High Degree of Success in W.D. Trials
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THE War Department trials, held in North Wales last week (and briefly reported in last week's issue of The Commercial Motor), provided a useful indication of the commercial possibilities of certain of the vehicles entered. Whilst they were stated to be constructed, so far as possible, from standard fittings, a number of modifications had been included on certain machines and some were definitely of the W.D.-type. However, several were of standard designs with low-pressure tyres as the only variation.
This was the case in Class F, which comprised Commer Centaur, MorrisCommercial S.S. 11/30, Bedford and Fordson V-8 lorries, and which came into the 30-cwt. military-load section. On the mile-long Old Horse Shoe Pass, with an average gradient of 1 in' 7.6 and a maximum of 1 in 4.87, all the vehicles did everything that was asked of them, including stops and restarts on both ascent and descent, also brake tests.
The brief run over heather-covered moorland that constituted the crosscountry test saw this group of vehicles running . consistently, whilst they all s44 made steady climbs of Alt-y-Bady. almost a mile long and with a maximum gradient of 1 in 3.38 and an
average of 1 in 6.69. On 13w1ch-yGroes, 11 mile in length, with an average gradient of 1 in 7.1 and a maximum of 1 in 4, stop and restart, and hand and foot-braking tests were carried out at the steepest part. A strong wind blew up the pass, carrying with it hail and rain. Again the particular class did notably, well.
Described as a Pick-up van for use in sandy desert, a 20-70 Hillman, with 9-in. tyres and a truck-type body for carrying 900 lb., did well all through, except for sticking at a sunken road on its first attempt of the cross-country run. The Hillman Minx scout car, a reconnaissance vehicle, carrying 11; cwt., required outside help to restart on the Horse Shoe and did not take part in the final test, but othenvise did well.
The light-van class, loaded to 12 cwt,, was represented by a sixcylinder Bedford and a Commer B20. The latter found the cross-country work difficult and both required help on Altsy-Bady, otherwise they did well. Specifically military machines made up the 1-ton lorry class, to be used for first-line infantry transport and, consequently, having some degree of armouring. They were an Austin, Guy Ant, Commer Beetle and Morris-Com mercial C.S.8.T. This class, as was to be expected, showed up especially well on the cross-country work. The Horse Shoe and Bwlch-y-Groes were also negotiated satisfactorily, but the wet and loose surface of Alt-y-Bady quickly stopped the Austin, whilst the Morris-Commercial had an unofficial stop and restart test, from which it got away successfully, when sheep obstructed the road.
Of -the six-wheelers, the Karrier C.K.6 missed several of 'the tests, but the Leyland Retriever, with a 3-ton load, went through with every success. It was not tested on Bwlch-y-Groes.
Compared with ordinary commercial use, the sequence of tests was exceptionally severe and the high proportion of satisfactory results gives a striking indication of the margin of power available to vehicles that, in certain cases, differ little from those employed by the ordinary operator.