" Karrier" Car Developments.
Page 18
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When in Huddersfield recently. one of our representatives had many opportunities for observing the excellent behaviour, on the hilly roads about that town, of vehicles built by Clayton and Co. (Huddersfield), Ltd., of the Union Works, and, from many quarters, he heard satisfactory reports as ta the general reliability and low coat for running Of these machines. These reports, we may add, were given— directly to our representative—by users of the vehicles, and, in two cases, by representatives of rival
motor-manufacturing concerns. Clayten and Co., Ltd., is by no means a young concern ; it has been in existence for many years, and is widely known in the railway world for it. automatic " fogging " machines; it is, however, only within the past few years that this company has become known to readers of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR for it3 motorvans and wagons.
Whilst absolutely unpretentious, -.Clayton's works are well fitted to deal with the manufacture and erecting of " Karrier " cars, and, at the time of our representative's visit, it was noted that preparations were being made for an extension to the premises. The new portion ortion of the works is to be used as a garage and testing shed, and it will have the effect of relieving the congestion in the present shops.
The type of " Karrier " car best known to our readers is that in which the engine is enclosed in a compartment directly underneath the driver's footboards, the object of which design is the keeping of the wheelbase as short as possible, so as to allow of the use of a very long load-carrying platform without undue overall length of the vehicle. Although, from time to time, we have heard objections raised against this form of construction, we cannot admit that, when it is adopted, the engine is necessarily less accessible than it it were placed under a bonnet. The radiator, the leading wheels, and the leading-wheel mudguards are generally in the way, • and, if these parts are to remain in the positions which are at present favoured by the majority of motor-wagon builders, the engine is just as accessible, when placed under the driver's footboards, as it is under a bonnet, provided, of course, that the designer had properly in view the matter of accessibility while he was preparing the drawings.
in a 2.5-cwt. vehicle, overall length is not a matter of such great import.. anee as in a four-tonner, and, for its new 25-cwt. model, Clayton and Cu., Ltd., has followed the more-usual lines. One of the earliest of these new chassis was being put through the shops at the time of our representative's visit to the works, and it was staged at the recent show at the City Hall, Manchester. We reproduce both flont and rear views of this cleanlydesigned chassis, as well as two examples of finished vehicles of the same load capacity. The engine is a 16 h.p. Tylor, with two cylinders each 4 in. in diameter and with a common pistonstroke of 5 in. The clutch is one of the leather cone type, in which respect this small chassis differs from the same maker's heavier machines, all of which are fitted with Hele-Shaw clutches. One of the latter type of clutches was fitted to the Clayton tipwagon that was exhibited, at the Royal Show, at Gloucester, and illustrated in our issue of the 24th June last. This new chassis, which is known as the " B" type, is matte with two lengths of wheelbase-9 ft. and 10 ft.