Production First: Invention Second
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By John F. Moon
THE air of expectancy which generally surrounds the annual Paris Salon was no more than a cloud of dust arising from the feverish last-minute preparations before the Show opened on October 7. There was little new to be seen on the stands of most exhibitors and the impression given was that the French industry was letting well alone and concentrating on increased production of existing models rather than venturing into new and possibly unyielding fields.
Output has increased, as shown by the figures for the first eight months of this year, during which 103,066 vehicles were produced, compared with 77,688 for the corresponding period of last year. Similarly, exports have risen by 6,167 vehicles over the same period, although it is principally the larger manufacturers, such as Citroen arid Renault, who have contributed to this increase.
Some manufacturers are taking advantage of the rapid decay of many of the ex-fhilitary vehicles which have been used in France since the war by boosting home Sales, in certain cases to the detriment of their export markets. Their main fear, that of German imports, is at present held at bay by Government restrictions. although one German manufacturer to whom I spoke had high hopes of an early relaxation of these regulations.
New concessions in the maximum gross weights of French vehicles have been made, raising the permitted weight to 36 tons on four axles. This has not resulted in any radical. design changes, because, most chassis are already strong 'enough to carry the additional payloads, but, as was noticeable at Earls Court this year, some manufacturers are increasing the power output of existing engines by fitting turbo-blowers. Berliet, Hispano Suiza, Somua and Unic are all exhibiting blown units and in each case an Eberspaeher .blower is used. Bernard are also experimenting with a blown engine.
Lath l have increased the bore size of their existing 120 b.h.p. six-cylindered oil engine by 6 mm. and the unit now develops 150 b.h.p., and Berliet are producing a 15-litre six-cylindered oil engine with a power output of 200 b.h.p.
The popularity of the Citroen 2 c.v. van has put Citroen ahead of the nationalized Renault organization in production of commercial vehicles this year. This van remains basically unchanged, but the bore has been increased and the engine capacity is now 425 c.c., resulting in an additional output of 3 b.h.p. to 12 b.h.p. An automatic centrifugal clutch, for use in conjunction with the normal clutch, has been evolved, but is at present
offered only in the 2 c.v. car. Other innovations by Citroen include the introduction of a short-wheelbase tipping version of the 5-tonner and a variation of the 1-ton forward-control front-wheel-drive van, which incorporates a removable platform with a large enclosed
goods compartment with double hinged doors beneath the floor.
Renault have made few modifications to their existing range, but the underfloor-engined 4 x 4 is shown for the first 'time. Because of the need for keeping the engine clear of the front propeller shaft the frame has
been raised. behind the cab, and this results in an appreciable-loss of payload space. The vehicle is rated
for a 7-ton payload, as is the standard rear-axle-driven model, and has been built in large numbers for the French armed forces.
By incorporating a sliding door its the right-hand body-side panel of the 1-ton van, this vehicle has now been brought into line with Citroen and Volkswagen vans and should have a greater appeal/far town work where parking space is at a premium.
By far the largest vehicle on display is the Berliet T.12 8 x 8 200-ton military tractor.Presumably built to army specifications, this machine weighs 25 tons and
is powered by a Berliet V-12 petrol engine which develops-450 b.h.p. at 2,200 r.p.m. The engine is located at the front of the frame, where it would be fairly accessible for replacement purposes.
No information on the engine was available, but its capacity is believed to be 22.3 litres. It has two car buretters to each bank, with a single-diaphragm lift pump at the forward end of the cylinder block. Four air cleaners are located in the cab behind the driving seat. The dual radiators are also housed in the cab behind the engine.
A single exhaust pipe is taken from a manifold between the cylinder bank and an exhaust brake is fitted behind the silencer box. A large-diameter clutch is mounted separately in the frame and drives into the combined main, auxiliary and transfer gearbox. Single shafts lead from this box to the two middle axles, which incorporate differential gearing, and two small shafts connect each pair of bogie axles, giving an individual drive to each wheel.
A complete air-pressure system provides power for the foot and hand brakes and the steering gear. Both front axles steer and drive, and the knuckle joints at each steering swivel are fully exposed, a feature which could cause trouble in service. The frame consists of channel-section pressings, rivets being used at all joints. All the side members have been heavily reinforced with steel plates which are fastened to the outsides.
The suspension system at the front and rear consists of inverted semi-elliptic springs, the ends of which are free to slide in housings on the axle casings, and it is doubtful whether the articulation would be as good as that obtained on certain British 6 X 6 tractors. The vehicle is described as being for cross-country use, and its traction should certainly be good for this purpose.
A large winch mounted behind the cab takes its drive from the transfer box, but there is no provision for leading the winch cable out from the front of the vehicle. Michelin G20 Metallic tyres are fitted to all wheels, and four spare wheels are carried, being mounted in pairs with a small block-and-tackle hoist for their removal.
Willeme, another company noted for large vehicles, are not showing anything new this year except for a 25-ft.-wheelbase version of their four-wheeled 19-ton chassis. Previously the wheelbase of this vehicle was 20 ft.
Somua have a new tractor to which is fitted a 200
b.h.p. oil engine with an exhaust turbo-blower. It is a normal-control machine with a pleasing body styleand
is 'suitablefor gross weights up to 35 tons, the tractor alone weighing 7 tons. The transmission includes a five speed main gearbox with synchromesh engagement and a two-speed auxiliary, box. The rear axle has double-reduction gearing and is a similar unit to that employed in Somua heavy-duty tipping chassis.
The best-finished chassis at the Show were on the Bernard stand, the six-wheeled goods chassis being up to Earls Court standards. Here again, no drastic modi fications are evident, but power-assisted steering has been adopted for the six-wheeled chassis (a necessary feature with a gross weight of 26 tons on three axles), and a two-speed auxiliary box is offered as an extra on all chassis. This unit, which gives step-up and stepdown ratios, is attached to the rear of the main gearbox.
The Bernard 10-ton chassis now has a larger sixcylindered engine which develops 120 b.h.p. and it is known that experiments are being conducted with a 180 b.h.p. turbo-blown unit.
A new range of vehicles is exhibited by Unie, their stand consisting of a completely surfaced and cobbled circuit of roadway, with road signs and a level-crossing. The vehicles are all four-wheelers and range in payload capacity. from 4 tons to 11/ tons. The 4-ton and 5-ton models have 80 b.h.p. oil engines, four-speed gearboxes and Bendix-Lockheed braking systems with Air-Pak servo, and they retain the old type of cab and bonnet.
The larger models have standard Unic fourand sixcylindered power units, but the 114-ton vehicle has a turbo-blown engine with an increased power output of 180 b.h.p. Eight-speed •gearboxes, with pre-selection by air power, are fitted and air assistance is provided also for the steering.
Air brakes are used, and, in accordance with new French regulations, two separate systems are fitted, necessitating two air reservoirs. The rear brake cylinders are mounted adjacent to the final-drive housing and frictional areas have been increased in all models. By English standards these vehicles are large, but the designs are good and, as with many Continental models,
• the cabs are large and comfortable. A new form of styling is used for. the large Unics and the bonnet is Shaped to give good engine accessibility and driving visibility. The sides are hinged in four sections.
Another company showing new models this year is Saurer. Two ranges are displayed, these . being type 4C, with engines delivering 100 b.h.p. or 130 b.h.p. and suitable ,for gross weights up to 134 tons on four wheels, and type 5D, with 130 b.h.p. or 160 b.h.p. and gross-weight ratings up to 181 tons. All models have normal control, with large, comfortable cabs and a modified suspension system which is claimed to give smoother travel either laden or unladen. The front ends of the semi-elliptic springs are anchored to the frame, and the rear ends are free to slide between rollers. Dampers are fitted to all axles.
Five-speed gearboxes are employed, that on the larger chassis having synchromesh engagement on the third, fourth and fifth ratios. Worm-and-sector steering gear is fitted and double-reduction rear axles, with spiralbevel and spur gearing, are common to all models. The smaller chassis have air-assisted hydraulic braking, the system being duplicated for safety reasons, and the larger chassis have Westinghouse air brakes. The handbrake lever acts through a sprocket and chain, reminiscent of Foden practice, and a hand-operated exhaust bole is also supplied.
F.A.R., who are well known for the manufacture of three-wheeled tractors for up to 6-ton payloads and four-wheeled tractors for 10-ton payloads, have modified a Renault 24-ton short-wheelbase chassis for longdistance semi-trailer working with a 6-ton payload. In addition to fitting the F.A,R. automatic coupling gear (made under Scammell licence) and a vacuum-servo motor for the trailer brakes, a lower-ratio rear axle has been used to cope with the additional load. The engine is a Renault 2-litre petrol unit, developing 50 b.h.p., and thegross vehicle weight is rated at 9+ tons.
A new double-reduction rear axle of great interest is employed in the redesigned Panhard 7-ton chassis. The spiral-bevel and helical-spur gears are carried in a large iron casting, the side faces of which form flange mountings for the axle tubes. The axle casing is thus extremely rigid and, although the axle is rather heavy, it affords a wide selection of ratios and a good ground clearance below the differential housing. The chassis frame is of I-section rolled steel and is welded throughout. Panhard are also manufacturing twoand four2ylindeNd oil engines with distributor-type fuel-injection pumps. These pumps are made by La Precision Mecanique, of Paris, and are mounted horizontally on the left side of the cylinder block, the drive from the timing chain being through a conventional vernier coupling. There is no apparent difference in size between the pumps fitted to both engines.
A 2f-ton chassis which in lightness is similar to contemporary British designs is shown on the Hotchkiss stand. It is a forward-control variation of the standard 21-tonner, to which it bears a strong resemblance, and the power unit is a four-cylindered petrol engine with an output of 62 b.h.p. at 3,000 r.p.m. An unnecessary feature on a vehicle of this capacity is the provision of a Lockheed Hydrovac braking system.
Two Skoda chassis arrived from behind the iron curtain, as did the Mogurt Ikarus rear-engined integralconstruction coach which was shown at Geneva earlier this year. The Skoda stand was bare..e_xcept for the two chassis, so no information was available.
The passenger chassis is an ungainly machine with a high frame line and massive running components. The engine is a six-cylindered compression-ignition unit, rubber mounted in conjunction with a five-speed gearbox. Air braking is fitted, with a trailer coupling, and a form of exhaust obturator is discernible. The other Skoda is a heavy-duty tipper which uses many com ponents common to the passenger chassis.
There was little of note to be extracted from the trailer exhibits, but Coder and Titan are both showing heavy trailers with Telma electric transmission brakes. For this purpose it has been necessary to use an axle which has worm drive and a long propeller shaft leading to the brake. Although the Telma brake undoubtedly tends to reduce 'facing wear when descending long inclines, it seems hardly practicable to go to the extent of installing a lorry rear axle in a trailer in order to obtain this benefit.
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