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The Frain Electric for Municipalities.

26th February 1914
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Page 7, 26th February 1914 — The Frain Electric for Municipalities.
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One Hundred of these Front-driven Battery Vehicles Will Shortly Be in Commission by the Paris Municipal Authorities.

Electric haulage, as typified in the industrial-motor vehicle, has, we feel sure, no better scope for expansion than in the field of municipal engineering. With the central power station at his disposal, and the services of the electrical engineer at hand when necessary, the city or borough engineer is admittedly in the unique position of being able to take any peculiar advantage which this means of pro pulsion affords. On the Continent here is much continued progress in the matter of electrically-propelled machines, and we are now, with frequency, being apprised either of some new form of construction or of a recognized builder's latest delivery.

The present article affords a description of a type of electric ve hicle which is finding a considerable amount of favour with French municipal authorities. It is a Frain front-diiven.battery machine, built for the purpose of garbage collection, an example of which we have now had the opportunity of _ examining in London.

The sole concessionnaire in the United Kingdom and the Colonies for this French production is Mr. Conway Jenkins, 175, Piccadilly, W. We were recently invited by Mr. C. Barber, A . M. I. C.F., who is manager of the concern's municipal business department, to take a trial run on the machine, and carefully to inspect it. Before proceeding to the vehicle, which wa-s being garaged at the Marylebone power station, we were enabled to examine, at the offices in Piccadilly, an album of very interesting photographs showing various deliveries in France of 1 ram machines ; we reproduce two of them on the next page. Our query to Mr. Barber, when we first saw the machine in the distance awaiting our arrival, was: " Evidently built for hard work "Yes, T think so, and, notwithstanding its substantial construction, you will see how very easy it is to control and manceuvre. Do you know, although we have not had the wagon here any considerable length of time, I have had several municipal engineers come to examine it who, on their arrival, were somewhat prejudiced against electric vehicles, but, I am pleased to say, their comments were very favourable upon departure."

We were afterwards enabled to find out the paces of the machine for ourselves and were very well satisfied.

The power unit consists of two independent and wholly-enclosed motors situated near the inside hub of each. front wheel ; the armatures are shunt and series wound, giving a compound winding, and each motor is capable of developing 6.5 electrical h.p. The motors are suspended on strong coil springs, the driving shafts being mounted on ball bearings; accurate alignment is assured by well-designed housing brackets.

A portion of the battery is situated directly over the front axle, whilst there is another set of cells disposed underneath the driver's seat. There are 44 cells altogether ; the voltage is S8Each cell can readily be taken out, and is mounted on runners for this particular purpose. The battery is the Tudor lead-plate type, and we are informed that the whole of the equipment is capable of affording 100 per cent, overload for a reasonable length of time. It gives 60 amps. for five hours and 30 amps. for one hour, the total capacity being 330 amp. hours.

Each motor acts independently of the other, and a special feature of the Frani system is that, when the machine is negotiating a turning, additional contact is automatically made on those batteries located on the outside turning circle, so that the motor connected up thereto is speeded up, which affords the necessary differential movement of

the road wheels. The drive to the front road wheels is by the conve-ntional type of internal-toothed rings bolted to a very ,substantial form of built-up wood wheels. Outside this ring is located the brake drum, and on measurement it was found to be no less than 234ins, in diameter.

The control is very simple indeed, as we ourselves found out from actual experience ; there is one nand lever for controlling the motors, situated at the driver's hft hand ; the other control mechanism consists of the ordinary type of hand-brake lever for effecting the rear-wheel brakes and a pedal for actuating the foot brake. All four road wheels get braking effect by means of rings of segmental blocks of hard wood which face on. cast-iron drums. The steering was notably smooth ; the forecarriage is centrally pivoted, and, with the 45 degrees lock of which the front wheels are capable, enabled the machine to be steered into by-streets with the greatest amount of ease. The steering itself is effected by worm and phosphor-bronze crown wheel, the gear being suitably enclosed. A point to which we should give particular mention is that when the machine is running down hill the motors act as generators, thereby affording a restoring of electrical energy to the cells. This takes place automatically and independently of any attention on the part of the driver. Five forward and one reverse speeds are provided, the bottom speed being 14 m.p.h., whilst the top is 12 m.p.h. The reversMg is effected by the beforementioned hand lever situated at the left-hand side. of the driver.

The turning circle was found to be 33 ft., so that it will be understood that the machine can readily negotiate comparatively short radii and sharp turnings into gateways. The construction of the forecarriage constituting a self-contained unit permits of any type of rear chassis being provided, and in the matter of tank bodies some of the authorities have specified a low type of chassis which necessitates a considerable down sweep of the main-frame girders, and others of a straight or lorry type, in which it has not been necessary to bend the channels used in the chassis construction.

The rear axle is of ample section, the depth being 3.'2 ins. by 14 ins. wide. The ground clearance is 34 ins, at the lowest points. Stoutlybuilt wood wheels are a. noticeable' feature oii the machine, twin solid rubber tires being fitted fore a.nil aft. Should it be specified, however, steel tires can be fitted to the tear wheels. The tire dimensions on this particular model are 900 mm. by 120 mm. This machine is to the order of the Paris municipal authorities, but those for use in England will have tires of 900 mm. by 160 mm. The front wheels are mounted on ball bearings, whilst those on the rear run on phosphor-bronze bushes of exceptional length and diameter.

_ The weight of the complete chassis, with the two motors, is 3 tons 12 cwt. The capacity of the body of the venicle which we illustrate is 154 cubic yards, and the

machine will accommodate a load of five to six tons. Special mention should be made of the refuse-collecting body usually fitted; the division of the sliding cover is but 4 ft. 8 ins, from the ground, so as to enable a. man to pitch garbage into the body direct from his shoulder.

Altogether our initial favourable comments on the machine were fully borne out after the examination and a short trial run. Of course, it should be understood that any type of body can be fitted to suit particular retwirements to lifting the body and distributing the refine. Some machines are built so that the body can be completely taken off, whilst others are fitted with a hand tipping device.

It will no doubt be recalled that we commented in our issue dated 18th December, 1913, upon the adoption of Frain machines by the Paris municipal authorities. An order was first placed for 50, and we understand they are giving such satisfaction that an order for a further' 50 machines has followed.

The Timm concern also constructs electrically-propelled industrial models of 30 cwt. and twoton capacities respectively.


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