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GENEVA SPRINGS FEW SURPRISES
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SWITZERLAND is probably the most highly competitive market for commercial mercial vehicles in Europe and this is confirmed by the exhibits at the Geneva Show which closes on Sunday. Most of the major commercial-vehicle manufacturers are represented but, unlike the last Geneva Show, there are few brand-new models.
The biggest Swiss manufacturer, Saurer, has new goods and passenger chassis, and SISU has a new normal-control goods chassis. But of more importance from this Finnish manufacturer is the first showing of a system for driving the axles of trailers through hydraulic motors in the wheel hubs. Other new items for the Show are the Husar, from OAF of Austria, a Unimog from DaimlerBenz of Germany and an additional model at the lower end of its commercial vehicle range by SAVIEM of France.
New to Geneva, although known in other countries, are p.s.v. from Kassbohrer and Auwarter. British introductions of the past year which can be seen are AEC, BMC, Bedford, Commer, Dodge, Ford, Land-Rover and Leyland vehicles. British commercial vehicle industry is also represented by Crane Fruehauf and a number of component manufacturers such as Lucas, Girling, CAV and TricoFolberth whilst the Perkins Swiss distributor is featuring the new V8.510 engine.
It is not surprising that British makers should take such an interest in the Geneva Show for they have a fairly good share of the commercial vehicle market. Switzerland is not one of the bigger markets and including all types of commercial less than 10,000 were sold there last year. Considering those with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 4.5 tons there were only 2,407 registrations from January to October, 1965 and in the peak year of 1962 only 4,665 vehicles in this category were sold. The number of registrations has been declining since 1962 following a very fast rate of expansion and last year's figures were 29 per cent down on those in 1964 for mediumand heavy-weight models.
Germany has the lion's share of the commercial vehicle market and of the 2.407 vehicles over 4.5 tons gross registered in the first 10 months of 1965. 950 were from that country. Swiss manufacturers sold 539 and Britain was third with 371 with Italy, Sweden and France following in that order. The most successful British exporter to Switzerland is clearly Bedford, which sold 290 chassis over 4.5 tons gross in the period under consideration; this is almost 80 per cent of British truck sales and 12 per cent of the total figure.
Few multi-wheelers
One of the most noticeable things about the exhibits of goods vehicles at Geneva is that there are very few multi-wheelers and not many more tractive unit models. This is undoubtedly because the Swiss regulations give the same maximum weight limit of 16 tons for rigids regardless of the number of axles and whereas a tractor and trailer combination (with a two-axle trailer) can gross 26 tons, an artic is limited to 21 tons no matter how many axles it has. The new Saurer goods model is a 6 x 6 and is designed for off-theroad use as a tipper although from the colour that the Show exhibit is painted it is obviously intended also for military application. The maximum gross weight at which this machine can operate is 26 tons which gives it a payload rating of 15 tons and the Saurer 10.3 litre supercharged diesel used in the model gives a net output of 260 b.h.p. net at 2,100 r.p.m. and a maximum net torque of 732 lb. ft. at 1,100 r.p.m. The drive is through a transmission incorporating main and auxiliary gearboxes which give eight forward and two reverse overall ratios. Power-assisted steering is standard and the drive between the rear axles incorporates a lockable differential. The Show vehicle is fitted with a 7 Cu. metre three-way tipping body in light alloy.
The same engine as used in the 6 X 6 is also employed in an articulated single-decker bus introduced at the Show by Saurer but this is derated to produce 240 b.h.p. net at 1,900 r.p.m. and 700 lb. ft. torque at 1,100 r.p.m. The new model is not a complete departure for Saurer as the company has made articulated trolleybuses to a similar design for a number of years and in 1958 produced a prototype diesel-engined bus of this type for Zurich. The new model is one of an order of 40 by Zurich and it is reported that a number of other municipal operators including Geneva are interested. Total passenger capacity of the vehicle is 150 with 38 sitting although it is claimed that 165 people can be carried without exceeding the gross weight rating.
The body on the Show model was built by Saurer, it being of integral construction and the body design is similar to that employed by Viberti, the Italian maker of artic buses with a fullwidth "concertina" section joining the front and rear portions. The Saurer engine is located horizontally within the wheelbase and drives through a Voith Diwabus automatic transmission. Overall length of the outfit is 17.3 m. (58 ft.).
Postal p.s.v.
Another new p.s.v. featured by Saurer at Geneva is specifically designed for the Swiss postal service—the PTT—which carries passengers as well as mail. There are 46 seats and mail and parcels can be carried in compartments at the sides and rear of the body or, as will be most likely, a two-wheel trailer can be towed by the bus for this part of its work. The same Saurer 10.3 litre engine is again used but in this application in a naturallyaspirated form with an output of 210 b.h.p. net.
As with other vehicles produced by SISU, the new goods chassis from this company is powered by a Leyland Power-Plus 0.680 diesel engine. The drive is taken through a ZF gearbox to a two-speed axle of SISU manufacture and this has an automatic differential lock. The model number is K141 and it can carry a 10 ton load. In general the design is based on a previous SISU chassis but with an improved-design cab with reinforcedplastics bonnet and wings. SISU has just received an order of 50 of the new model from Bolivia and there is an interesting story attached to .this. Apparently Leyland vehicles were wanted but a too-long delivery period prevented this. With the help of the British Ambassador in the country, SISU got the order, the help being given because apart from the engine, the frame, driving shaft and wheels as well as other parts are of British origin. SISU can deliver in three months.
The hydraulic drive for trailer wheels shown at Geneva by SISU has previously been seen at an inventor's exhibition in Brussels last year but this is the first time it has been shown in a vehicle exhibition. For something over six months the units have been sold in England to the makers of Shawnee Poole earthmoving equipment and as well as examples displayed on the Swiss agent's stand a semi-trailer equipped with them is featured by SISU on the demonstration area. This is coupled to a new crosscountry vehicle, the KB45 which is a 4 X 4 and has a Leyland 0.400 engine.
The hydraulic motor has a compact design and is mounted integrally with the hub. Each has five radially-mounted pistons which are displaced outwardly in turn by high-pressure fluid. As each piston is displaced it exerts a pressure through rollers on a pair of ring-type cams and imparts a rotary motion to the hub and wheel. The required pressure is supplied by a hydraulic pump driven from the tractor-vehicle engine and distribution of the fluid to the hire cylinders is controlled by a rotary valve in the axle tube. A single-lever control gives forward and reverse drive and this can be used also to give a free-wheel condition. The hydraulic motors are usable only up to 10 k.p.h. (6.2 m.p.h.) and it is said that a torque of over 7,000 ft. is given at the wheel.
New U ni mog The new Unimog from Daimler-Benz is the 421 which is to a similar design concept to the other Unimog models made by this concern. They are the 411, the 406 and the 416; whereas the 421 has a 40 b.h.p. diesel engine these have engines with outputs of 34, 65 and 80 b.h.p. respectively. The416 can be said to be an improved version of the 406 and in the same way the 421 is an uprated version of the 411, the engine used being a lower-power version of the 2litre unit used in the new Mercedes-Benz 200D car.
Unimog vehicles are intended primarily for use with a wide variety of equipment such as snow ploughs, winches, road sweepers and so on, not as load carriers but the 412 comes between the 411 and 406 in capacity with a rating of 1.25 tons as against 1 and 1.5 tons respectively for the other two; the 416 is intended mainly for The new SAVIEM model introduced at Geneva is in the company's range of forward-control goods chassis, coming at the bottom end. It is called the S6 and as SAVIEM use the type name to denote payload it has a capacity of 6 tons; gross weight limit is 9 tons. Like the Si (and the next higher-capacity model the S8) the S6 has a Perkins 6.354 diesel engine and drives through a fivespeed synchromesh gearbox. The tyres are smaller as are the brakes but in general the S6 and Si have a similar specification. Also new from SAVIEM is a version of the Super-Goelette with a 9 Cu. metre (318 cu. ft) van body. This model was introduced in the middle of last year but until now has only been available as a chassis/cab or with a standard fixed-side body.
From its general construction and appearance the new OAF Husar is designed for military use and its name rather suggests this. The model is a 4 X 4 with a semi--forward control cab and has a four-cylinder diesel engine producing 90 b.h.p. at 2,500 r.p.m.
Cat-A-Gator The American Cat-A-Gator shown by Intravend has been previously publicized although I had not encountered it at a show.
It is an amphibious vehicle with eight driven wheels having very small-16 x 14.50 6 Goodyear Terra tyres. The body is built like the hull of a boat and the engine and transmission equipment is mounted in a well behind the driving seat. An American Kohler two-cylinder-opposed horizontal four-stroke engine and there is a variable-ratio belt drive to a cross shaft. Independent clutch/brake/ reversing units for the wheels on both sides are driven by this cross shaft and the "vehicle" is steered by levers controlling these units. The Cat-A-Gator has an engine with an output of 24 b.h.p. which gives it a road speed of 37.5 m.p.h. and the maximum speed on water is 7.5 m.p.h.
Square-cut bodies Passenger vehicle interest at Geneva is not limited to the new Saurer models for many body builders are showing their latest designs. The latest trend appears to be towards a square-cut appearance and this is particularly illustrated by a new design for Swissair shown by Carrosserie Eggli. Only the location of the wipers gives a clear indication of which is the front or the back from above the waistline but in spite of this the design is not unattractive.
Designs shown by Ramseier and Jenzer, Rizzi and Tuscher are less severe looking and so is the bodywork on the new Setra S 125 L shown by Kissbohrer. Like the three bodies just mentioned, this is designed for urban work and has 59 seats and space for 57 standing passengers. The S 125 L has a Henschel 192 b.h.p. diesel engine mounted at the rear and drives through a ZF six-speed gearbox; alternative gearboxes including Voith Diwabus automatic transmission are available.
Of more graceful design is another new Kassbohrer model, the