wishes to unload from his van, he unlocks the sliding panel and pushes it to the right, thus covering the hinged half. Having taken out his tray of goods, or a number of packages, he can, by using his elbow or shoulder, cause the sliding portion to close over,and so Shut off the hack of the vehicle while he is away.
When it is necessary fully to open the back, such as for loading purposes, the sliding panel is pushed to the right, two locking bolts are released by the action of a single lever, and the two doors are opened as one. An interesting feature is that the sliding portion cannot be operated until the hinged door is swung into position and locked.
This locking action lowers a small stop plate, and brings the runners into line, so that the panel can be moved over with very little effort. The panel is hung on two ball bearings, and there is a small guide strip at the bottom, which runs in a channel sunk below floor level. The rear edge of the floor is thus free of any obstruction, so that containers, such as are used by many concerns, can be loaded without difficulty. _
This sliding rear door, which is simple in design, foolproof and highly efficient, has been developed by Mr. G. McKay, chief engineer of the Commercial Motor (Goods) Department of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., and a patent has been applied for in the joint names of Mr. McKay and the company.
Thomas Tilling, Ltd., has for many years been fitting its contract vehicles with sliding doors to the cabs. We saw examples of vehicles having a combination of an exceptionally wide door which slides well beyond the back of the driver's seat, and sliding division doors running across the body. Just behind the driver's seat are two sliding divisions, so that goods can be taken from the vehicle from the front end as well as from each side.
These trpnsverse sliding partitions. and the sliding door, can be locked as a safety measure. At the same time. the' "sealing" of the body does not prevent a garage hand from entering the cab to manceuvre the vehicle after it has been parked for the night.
At the back of the body there is a shallow tailboard and a roller-blind type of shutter, so that there are no doors of any kind to swing out to cause obstruction or inconvenience.
It was made clear to us by Mr. F. P. Arnold, an executive officer of the company, that one of the concern's main interests was in cutting customers' delivery costs by reducing the time taken in transferring the goods from the van to the purchaser.
Such speeding-up of deliveries in the London area, for example, is of great importance, in that it tends towards reduced congestion, and it has been found that fewer vehicles are required for a particular need.
This concern is also making a fine example of a light-alloy body in which the main framing is comprised of vari
ous sections chosen for their load and bend-resisting characteristics, according to their location. The whole of the .panelling is in light metal, and it is estimated that the weight saving is from 3 cwt. to 4 cwt. as against the use of wood. No welding is employed; all joints are made by machine screws, bolts and nuts or pop riveting. The amount of bending which the form of construction necessitates is not extensive. but those members which have to be so treated are quickly dealt with by an hydraulic press. No elaborate moulds or jigs are used, the formers being suitably shaped wood blocks. Because of their simple nature, any new form can be devised in *an hour or so by the use of a band saw and other wood-working tools which the company has available. Double T section material can, in this way, be bent into perfectly graduated curves without a suggestion of buckling.