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SOME COMMERCIAL MOTOR BODIES.

26th December 1922
Page 30
Page 30, 26th December 1922 — SOME COMMERCIAL MOTOR BODIES.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A Resume of Recently Published Patents.

AN INGENIOUS and novel solution of the convertible body problem is afforded in patent specification No. 110,486, in which H. T.. Baker describes a convertible •motorcar and delivery van.

A false floor is.fitted,to the van, resting on the top of the main platform. It is split longitudinally along the middle, and hinged at the outer edges so as to fold vertically and rest against the sides of the van .or car bo.dy, which are of such a height that when the halves of the false floor are folded against them the edges of that floor come flush with the tops of the body. CollaPsable seats are secured to the false floor, and the car sides are bulbous and hollow, so that when the seats are folded flat, and the false floor lifted, the seats disappear into the interior of the car sides.

The rear wall of the car is also_ bulbous, to match the sides. It folds outwardly and downwardly when the vehicle is in use as a van, side doors being fitted for use when passengers are being carried. The operation of folding the false floor against the wall of the car naturally closes the side enteanee.

It will be observed that the bulboussided body can be designed so that the vehicle is quite presentable, externally, as a touring car_ Moreover,-the arrangement of the false folding floor and disappearing seats absolutely prevents them from being soiled by the goods carried by the vehicle when it is in use as a van.

In a modification, it is suggested that the false. floor might be divided laterally as well as longitudinally, and -the car used for the dual purpose of goods and passenger carrying, accommodation being provided for from one to .six passengers by the simple expedient of lowering one or mo...e quarters of the false floor.

A Body with Detachable Trays.

The invention ivhith is described in No. 188,535, by S. Jones and Sons, Ltd., refers more particularly, in its application, to that type of light van which is used for house-to-house delivery of con fectionery and similar comestibles. It can, however, be adopted in connection with any type of vehicle in which a number of detachable trays are required to be carried.

It has been a fault, the inventor says, v. ith previous designs of open-sided vehicles of this type, that the trays arc. liable to be dislodged, or even thrown out upon the roadway, as the result of vibration. In this particular design the racks upon which the trays rest are not horizontal, but incline from the centre to the sides of the van. The trays may he led in from either side, two of them being long enough to stretch right across the vehicle. The sides of such vane are usually closed by curtains, and reference is made in this specification -to the means for supporting the curtains and for securing them in the closed position.

A Lorry for Transporting Horse-drawn Vehicles.

Specification No. 188,435, by J. C. Benner, of America, describes a. method of transporting horse-drawn vehicles, from one railway terminus to another, by means of a specially designed motor lorry. As the horse-drawn vehicles have to be made with wheel tracks and wheel mountings of a. particular type in order that. they may be used in conjunct;on with this special motor vehicle, it, does not seem that the invention is of much practical use in this country, wherein it would generally pay to transport goods direct from door to door. The construction, however, has its uses in countries where railway journeys of upwards of a thousand miles are common, and the specification may be of interest to those who are from time to time concerned with transport in the Colonies.

The motor chassis carries inverted channels, which are arrarived quite close to the ground, and which receive the wheels of the vehicle which has to be transported. A hinged extension of

each channel may be let down to form a ramp up which the said vehicle may run, and the motor chassis is equipped with engine-driven hauling gear by which the transported .chassis may be pulled on to or off its supports. Automatically operated clutches disengage the hauling mechanism so soon as the carried vehicle is completely on or off the motor chassis.

A Symmetrical Piston.

The objective of T. B. Murray, D.Sc., in designing the piston which is described by him in No. 188,657, has been to make it symmetrical, or substantially so, about all diameters in the zone of the greatest heat., so that distortion due to variation Of temperature may be avoided. A special feature is the design of the bosses for the •gudgeon pin, and the interior of the piston. is so arranged that its inner surface may be machined.

Other Patents of Interest.

The International Motor Co. eliminate the need for metallic connection between road springs and chassis, and the consequent necessity far lubrication, by sup. porting the ends of the springs in rubber blocks which ace carried within brackets mounted on the frame members of the chassis. It is claimed in specification No. 188,529 that this construction also presents other advantages in that it is leas noisy than shackles and bolts, and is less in first and maintenance costs.

P. A. Poppe, and White and Poppe, Ltd., are concerned, in No. 188,426, with the driving mechanism of mowers, rollers, or tractors, in which the main driving road wheel comprises three rollers mounted side by side and co axially, the centre one being that which actually does the driving.

The Timken-Detroit Axle Co. describe, in specification No. 188,365, a modified fo:m of gear for an expanding brake. Instead of the familiar palm-ended expander or cam, the toggle principle is ,used. The two ends of the brake band are connected by a joint of this description, having an elbow which is offset outwardly from its points of connection with the brake band, whereby the force transmitted by the toggle le applied to the ends of the brake band in directions substantially parallel with tangents to the brake drum at the ends of the band. It is claimed that this arrangement permits of more effective braking for the same effort.

An ingenious and simple tool for use when removing piston rings is described by D. A. Rogers in No. 188,569.

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People: T. B. Murray

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