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Will this Vehicle Appeal to Tradesmen?

17th December 1943
Page 30
Page 30, 17th December 1943 — Will this Vehicle Appeal to Tradesmen?
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Novel Design of Military Singletrack Machine Which Has Possibilities in the Commercial Field H ITHERTO, we have looked upon 1 I the single-track, or motorcycletype of machine, only in the light •of being the tractive unit for a sidecar box-carrier 'arrangement, and never in the form of a complete goods-carrying machine.

The exigencies of war have been responsible for the building of such a type, and an excellent impression of the complete machine can be obtained from the accompanying illustration. As will be seen, the esign is based on the utilization of the front and rear portions of a motorcycle, these being joined together by the "body " which serves in the capacity of the normal frame.

In the present instance, it is of wood construction, being suitably braced to

give the necessary strength. The use of Wood makes for lightness, but there ale 15ossibi1ities here for the introduction 'of light-alloy metals.

In its commercial form the patentee, Mr, S. Smith, Dingley Dell, ,Windlesham Road, Chohham, Surrey, suggists the use of a rear-mounted engine driving on-to the tyre of the rear-wheel by friction. As the engine Would be pivotally mounted, it would be diffichit to imagine a more simple form of transmission.

As shown, the length is such as to carry, at least, three soldiers with ample supplies of food, ammunition arid so on, hut there seems no reason why a machine with a shorter wheelbase • should -not prove a useful commercial proposition. The present length intro

duces cornering difficulties and, in certain circumstances, untoward incidents might happen to the underaide of the body. Hence a shortening of -the whole outfit, for post-war Usage on the roads, would seem to• he logical.

That it has reached the practical stage says something for the patentee's faith in his idea, and it will be interesting to watch developments in the direction of its war-time application. The number of the patent covering this novel machine it 556,398, which covers certain modifications making the machine more adaptable for use for commercial purposes. The model illustrated could be reduced in length considerably without detracting from its. usefulness as a tradesman's light carrier machine.

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Locations: Surrey

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