Commercial-motor Exhibits at the B.I.F.
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ir ANY of the exhibits at the Castle .1Y1Bromwich section of the British Industries Fair are of interest to commercial-motor users. These range from. accessories to complete vehicles. Reliance Trucks, Ltd., of Vale Works, Heckmoudwike, Yorks, is showing a range of petrol-driven trucks particularly suitable for factory use. These include platform trucks and trailers, a steel-bodied tipper, a mechanical sweeper and sprayer with a 120-gallon tank, and a high-chassis truck with hand-operated tipping body. Besides the chassis with a 3i h.p. two-stroke engine, there is a new model with a 6 h.p. four-stroke engine.
The Raleigh Cycle Co., Ltd., Nottingham, has on view a full range of its three-wheelers, including the van and the lorry type. These now have wheel steering with a pinion reduction gear, and the fork blades are of pressed steel instead of tubular construction. Full details are given elsewhere in this issue.
The open-truck type of Samson Handyvan, made by the James Cycle Co., Ltd., Greet, Birmingham, is proving very popular. There is now a metal shield in front of the engine crankcase, and recent improvements to the van body include wooden doors, gussets to stiffen the body laterally, and rubber buffers on to which the doors n22 close. The equipment is now rather more complete than in the past.
The Fora Motor Co., Ltd., has a large stand on which are included examples of the 5-cwt. van and the industrial and agricultural tractors. E. Boydell and Co., Ltd., of Manchester, has various adaptations of the Fordson tractor, chiefly of interest to contractors, and is responsible for a six-wheeler conversion set with fourwheel drive, also a forward-control conversion and an engine governor, all of which are suitable for such chassis as the Ford, Bedford or Commer.
Nearby the Transport Engineering Co., Ltd., Old Kent Road, London, S.E.1, is demonstrating a truck with a moving floor made of steel sections and operated by the engine. This can be fitted to any chassis and has several interesting and practical features. Shelvoke and Drewry, Ltd., is, of course, showing several examples of the well-known range of S.D. Freighter vehicles, whilst Metal Sections, Ltd., exhibits examples of its all-metal body construction, as well as a high-tensile steel fireman's ladder which has obvious advantages over the ordinary wooden type. Edwards Bros. (Tippers), Ltd., Bolton, has on view an example of the Edbro hand-operated hydraulic tipping gear, and B. H. Pottier and Co., Brearley Street, Birmingham, shows a wide variety of high-grade wheel studs and other replacements, including some parts of most intricate design.
W. P. Butterfield, Ltd., of Shipley, includes photographs of several tankers amongst the examples of its products. The British Unit Heater Co., which is associated with Serck Radiators, Ltd., shows the Copperad unit heater, which appears to be particularly suitable for garage heating, in that it improves temperature control, saves fuel, and is compact A unit weighing 55 lb is said to equal in effect 9 cwt. of cast-iron radiators.
A device which might save its cost in tines is the Avery wheel weigher. The platform of this compact weighbridge stands only 3 ins, above ground level and is provided with ramps. As each wheel of the vehicle is passed over the platform the weight is clearly indicated to the nearest hundredweight.
Another exhibit of some interest to all road users is the Cardiff graduated Triplicate traffic signal. Instead of single red, amber and green lights, there are three red and three green in horizontal rows with the usual amber between them. At first all three reds are alight ; half-way through the interval one red goes out. Later a second red disappears, and finally the third is extinguished. A similar arrangement governs the green lights.