CATERING FOR THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER.
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Improvement in Small Chassis Opens up New Possibilities. Revised Coachwork Designs and New Ideas Discussed.
ASTILL FAMILIAR sight in some London streets, is the horsedrawn four-wheeler which conveys in its musty interior the commercial traveller and samples of his wares. It is slow and cumbersome, yet it is not altogether out of place, for there is a great deal to be said in favour of providing "the man on the road" with his own transport, no matter how humble it may be.
For any but the simplest concern, however, and for all those who have anything in the nature of a wide radius of appeal, the motor vehicle, naturally, is far and away preferable, and, thanks to the improvements that. have been made during the past two or three years in the construction of small chassis —usually designated "economy cars there is now no difficulty in supplying the commercial traveller with a self-contained vehicle which allows him to cover far more ground in a day than would be the case with any other means, whilst his expenses do not approximate to those which would be incurred were he to employ almost any public means of transportation for himself and his samples.
Up to the present few motor manufacturing concerns appear to have noticed what an opportunity there is in this direction for development, but we venture to suggest. that a small, light vehicle properly equipped for use by a commercial traveller is a very marketable propo sition. Figures obtained cm test runs by the staff of our associated journal, The Light Car and Cycleca6 show that there is a large number of small fourseaters in existence to-day that can approximate to 30 m.p.g. of fuel, even when running fully loaded. Substitute the weight of samples for three pa.ssen
gers, and we have at once a very low
mileage cost for thetraveller. The general reduction in prices, too, renders the proposal still more attractive, and there are plenty of serviceable vehicles now in existence that can be bought for £300 "all on " that will give 15,000 miles' wear without the necessity for any serious expenditure for renewals or overhauls, whilst the tyre bill is proportionate to the very low fuel cost. Gar
age proprietors throughout the country have also begun to realize that all motor users are not millionaires, which again contributes towards economy.
More than probably there are concerns which would be glad to spend a little more on equipping their commercial travellers if they, in turn, possessed better facilities for working The first saving that is effected by the use of a light commercial vehicle is that of time—usually a very valuable factor.
Secondly, the traveller himself is kept physically fresh and unfatigued by the comfortable yet rapid means of transport, and, again, the ability to carry a very considerable quantity of goods for display is of the utmost importance. The appeal direct to the prospective purchaier of the goods themselves is equalled by no other method.
On this page we give some illustrations of coachwork well-suited to fitting
to small chassis of all types. In the . past the commercial traveller's motor vehicle has been looked upon almost wholly as a conversion of the passengerT carrying saloon, but there is really no , need to go to this expense unless appearance is of utmost importance—and that it is an important factor must never
be overlooked. Sales of any goods are often dependent upon first impressions, but, at. the same time, a very neat, serviceable and unobtrusive vehicle can be evolved by giving a coachbuilder a lead in the direction of what is wanted and telling him to apply those ideas to the ordinary light four-seater open touring body.
In tile first place the vehicle should not look ontr6; it is better if a quiet and unassuming effect be obtained, and the popularization of side-curtain allweather equipment on touring cars allows the rear Seats of a touring-type four-seater to be altered and utilized for parcel carrying without very much difficulty.
The type of body required is naturally dependent upon the type of goods. Let us take a common-sense case—that of the commercial traveller who deals in articles of apparel. His requirements rim to a rack, from which complete garments can be suspended on hangers, and ample drawer space. Figure 4 illustrates coachwork that will suit this need. It will be noted that it approximates to a closed type of touring coachwork, but it should clearly be understood that, by making the hood supports stiffer than is usually the case, or, if necessary, by adding further supports, this type of body could rapidly and cheaply be evolved from a light touring four-seater. One of the main considerations to bear in mind is that when drawer space is being considered, it is of little value to have very long drawers. A better arrangement is that shown, in which the total space is divided to accommodate two sets, one of which is accessible from the rear of the ear and the other from the :We. This system is probably a little heavier than one-piece fittings would be, but it gains greatly in convenience.
A modification of the same system can well be used when comparatively small hexed articles, such as boots and shoes, haberdashery, clocks, etc., etc., are carried. One set of draev ars the whole width of the car being made so that they open from the back, whilst in front of them are placed two other sets that open through side doors.
It may here be said that, although, perhaps, the open van type of coachwork may appear to present, advantages of convenience, there is much to be said in favour of incurring a slight amount of extra weight and cost by the sating of suitable separate compart Inente. Depreciation and cost of upkeep are important items when a commercial traveller's vehicle is being considened, whilst the risk of breakages or the deterioration of samples is also greatly decreased when a properly constructed body is employed..
The question of checking running costs is one that demands considerable
attention. The commercial traveller's vehicle should be by no means a sports car, and, in fact, it would not be unadvisable for an intending purchaser to get a manufacturer to fit a smaller
choke tube setting in the carburetter, so that an automatic limit would be put on the maximum speed without the power on hills being greatly affected. Whilst this would not serve totally to cheek inconsiderate driving, it would serve in a large measure to attain this encl.
The question of utilizing the body space of a commercial traveller's vehicle for advertisement purpose., is somewhat involved. There are arguments both, pro and con. the undertaking, and much depends on the type of goods that is being handled. The neat, unobtrusive car that arrives at the salesroom door without any label may be certain of obtaining a certain amount of prestige, and, of course, some retailers and wholesalers object to the disclosure of the .sources of wholesale trading; but, on the other hand, now that advertising has reached such a degree of development, there is a great deal to be said in favour of the mission of the car being boldly stated to all and sundry.
As a general guide to selection, wei are of the opinion that the most satisfactory type of commercial traveller's vehicle at the present. moment would be a four-cynneer water-cooled chassis, fitted with an engine of about 65 mm. bore, with side-by-side valves, , three-speed gearbox, 710 by 90 wheels and tyres, and a reinforced suspension system to deal with the extra weight. Such a chassis with a modified Capecart hood covering, as illustrated, should run 30 m.p.g. when averaging 20 m.p.h. with full load, should be capable of climbing any hill in the United Kingdom, and has a potential wearine life of 15,000 miles, the engine being decarbonized once in this period.