Diamond-T Introduces an Oiler
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A 4-tonner, with Hercules Oil Engine and Eight Speeds, Added to Range of Moderate-capacity Chassis, Marketed in this Country
WE are able to announce this week that yet another oiler is taking its place on the British market. Messrs. Diamond-T Motors, 414, London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, are now offering, in addition to the range of 3, 34 and 4-5-ton petrol chassis they have hitherto handled, a 4-5tonner powered by a Hercules six-qlindered 4.26litre compression-ignition engine, and having a four-speed gearbox and two-speed rear axle.
The machine is built as an oiler, that is, it is not a petrol chassis modified for the heavier power unit, although, in general layout, it closely re
sembles the petrol models. Among the differences may be named larger back and front axles, a more substantial gearbox, -sturdier steering gear and stiffer springs. •
Rated at 29.4 h.p., the engine has a bore and stroke of
ins. (88.9 trim.) and 4iins. (114.3 mm.), giving a capacity of 260 cubic ins. (4.26 litres). It is of the precombustion-chamber type and develops 70 b.h p. at 2,600 r.p.m.,••the maximum torque exerted being 178 lb.-ft. at 1,450 r.p.m. Heater plugs are not fitted as standard,-but provision is made for their incluSion, -should it be intended to operate the vehicle in an exceptionally cold climate.
Bosch injection equipment is employed, the nozzles being of the pintle type, and an interesting point is that the fuel transfer pump is built integrally with the injection pump. Among the other auxiliaries are a Bendix exhauster and a Purolator fuel filter. An unusual item of equipment is a dashboard gauge which indicates the viscosity of the lubricating oil.
Four 6-volt accumulators are included in the specification, these being connected in series for starting and in parallel pairs for the 12-volt lighting circuit.
In our presence, this week, the power unit was started up, firing almost immediately. It runs reasonably quietly, and the exhaust, while ticking over and manceuvring the vehicle, was in the form of a slight bluish haze. These observations, however, are of little significance, as the vehicle had only just been assembled and no adjustments or tuning operations had been carried out.
With regard to the remainder of the chassis, the, twospeed axle affords ratios of 8.1 and 5.8 to 1, and is controlled by a hand lever on the driver's right which actuates the gear through a long rod, coupled .to a cross-shaft, the final movement being transmitted by a flexible, encased cable. Between the axle and unit-mounted gearbox, there is a two-piece propeller shaft, incorporating three Hardy-Spicer universal joints, and immediately behind the gearbox is a disc-type transmission brake.
The brakes on the four wheels are operated through the Lockheed hydraulic system by a Bendix vacuum-servo cylinder, a storage tank being included in the layout. Weighing 2 tons 12 cwt., this Diamond-.T 4-5-ton chassis costs L850.The latter figure is seen to be rather on the high side, when compared with similar British products, but, obviously, no true comparison of value can be made until performance figures become available.