Service equipment at the Motor Show
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R. D. Cater, AMInstBE, tours the galleries with an eye to equipment
likely to interest the transport man
THE increasing activity of MoT inspectors together with the infroduction of plating regulations and testing stations will all go towards making life h'arder for the fleet engineer in 1968. And tbe continuing difficulty in recruiting satisfact‘ry workshop staff emphasizes the fact tha( only by increasing efficiency can throughput be improved_
For these reasons although most of the equipment at the International Motor Show at Earls Court (which closes ;tomorrow) is directly related to the servieing of cars, much of it would prove useful in commercial vehicle workshops.
As there is no Commercial Motor Show in London this year the transport services equipment section of the car show assumes added importance to transport men who want to see what's new. In fact, there is not, unfortunately. much that is new, but there may be plenty of established items that they know little or nothing about.
New among personal tools are a pair of ratchet wrenches from the Sheffield company of John Bedford and Sons Ltd. These US-made tools—one with a fixed and the other a swivel head—incorporate extremely robust ratchet mechanisms for which easily replaced parts are available. The 60-tooth ratchet which engages a 12-tooth pawl allows a 3deg effective swing to be utilized, very useful on awkward nuts.
A new tool carrier-cum-bench is shown by B. Draper and Son Ltd. along with new Elora socket sets. The tool carrier is manufactured from heavy gauge steel and is collapsible. It is mounted upon heavy duty ball-bearing rubber-tyred wheels and when not in use closes down into a securely locked tool cabinet.
Hydraulic equipment from the Leeds firm of Epco includes a dry-liner extracting press designed for use without first removing engines from chassis. It is part of the cornpany's famous Flexi-force equipment and can be added to existing kit of this type already in use.
Also shown here is the TJ2000 transmission jack which is available with several adapter plates making it suitable for use with numerous transmission units.
A new garage crane is also shown by Epco. Refinements and improvements on the older types include counterbalanced adjustment of the main vertical frame or king post which provides for three positions ranging between 54.5in. and 65in. high.
Big time saver
Among the biggest time savers in a workshop must surely be the more efficient types of extractor. These need not of necessity be extremely expensive to be efficient. J. W. Pickavant is showing numerous low priced extractors most of which incorporate both a small hydraulic ram to load the puller legs and a main adjustment to provide a respectable working range.
Heavy-duty spider type wheel-nut wrenches are shown by Thomas Meldrum Ltd., Sheffield, ranging from lin. A.F. to 1.5in. A.F. All these tools are manufactured in either ..75in. or .875in. diameter high quality fully heat-treated steel.
Much useful equipment is on the stand of Applied Power Industries Inc. (UK) Ltd. (Blackhawk). Among the workshop machinery two new battery chargers incorporate transistorized alternator diode protection, automatic overheat protection, forced air cooling, high-speed dead-battery charging and a number of other features.
Blackhawk also shows a new conception in tyre inflation. This is a unit which carries a sufficient charge of compressed air to service several light vehicle tyres. The carrying handle incorporates a filling valve so that the unit automatically recharges itself when hung up on the compressed air outlet.
A new heavy-duty crash repair kit for use on medium and heavy commercial vehicles and having a pulling capacity of 10 to 20 tons is shown for the first time and this will be of particular interest to those employing some of the more complicated pressed-steel cabs. Hydraulic pullers and extractors are also shown by Applied Power.
Still looking at equipment suitable for body repair, a new triple-purpose oxy-acetylene welding set from ARO Machinery Co. Ltd. must be seen. The welding torch weighing only 18oz complete with mixer and nozzle, is supplied with six different size nozzles for use with metals up to .5in. thick. It can be used either with dissolved acetylene or with acetylene generators. A cutting head provided with the set can be used with oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane.
When thinking in terms of vehicle lifts the Joseph Bradbury and Sons Ltd. stand should hi' visited. Several units are shown-the theme of' them all is that a vehicle can be lifted so as to leave its wheels free to revolve.
Trolley jacks
A comprehensive range of trolley jacks ranging in capacity from 1.5 to 10 tons is displayed, each one incorporating the Rocket Lift mechanism enabling the crutch head to be raised from its lowest position into contact with the load in one stroke of the operating handle.
Increasing use of compressed air tools might make that old compressor, shaking itself to pieces in a dark corner, seem a bit out dated. Bristol Pneumatic Tools Ltd. has on show a number of compressors ranging in capacity from 2.5 cu.ft. up to 60 cu.ft. displacement. All the machines in this range are fitted with the Bristol Dual Control with which the compressor can be set on constant run or fully-automatic operation by means of a single change-over lever.
Of particular interest to operators of diesels, the Churchill smoke monitor shown by V. L. Churchill and Co. Ltd. is a one-man operated unit which is claimed to be extremely simple to read.
An air-powered hydraulic jack from Con solidated Pneumatic Tool Co. is cartmounted, enabling it to be positioned with the least amount of effort. The air supply line can be disconnected while the lifting ram is under load so that the airline is not tied up all the time the jack is in use.
Washing plant
Large operators of small vehicles can find cleaning a frustrating problem. Among the washing plants at Earls Court is the rotary jet Turbo TV6 machine on the stand of Emanuel Garage Equipment Ltd. An attendant operated unit, it will wash up to four vehicles an hour. Other versions of this machine (not exhibited) are automatic in operation and will cope with up to five vehicles an hour.
A new commercial vehicle roller-type brake tester is being shown by Kismet Ltd. for the first time, along with many other pieces of workshop equipment.
In the vehicle recovery field a low-loading drawbar transporter trailer known as the Ern Lake comes from Brockhouse. This unit will carry vehicles up to 2.25 tons in weight, 14ft long and bft wide.
Light recovery equipment powered by the vehicle battery and for mounting on vehicles such as the Ford Transit which are not equipped with gearbox power-take-offs are shown by Dial-Holmes (England) Ltd.
An efficient, sensitive photo-electric tachometer capable of measuring rotational speeds ranging from 500 to 15,000 rpm has been introduced by Crypton Equipment Ltd.
Operation of the Crypton unit is by light reflection from a paint or chalk mark placed on a revolving shaft or wheel. The reflected light triggers the tachometer mechanism. The makers emphasize that this is not a stroboscopic device requiring the operator to use a degree of skill in its operation and they say it is extremely suitable for use with diesel engines having a hunting period at idling speeds.
New Hartridge machines
The diesel injection /servicing equipment company Leslie Hartridge Ltd. has new machines designed for testing every aspect of diesel injection performance. The units, known as injector comparators, are aimed primarily at the American market having been developed for testing the special injection systems made by Cummins and General Motors.
The new devices are claimed to test injectors more quickly than any existing equipment, up to 13 readings a minute being obtained during tests of GM equipment and up to seven readings a minute with Cummins. Readings are taken direct from a dial and the use of graduated glass is dispensed with. Injectors can be tested throughout the full range of operating conditions from idling and low powered speeds up to continuous full power.
A performance and brake tester from Ingersoll-Rand incorporates some advanced ideas which have been developed over a number of years. Among these is its ability to measure engine performance by torque. The company also shows a wide range of its power tools for garage use.
For small workshops, a new battery charger designed to fulfil the quick-charger / battery testing job in these conditions is shown by Pedoka Ltd. It has an electronic feed-back device ensuring safe application to vehicles fitted with alternators. The feed-back prevents excessive current being applied and automatically keeps the voltage at the acceptance level.
Big Stenor range Among the vast range of equipment from Stenor Ltd. a dual-action sanding machine caught my eye. This mechanism has its sanding pad set off centre and revolving independently of the driving head. Because the unit produces a random path of sanding it does not leave swirl marks and as the abrasive grains travel on a non-repeated path it does not generate heat.
From Merlin Engineering, diesel equipment specialists, came three new items of use to commercial vehicle users. They are: a machine designed for Cummins PT fuel systems, incorpotating a heated fuel tank; a hand-operated injector test pump; and a valve-refacing and stem-grinding machine.
A two-plane wheel balancer and an engine analyser are new from Laycock Engineering. The wheel balancer dispenses with the need for a gravitation test, both the planes being arrested in a simple single lever operation which can be completed in under 90sec.
The engine analyser is for use with petrol engines and offers a complete diagnostic capability, utilizing automated testing features.
Purified water for batteries from the town water supply. . . . That's what the Elgacan gives for only Is 4d a gallon. The unit is made and shown by Elgastats Accessories Ltd.
Space heaters
A new range of space heaters marketed under the trade name of Portaheat offers a simple and economic method of heating cold workshops. This range is on the stand of E. P. Barrus (Concessionaires) Ltd. The three models have outputs of 50,000, 75,000 and 120,000 Btu and are paraffin fired. Combustion takes place in a stainlesssteel chamber which ensures long life, and thermostats are available to those wishing to run the heaters unattended.
Keeping a garage floor clean helps attract good staff which in turn increases workshop efficiency. Therefore it is worth examining a new wet or dry pick-up vacuum cleaner which has been introduced by Tellus Super Vacuum Cleaners Ltd.
The Corghi power-operated tyre fitting unit is a new machine being exhibited for the first time at Earls Court by Apaseal Ltd. With a minimum of assistance from the operator, it will mount or demount tyres of up to 18in. diameter. It weighs only 3cwt and is mounted on wheels making it partially portable but it is not for use with detachable rim type wheels.
A tow rope with a breaking strain of 1.8 tons is also shown by Apaseal. This is fitted with dog lead type fasteners and could prove extremely useful when attending a breakdown, say in the fast lane of a motorway.
Another tyre changer is on show at the stand of the Marsham Tyre Co. Ltd. It is American-designed and made by Bishman Manufacturing Co. of Minnesota. This one, too, is not for use on detachable-rim type wheels.