The Smith Forma-Truck.
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An Attachment which Can Transform an Ordinary Ford Car into a One-ton Commercial Vehicle.
A machine which is likely to be of much use at the present time, when the difficulties of obtaining adequate means of motor transport are so great, is one coming from America, and well-known in the States as the Smith Form-a-Truck, made by the Smith Form-a-Truck Co., Chicago. By means of this attachment, an owner of a Ford car can change his car, in two or three hours,, into a one-ton commercial
vehicle, capable, it is stated, of carrying a 50 per cent. overload. Many owners of Ford cars must have frequently desired, in these times, to use their ears for commercial purposes ; by fixing this attachment, pleasure cars which are perforce idle may be transformed into a capable and efficient means of commercial transport. The attachment has been designed so as to combine practie
ability and simplicity with strength and durability, and the success of . the Smith. Form-a-Truck in the States, in many different' .busie nesses, predicts a good future for it here. Arrangements have just been completed for its sale in this country, and a regular delivery is to be expected each month, permits ha,vng been obtained for importa
tion. Specifications.
A good general idea of the attachment can be gained from the accompanying illustration showing the four stages in the transformation of car into lorry. The completed operation gives a coMmercial-motor chassis, ready for any kind of service, and capable of being fitted with van .passengercarrying, collapsable, dump, eaany other kind of body.
The frame of the chassis thus formed has alength of 168 ins., and width of 32 ins., and is constructed of 4-in, channel steel. The axle measures 21 ins. by 1 ins. Two s2mi-ellipticalside springs are fitted, 2 ins. wide. 42 ins, long, each of 12 leaves, together with a bumper cress-spring of 6 leaves, 2 ins. wide. The. wheels are of the heavy 'artillery type, with 12 2 insquare spokes, fitted with solid Firestone rubber tires, 32 ins, by ail, ins. Pneumatics can also be fitted, but at an extra charge. Transmission is by chain dfive, the chains being of the heavy roller type. There is an emergency, brake on the rear wheels, of the expanding type in ,drums operated by a hand lever, and a Ford service brake. •
The loading base measures 9 to 12 ft. back of the seat, depending, of course, on the body fitted. The height of the frame when loaded is 24 ins. The turning radius of the vehicle is 21 ft., the speed 15 miles per hour, and the wheelbase, as attached to the Ford chassis, 125 ins. There is a 66 in. tread from centre td centre of the wheels, but a 60 in. tread is optional. The weight of the Smith Form-a-Truck attachment by itself is 1000 lb. • attached to a Ford chassis, 2000 lb'.
Means of Installing Attachment.
These, briefly, are the principal specifications. The means for. installing the attachment are simple. The Ford car is cbmplotely stripped, 'rear guards, body, splash aprons, running boards, and brackets being removed, but the front 'guards. left. A notch is cut in these large enough to let the attachment frame pass" between the Ford frame and the guards. The rear spring shackles are removed, the differential housing disconnected, and the rear spring taken away, by cutting the supporting riVets. The .Ford rear wheels, the differential housing and differential are then disassembled.
The assembled attachment is then placed in line behind the Ford thus dismantled, and brought over the Ford, with the cross channel of. the 'attachment against the end of the Ford chassis, This is bolted through the lugs and frame near the' dash, and through five holes drilled in front through the Ford frame, the bolt from the steering post being replaced. The rear end of the Ford frame is then riveted to the attachment's cross member.
The cross shaft must now be Connected to the driving shaft, the shaft being swung into place in the hangers, and clamped tight after the distance between sprockets and frame has been adjusted.
The drivingchains are then tensioned, and the Ford brake rods lengthened with extensions furnished with the attachment. With the rear axle jacked up, both brakes can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening these rods. After the running boards, splash aprons, etc., are replaced, the Smith Form-a-Truck chassis is ready for the body. With every attachment a sightfeed oiler is furnished. This. should be installed before the vehicle is used, according to directions provided.
Value to the Ford Owner.
The value of such an attachment to the Ford owner engaged in corn
meree is, of course, obvious, and we understand that its price will be quite reasonable. One sees a number of second-hand Ford cars on the market. and probably many of these could be changed into one-ton commercial vehicles for small traders, who more than others find it'crifficult during the war to obtain' suitable means of keeping' alive and developing their businesses. It might be considered that the Ford chassis could not support any extra weight on the front axle ; the designers claim that the construction is such that there is no more weight On the front axle than with an ordinary Ford body.
Some'of the Users.
Amongst the users of the Smith Form-a-Truck in the States are the well-known names of Armour Co., the Pabst Brewery Co., Nelson, Morris and Co., the Standard Oil Co., the Bell Telephone Co., the Firestone Tire and Rnbber Co., Carson, Pink, Scott and Co., and the United States Army, so it may safely be ,concluded that it is a workable sproposition.
We understand that the first of these machines to be fitted can' now beseen and demonstratedanyone interested, and that all prticulars" Aan be obtained from Mr. C. P. Elliott, the Savoy Hotel, LoRdon, S.W.