A TRAILER VAN FOR SIDECAR OUTFITS.
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A Large-capacity Outfit for Use with Motorcycle Combinations.
,TANY traders are proving the worth of the sidecar delivery outfit, but, owing to circumstances of design, the bodywork which can be mounted on a sidecar chassis is strictly limited, not so much on the score of carrying capacity; but rather as regards limitations of size, which introduce difficulties when it is dee-2ed to accommodate bulky loa.is.
Rudge-Whitworth, Ltd., Coventry, have decided to market a light twowheeled trailer van which can be towed by an ordinary sidecar outfit. The carrying capacity of the van is 10 cwt., and its dimensions are as follow :----Body length outside, 7 ft. overall ; width, 5 ft. 2 ins.; height to Centre of roof, 4 ft. 7 ins.; inside width, 4 ft. 10 ins.
Dealing with the body first, this has a boarded floor and the framework consists of woo ien uprights braced, where necessary, with metal angle plates. The panelling is carried out in three-ply • and the roof has an additional covering of canvas. Thero is a rail round the waistline of the body, and there are two doors at the rea: which open to the full width. The wheels run in arches, but these do not largely interfere with the available loading space, the extent of which can be gauged from the fact that eight cycles can easily be carried. The chassis is shaped like a " wishbone," the front end being clamped to the flat sidecar axle of the nudgeWhitworth tradesman's outfit ; a square-section axle is used, and the body is carried on three semi-elliptic springs, that at the front being mounted transversely. The wheels of the van are interchangeable• with the three on the \sidecar outfit, and flat rim brakes an the van wheels are coupled direct to the pedal on the motorcycle, thus giving four-wheel braking.
The price of the sidecar outfit and
van is £105, plus a temporary increase of 5s. per tyre ; the van alone costs £40. it is interesting to note that the tax is only £4 and the usual addition to the insurance premium is in the neighbourhood of £1. The sidecar and van can turn in the complete length ,of the outfit, and running costs should, of course, be extremely low for the load capacity.
The nudge-Whitworth motorcycle is of 400 c.c. and has a four-valve engine and a four-speed gearbox with a topgear ratio of 6 to 1, which should prove ample for towing the trailer van in hilly districts. The van is supplied with one coat of paint, so that it can be finished according to the individual customer's choice.