Combining Rear Lights and Reflectors G OOD rear lighting is more
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desirable on a tipper than on any other type of vehicle, considers Mr. Reeves, of Reeves Transport, Ltd., Clements Road, Birmingham, 24. Masking of the rear light when the body is tipped on the road may be the cause of a serious accident, and the position of the rear light below the body can be deceptive to other road users during normal running.
Although it is now customary to fit reflectors at the rear of a vehicle, Mr. Reeves thinks that these should be combined with additional lights which would act as efficient reflectors in the event of bulb failure.
An Austin 5-ton tipper and a converted Austin 2-3-ton tipper in the Reeves fleet have been fitted with such a lighting system, the normal type of
reflector being employed as the illuminated glass, This is recessed into the wood of the rear body member to obviate damage when material is discharged, and the wood is drilled for the bulb of a side-light holder attached to the rear of the member. The holder is waterproofed by a fuel-filter bowl.
When the body is fully tipped a substantial area of illuminated reflector glass can be seen from the rear and a wide area of red light is deflected on the road. The lights are wired in parallel to the side-light switch circuit.
The use of two-way radio in. the tippers is another Reeves project which will be introduced shortly if contracts warrant the cost of installation; suitable wavelengths for the receivers and transmitters have been approved by the G.P.O. Radio control would enable empty running to be reduced to a minimum.