LIGHT VANS PARCELCAR5
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We now have the pleasure to present the first nirmher. of a series of short and well-illustrated descriptive articles concerning whatare the babies of the industrial-vehicle world. Parcelcar types have, in certain instances, been familiar for some while past to users as a wh.ole, Even these, however, have undergone modification in certain important features, and, in order to bring the whole subject up-to-date, we intend to include under the present heading the most representative parcelears, as well as the best new types of light vans.
We shall only include those models which appeal to our experts as being practicable attempts to solve the light-van problem. We shall postpone till a later date description of machines which as yet have not advanced beyond the stage of transference en bloc from. the pleasure-ear class to the industrial-vehicle market. Nothing is to be gained by the employment of unaltered models which have been designed in many cases solely for the lighter and cheaper branches of touring-ear practice, and without ally adequate constructional knowledge of the exceptional requirements of the commercial-motor industry.
We are happy to be able to initiate this new series with what we regard as an excellent example'ef the . lightest of van types. We have .a number of other articles already in the press dealing with equally suitable machines, and we commend this series as a whole, therefore, to the careful consideration of those tradesmen who have had the light-van problem before them recently, but who kace felt that, through lack of adequate information., they have not known how to tackle it.
A Machine with Nine-Years-Experience Behind It.
The " Parcelette," as the Enfield Anteear Co., Ltd., calls its latest five-ewt. business runabout, affords a typical example of the kind of twit likely to go far towards solving the light-van problem. We were recently notified that the company's latest pro
duction was well in progress, and knowing its completion we despatched a representative of this journal to the works at Spirrklarook for the purpose of inspecting a chassis and also to test a completed van in order to be in a position to give our readers firsthand information respecting the little model. This maker's experience in turning out the smaller class of machine goes as far back as 1905, and we ourselves described a, convertible pleasure and business model which the Enfield Co. then commenced to manufacture. Nine years of consistent 'production places the ;company in a position to be able admirably to cater for the retail tradesman by producing a machine best suited to his particular class of work. Equipment of this kind must of necessity bequite simple in its control, and moreover easy to maintain in road trim, week in and week out, seeing that the services of a practised driver-mechanicare not-always retained by the owner.
A close inspection of the model, which Mr. H. B. Fenwiek. who is looking after the commercial-vehicle sales of the Enfield Co., placed at our disposal, afforded conclusive evidence as to the intention of the manufacturer to produce a machine which could be handled by a. person who is by DO means a trained mechanic, .and .also that the primary factor, that of running costs, could, without undue effort, be kept down to a minimum. Throughout the chassis there is a noticeable absence of unnecessarily complicated adjustment.
The Engine is Compact and Free from Complications.
A sturdy little two-cylinder engine comprises the Power unit, the bore and stroke, respectively, being SO min. by N mm., and it is capable of developing 8 hp. at normal running. The outline of the motor is such that there should be little trouble in keeping all its exterior parts in a clean condition with the minimum amount of labour. The cooling of the engine is effected by means of thermo-syph.onic circulation. A noticeable feature is the absenceof a fan, but the depth of the tube block of the radiator, and the ample-sized water inlet and outlet pipes, arrested our attention.
A Remarkable Test of Efficient Cooling Without a Fan.
Upon our commenting on this point, Mr. Fenwick informed us that it similar machine to the one under mention has been for some time running in India in the Himalaya district without a fan, and although, on one occasion, the temperature to which it was subjected under working conditions varied from 80 degrees in the shade to freezing point (this variation being experienced whilst climbing a. 45-mile steep incline on second speed) the behaviour of the engine was most satisfactory, and there were no signs whatever of overheating. A Bosch high-tension magneto is fitted as standard, and means are provided for its control by the fitting or a finger lever mounted on the dashboard.
The Zenith type of carburetter is fitted on the. off side of the engine., that is, on the same side as the valves ; the supply is gravity feed. There is a finger
lever fitted to the steering column and located underneath the steering whee, for controlling the intake gases ; a foot accelerator is also provided. A refinement which not all manufacturers of this class of miniature van are including in their models is that of supplying adjustable tappets to the inlet and exhaust valves.
A Fibre-block Clutch-stop is Provided.
, A leather-faced cone clutch is utilized Inc transmitting the engine power to. a three-speed gearbox : a good point here worth noting is that a duplex universal joint connects up the two components. A fibre clutch-stop is provided—a. fitting which facilitates the easy changing of gear, and is very necessary when manteuvring a machine through congested areas or over hilly ground.
One of the illustrations included in our composite picture shows the substantial little gearbox embodied with this model. The cover-plate is of sensible dimensions, and by merely unscrewing half-a-dozen nuts it can be taken apart to afford a complete inspection of the gears when necessary. The change-speed control incorporates the progressive type of quadrant, and a positive lock is provided for each speed. When in the top gear, which is direct drive, the machine can maintain a speed of 26 m.p.h. Power is transmitted to a live axle through the conventional form of enclosed propeller shaft and sliding it'd% ersal joint.
The After-end of the Chassis Has Some Commendable Features.
The back-axle unit, which is of the woe/I-driven type, is certainly a well-thought-out construction. The floating type of differential shafts are only sub• jected to the driving and braking torque. the load of the machine at the rear being carried upon soliddrawn steel tubes of ample diameter. The worm is placed on the under side of the worm wheel, which will account for the slight canting of the propeller shaft, depicted in one of our photographs. This picture, it will be noticed, was taken with the chassis light, so that with the bedy fitted and load imposed this would not be nem ly so marked. Means of ad
justment are provided for the worm shaft. The worm gear and differential are enclosed in a neat, strong and compact casting. The only novessary attention involved in looking after this part of the limit is the periodic filling up of the case with lubricant., for which purpose a. large-sized elbow is bolted to a facing on the hack portion of the casing iii it very convenient position. Two independent sets of brakes are, of coin se, provided. Roth these take effect on malleable cast iron drums of large diameter, which are bolted to the rear road wheels. The foot-actuated brake takes effect on theinside of the drain' by means of castiron shoes which are expended by the action of cams, whilst the hand brake is of the contracting steelband type faced with Raybestos. Suitable adjustments are incorporate:et-bathebraking system, and we must emphasize the desirable feature of the connectmg rods' being disposed outside the chassis members, which, on a small model of this kind is a considertime in that the means of adjustment aro particularly accessible, much more so than were they located inside the frame.
The Springing is Exceptionally Good.
Well realizing that the useful loads corried on a machine are likely to vary considerably in a. day's work, the designers have paid particular attention to the main suspension, and when we tested the machine.on top speed, first with no load and then with a felt load, we had ample evidence that goods of delicate fabric, and in fact any class of commodity handled by the retail tradesmen, can by carried with the utmost confidence. The front port ion of the chassis is suspended on the cantilever tune of spring
ing, the form of which is clearly shown on the fullpage illustration.
Thefront of the springs are anohored to a sturdy little pressed,steei. axle, and the rear ends are _left free to take up lateral movement. The rear springs are of the usual semi-elliptic, type, a noticeable feature being their ample length.
The One-piece Channel Frame is Unique.
The, main frame is quite a sound proposition. It is composed of a one-piece rolled channel bont " U " shape, the transverse portion of which supports the radiator. The flanges of the channel are turned inwards, which gives the chassis a neat appearance, besides facilitating easy bolting up of the various anchorage brackets. The engine is supported by means of the three-point suspension system, which is admirably adapted for affording flexibility to certain parts of the unit when running over uneven road surfaces. The faint end is anchored in a bracket bolted to the forward end of the frame, whilst the rear portion of the unit is bolted to a tubular underframe. The gearbox is also fixed to this sub-frame.
Detachable caps are imairporated in the different supporting arms, so that it is quite an easy matter to take the engine or gearbox adrift when the machine is sent in for overhauling purposes.
The steering is of the standard type, that is, by worm and worm sector, a noticeable point about the system being that the transverse connecting tubeis placed well behind the front axle.
Quite a large-sized body can be fitted to this chassis, and one of our reproductions shows the box-van type usually supplied. Of course, different forms of bodies can be fitted to suit various trading requirements, the Enfield people being in a position to eater for any special construction.
The wheelbase is 7 ft. whilst the gauge is 4 ft. Wire wheels arc listed as standard, the tire sizes for which arc 650 min. by 65 nun. The price of the complete equipment is £130. For this the manufacturer supplies lamps, horn and tool kit. The useful load which this business runabout is capable of accommodating is 5 cwt. plus two passengers.
Customers Benefit Through Speedy Delivery.
We are enabled to include with our illustrations a picture of one of the machines in actual service. The particular tradesman who is seen to be utilizing
it is agreengrocer, and it will be readily understoodthat his particular class of delivery calls for a multi
plicity of orders being executed to a scheduled time fixed by the customer. The speed at which the machine covers the ground places it as a serious competitor to the one-horse cart generally used. Quite a number of separate rounds can be maintained with daily deliveries