BODY MARKET BUOYA
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THE typical Scottish operator is eager to exploit innovations, if the cost is reasonable, and his reaction to the ebullient market is demonstrated by the confidence of bodybuilders at Kelvin Hall this year. Although none of the displays exemplifies new design principles, they match the increased tempo of industrial development in important details.
The relative claims for aluminium and plastics construction have been of major interest at national exhibitions in recent years, and this applies to an increased extent to bodywork displays at the Scottish Show. Judging by three notable examples, it is evident that advances in colour impregnation have given plastics a firm status as a material suitable for flat panels without painting. In each case, panels are combined with roofs' of the same material and are based on light-alloy framework. It is probable that this indicates a trend which will be perpetuated. It disposes of the former concept that the use of plastics is economic only for sections of complicated shape.
The total weight of light alloy employed for bodywork at Kelvin Hall probably exceeds the average for post-war exhibitions, whilst plastic roofs and high-top extensions are common to the majority of special types to which they are applicable.
Vehicles shown by A. C. Penman, Ltd., Dumfries, offer diverse interest in that one of the exhibits is a plasticspanelled baker's shop and the other a light-alloy livestock container with a novel type of upperdeck loading ramp. The container is designed for one-man unloading with the aid of transverse poles and a permanent twin-rail structure, examples of which have been shown by the company at all post-war Scottish Shows. Interest in the system has lately been fostered by its application to industrial traffic.
The easy loading facilities are of special interest because of the public's anxiety for the welfare of animals being transported by road. The upper deck has channel sections for fluid drainage, which eliminate leakage on to animals carried on the lower deck. Rails are extended rearwards from the storage compartment below
the roof, and are ramped in such a way that the complete deck can be slid on the rails in the reverse direction to the Upper storage position.
An additional two-part section of the second deck is attached to the extreme end of the main floor to enable the deck to be loaded to capacity with sheep or pigs from the secondary ramp formed by the extension. This is mounted at a _relatively small angle compared with the short ramp which, in a conventional vehicle, comprises a single section of the floor. Moreover, it obviates the need to load each animal individually by hand to fill the rear section.
The container is braced by angle-iron verticals and transverse members above the roof, but its weight compares favourably with that of a conventional structure.
Mounted on an Austin 30-cwt. chassis, the travelling
shop is finished in two colours without painting, and the colour impregnation is comparable to a first-class paint finish. The plastics roof is "semi-impregnated" and has a light blue tint, Constructed •mainly of light-alloy angle sections, reinforced with timber inserts, the body is designed to give access to the shop through two glazed rear doors on each side of a central glazed section.
Notable interior fittings include a sliding 'counter mounted on rails between the two side-racks. A full-width shelf above the driver's compartmentis cut away in the centre to give easy access to the gangway.
Another example of combining aluminium framework with fully-finished impregnated plastics panels and fullwidth plastics roof is shown by a baker's delivery van mounted on an Albion Claymore 4-ton chassis with an underfloor oil engine. This is exhibited by Albion Motors, Ltd., Glasgow, W.4.
The Alexander body provides four longitudinal tray racks to the rear of a compartment with roller shutters on both sides and transverse rails for broadside tray loading. Aluminium frame members are mainly of channel section and the central uprights are braced at the rear by a vertical plate shaped in the form of a wide . channel member.
A mobile shop displayed by the Croft Bodybuilding and B 1 Engineering Co., Ltd., Gallowgate, Glasgow, Ni, affords the opportunity to compare the finish of colourimpregnated panels with the paintwork of the aluminium canopy over the driver's compartment. The cream finish
' of the canopy blends with the cream impregnation of the panels, and it is impossible to distinguish between the two. This body also has a plastics roof and lightalloyframing, and is mounted on a Thames 30-cwt. chassis. The panels provide a two-colour finish.
Exploiting the advantages of plastics construction to the full by employing a shape that affords maximum strength and a good appearance is an obvious line of development that has been overlooked by some bodybuilders. A good example of this practice is to be found in the form of a roof extension, evolved by the Martin Walter company, for a Bedford Utilibus 12-seater based on a 15-cwt CAL chassis with an 8-ft. 6-in. wheelbase.
This is shown by Watson Bros, (Airdrie), Ltd., Airdrie.
Moulded-in longitudinal ribs are combined with the coving which blends attractively into the standard_body sides.
Leyland Motors, Ltd., Leyland, Lanes, display a Leyland Comet forwardcontrol chassis with a 21-ft, platform body and a Hornalloy demountable
container. There are lifting hooks for removal of the container, by a hoist. The body will be employed by the operator for the transport of domestic appliances on two decks, the second deck being mounted in sections on angle-iron runners. This traffic is, however, • seasonal and in slack periods the 'container will be removed to allow the vehicle to be used as a platform type.
The body structure is of particular interest because a simple layout is used to give ample support to the heavy load on the pillar sections, and to afford sufficient flexibility to eliminate high stress concentrations. The roof is of plastics.
Lipped channel-section members of robust proportions are employed for the four main pillars, and the central longitudinal is of top-hat section. This type of section is also used for eight of the roof sticks, and the remaining two roof sticks are of channel section. Flanged gussets of aluminium plate are employed to strengthen the joints between the uprights and roof sticks, and the structure is assembled with solid rivets and special bolts with self-locking nuts.
Other types of light-alloy structure represent a relatively large percentage of the remaining nonstandard exhibits and include tipper, pantechnicon and platform bodies. The aluminium tipper body shown by Taggarts (Motherwell), Ltd., Motherwell, is one of a number mounted on Austin 7-ton reinforced forward-control chassis for the transport of coke and "other abrasive materials. Bodies are supplied by Alex Cummings and Son and are mounted on light-alloy 6-in. by 3-in. longitudinals.
There are full-length aluminium plates for the 4-ft. sides. Ferrule-type rivets supplied by the Aviation Rivet Co., Ltd., were used in the assembly. A small number of bolts with self-locking nuts was also employed.
A bulk van body of 1,800-cu.-ft. capacity, constructed of light alloy, is exhibited by John Gibson and Son, Ltd., Jameson Place, Edinburgh, 6. It is mounted on a Leyland Comet C.S.3/3R chassis with an Eaton two-speed axle. •Aluminium construction has not been applied by this company to a pantechnicon body for a number of years. In this case it was specified by the operator to reduce the unladen weight of the vehicle to below 4+ tons.
Top-hat body sections are used throughout the structure, which is assembled with solid rivets. Following Gibson's normal practice, the sides are braced by diagonals of hard' alloy to save weight.
An unusual accessory is a Rotaflare fog light produced by Harold Radford,Ltd. This incorporates a cable-controlled swivelling globe-and-reflector unit to provide exact location of the beam.
Although the platform body shown by Claud Hamilton ;Aberdeen), Ltd., Union Street, Aberdeen, on a Karrier Gamecock 3-4-ton chassis, has flooring of +-in. welded steel chequer plate, it is of interest to users requiring aluminium bodies because vehicles with light-alloy chequer.plate are also supplied by .the company. The body displayed was produced for a haulier of fish offal to provide a seal against leakage of odorous and acidic liquid on to the chassis and road.
Floor, plates are welded together and to the side rails, and the platform is mounted direct on to low-height timber bearers. Dimensions of the bearers are small because of the strength of the tread plate.
Despite the fact that lightness is not highly critical for singledeckers, an Alexander light-alloy dual-purpose coach body is attracting attention. It is a 41-seater shown by A.E.C., Ltd., Southall, based on a Reliance underfioor-engined chassis.
An automatic tailboard lifting system is being demonstrated by G. E. Neville and Son, Ltd., Mansfield, Notts. It was developed to give a uniform closing pressure along the full length of the tailboard and to eliminate damage and distortion in the event of hard pieces of material being lodged between the mating surfaces. '
External side levers are connected to brackets on the tailbOard and a transverse shaft carrying multiple clamping arms, The shaft is linked to two spring-loaded rockers attached to the vehicle frame below the body. Tipping the body causes the clamping-arm shaft to rotate, and this exerts a thrust on the external levers, thus raising the tailboard to a position approaching the horizontal.' When the body is lowered on to the chassis, two heavy-duty coil springs create a clamping-arm pressure of some 1,000 lb. per sq. in.
Shown by the S.M.T. Sales and Service Co., Ltd., Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, 3, a Pilot, dumper body is mounted on a Bedford 7-ton short-wheelbase chassis to conform to the requirements of operators employed upon road building projects. A Pilot triple-extension single-rani lifting gear provides a tipping angle of 55 degrees, from which the body is returned under power. The ram is Mounted on a bracket inside the chassis frame, which is reinforced with flitch plates. The engine sump has a stone guard. A Bedford two-speed rear axk gives eight gear ratios. Top speed of the vehicle is 55 m.p.h..
The chassis is' equipped with a Tecalernit ACL automatic lubrication system, and this is also of importance to the operation of the body. Evolved in conjunction with the equipment makers, additional nylon extension pipes have been included, in the circuit to lubricate the hinge pins.
Only representative of a power-discharge bulk vehicle at the Show, a bulk-cement tanker, is displayed by James Bowen and Sons, Ltd., Pitt Street, Edinburgh. It is based on a Dodge 7-ton short-wheelbase' tipper chassis. The container is a Bonallack light-alloy detachable type with a capacity of 235 Cu. ft., and the material is discharged pneumatically by a Wellworthy-Ricardo blower, belt-driven from the power takeoff.
An operating pressure of 12 p.s.i, gives a discharge rate of 20 tons an hour when the powder is being lifted to a .60-ft. silo. Experiments with loads of flour have shown that a discharge rate of 10 tons an hour can be obtained with a lift of 45 ft. at the end of a 90-ft. horizontal pipe.
Bulk loading of a different type is offered by the•Northern Counties 74-seat double-deck bus body, shown by Transport Vehicles (Daimler), Ltd., Coventry. Based on a Daimler CSG. 6-30 double-decker chassis, the body accommodates 41 passengers on the top deck and 33 on the bottom. Of all-steel construction, the body weighs about 3 'tons and gives an unladen weight of 8 tons 2 cwt.
Apart from the bench seats mounted over the wheel arches, all the seats face forward. The power-operated 4-fi door of the forward entrance allows easy loading of passengers to the lower deck and the stairway at the same time. Stabilizing the head and tailboards of a platform vehicle to prevent damage under-the thrust of a heavy load is a difficult problem to solve without incurring a weight or space penalty.
A simple method of bracing the boards is shown by Transport Equipment (Thornycroft), Ltd., Glasgow, C.3. The vehicle is a Mastiff maximum-load four-wheeler equipped with a 19-ft. body and standard cab.
Suitable for accommodating many types of concentrated load without obstruction, the bracing members comprise strain chains attached to a high point on the board and to a bracket on the chassis below the floor, a suitable slot in the platform being provided. The chains can, be tensioned by a turnbuckle or slackened off by the same means for removal.
One of the most attractive vehicles at the Show is a Karrier forward-control 3-ton chassis on which is mounted a special body designed to facilitate the loading of sugar bags from shoulder height. The vehicle is exhibited by James Ross and Sons (Motors), Ltd.. Edinburgh, 3. The waisted sides have functional as well as a decorative purpose. They are shape to accommodate the driver's back during loading to a dec height that is some 9 in. higher than is required for whet clearance. This has been found to be the most convenier height for the average driver. The Scottish Automobile Co., Ltd., Wallace Street, Stirlim also exhibit 'a vehicle with unusual features. The chassis is Karrier Bantam 2-3-tonner on which is fitted a fixed-top oper sided body built by the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Societ for the carriage of mineral water and meat. Ample weathe protection is provided with the minimum addition of weigh by rail-mounted canvas curtains.
When the vehicle is used for deliveries of meat, cleanliner of the driver's handsis essential and washing facilities ar afforded by an insulated hot-water tank housed in a closed-i compartment under the platform.