Light 3-4-tonner Added to the T.S.M. Range
Page 63
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FOLLOWING the recent introduction by T.S. Motors, Ltd., Maidstone, of its New Express passenger chassis, a road-test report of which appears elsewhere in this issue, a new goods chas
sis is new announced. This is the T.S.M. Merlin 3-4-tonner. It is built mainly of proprietary units, having a Hercules engine, Warner gearbox and Timken axles, the frame being assembled in the company's works from standard parts.
Weighing, as a chassis, 1 ton 15' cwt., the machine, with a cab and lorry body, comes within the 50-cwt, limit by a comfortable margin, whilst, despite its low price of £.325, it incorporates many attractive features.
As is seen from an accompanying illustration, the Merlin has normal control. A body space, however, of 12 ft. is afforded, the wheelbase and overall length being 14 ft. and 20 ft. 1 in. respectively.
The Hercules six-cylindered petrol engine has bore and stroke of 31 ins. (85.72 mm.) and 41 ins. (107.95 mm.), giving a swept volume of 228 cubic ins. (3.736 litres). Rated at 27.34 h.p., it develops 63 b.h.p. at 2,600 r.p.m., and exerts a maximum torque of 149 lb.-ft.
at 1,000 r.p.m. It has a balanced crankshaft mounted in seven bearings, and molybdenum inserted valve seats, whilst it is supported at three points on rubber.
A Borg and Beck 10-in, clutch, incorporating a vibration damper, trans
mits the drive to the Warner fourspeed gearbox, behind which is a contracting-band hand brake. Thence a tubular propeller shaft, embodying needle-roller joints, carries it to the spiral-bevel axle, which has fully floating shafts. Disc-type wheels are used,
shod with 32-in. by 6-in, high-pressure tyres—twins at the rear. For the footbrake system, Lockheed hydraulic brakes acting on all four wheels are employed.
Pressed-steel tapering channel-section members, having a maximum depth of 84 ins., form the frame longitudinals; these are sturdily braced, the main cross-Member being of the alligatorjaw type. Rigidity and distribution of stressing are ensured by generous hitch ing. Semi-elliptic 24-in.-wide springs support the load, those at the front being 38 ins, long and the length at the rear being 50 ins. All spring eyes are rubber-bushed, there being "builtin " helper springs at the rear.
The petrol tank has a capacity of 21 gallons, a down-draught carburetter is employed, and the equipment includes a dashboard-mounted enginetemperature indicator.