Argylls, London, Limited.
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Principal Exhibits :-15-cwt., 10-12h.p. Sample Carrier; One-ton, Two-cylinder, Delivery Van; Two-ton, Box Van; Two-ton, Hooded Van; Two-ton, 18-seated, 20h.p. Char.a.bancs; 14=16h.p. Station Brougham; 12-14h.p. Two-seated Cab.
Argyll commercial vehicles are shown in great variety on these two stands, and this make furnishes another instance of manufacturers turning their serious attention to the production of a cheaper form of petrol-driven chassis to carry medium. weights. The notable successes of the larger vehicles, fitted with two-cylinder engines, in the recent R.A.C. Trials, has undoubtedly already had its effect on designs for machines of this capacity.
The new type of one-ton chassis, shown on the London stand, illustrates quite well the latest characteristics of Argyll practice in the construction of utility vehicles. A 1511.p., two-cylinder engine is fitted, which has a bore of toomm., and a piston stroke of t4omm. Carburetter, ignition, and cooling arrangements are of the standard Argyll type, and require no further description here. The clutch is of the latest Argyll pattern, composed of multiple metal discs running in oil, and is carried inside the flywheel, where it is rendered oil-tight and dust-proof. The gearbox, which gives speeds of 4, 8, and 15 m.p.h., is of the standard Govan patent type, and the changes of gear are effected through a gate by the hand lever.
Argyll's are now standardising their worm-gear-driven back axle, for the heavier types of commercial vehicles. The worm wheel is of phosphor-bronze, and the worm of hardened steel. Mounted on the tubes of the back axle are the spring pads, which are free to move, so allowing the whole axle to articulate easily about the central radius rods, without imposing undue strains on the frame through the springs. Internal-expanding brakes, of simple construction, arc carried on the hind wheels. We understand that the maker advises that these be kept well lubricated, to ensure easy applicalion and release. The hind springs, which are of generous proportions, take the weight through slides, instead of the more usual spring horns and links.
At present this company is not marketing anything of over a two-ton load capacity. The price of the two-cylinder, one-ton machine is ,4;360 for the chassis. Duplicates of the example shown on the stands have already been delivered to : Messrs. The Bradford Dyers; The Four Brothers of Redbourn ; and
several others. Those responsible for the commercial vehicle department of the Argyll organisation claim that the combination of the Govan speed gear, with direct top speed, the latest form of multiple-disc clutch, and the final worm-gear drive, renders the transmission highly efficient, flexible, and very nearly fool-proof. An undoubted ad vantage accruing from the employment of a final worm drive is the op
portunity it yields for embodying a direct drive on the top speed of these comparatively slow machines, it being
possible, of course, to secure sufficient reduction for this speed on the Worm gear alone. The efficiency of such a top speed, which has most of the work to do, must be very high indeed.
The two-ton machine possesses the same main features ; the worm-drive, however, is of more substantial propor tions, and the engine is a four-cylinder Aster, rated as 16-2oh.p. by the Argyll people. A considerable number of these heavier machines have been delivered, one of the latest going to Macfarlane, Lang and Company, the well-known biscuit makers.
A machine which considerably adds to the spectacular effect of the whole exhibit is the 4oh.p. fire tender, which has been constructed by the . Argyll Company to the requirements of one of the leading fire-brigade chiefs in the Kingdom. The engine is an Argyll 4oh.p., and the chassis details are the same as those of the two-ton machine already mentioned. The many other ex libits on these two stands comprise txamples of the 15-cwt. van, suitable or light delivery work, or commercial :ravelIers' purposes, and a number of :he one and two-ton models fitted with xxlies for varying purposes.
Quite the most interesting items of :he Argyll exhibit, however, are the three specimens of the latest form of 12-14h.p. cab or light van. In prin:iple, the construction departs entirely from accepted Argyll practice. Thr: most striking feature of the design, which we shall illustrate and describe fully in an early number, is the combination of the engine, clutch, and gearbox as one self-contained unit, which can be conveniently removed or changed over bodily with the minimum of trouble. We, of course, are aware this is not a new principle in itself, as it has frequently been. employed on pleasure vehicles, as well as on other small chassis, but it is new to Argyll construction. The scheme is very clean and well-defined, but we must content ourselves with a cursory description at the moment, reserving fuller details for an early issue. The engine has four cylinders, which are cast in one piece, and has one generously-proportioned water outlet along the top of the cylinder casting. The valves are all mechanically operated, by one camshaft on the near side of the machine.
High-tension magneto i.s fitted, the dynamo for which is driven from the same reduction shaft as the fan pulley. Engine lubrication is effected by a -small gear-type oil pump, situated inside the main casing; oil is forced through a sight-feed glass on the dash, to all of the main bearings. The gearbox, which is an integral part of the main casing which also houses the engine and clutch, has three forward speeds and reverse, all operated by a neat little gate-change arrangement. The general scheme of this engine and transmission combination is shown in outline in the sketch on the previous page.
A commendable piece of design is the construction of the live back axle. The bevel drive is carried in the usual casing, which, however, is partly composed of a large-size back cover bolted on from behind. The bevel drive and the differential complete can be removed at once through this cover, if the hub caps are taken off, thus releasing the dogs driving each wheel ; it is then only necessary to remove four nuts, and to draw back the two axle shafts. Acces
sibility and ease of replacement of this kind cannot be too carefully considered. Another feature showing the thought bestowed on the design is that the internal countershaft brake, which is carried immediately behind the gearbox casing and anchored to it, is interchangeable, so far as its moving parts are concerned, with the internal-expanding, enclosed-pattern brakes with which the hind wheels are equipped. The front portion of the chassis is carried on a stiff II-section axle, and the frame is swept boldly inwards to accommodate the exceptional lock required for cabwork. The absence of all fittings from the dash, with the exception of a sightfeed oil glass and an ignition switch, completes the exceptionally compact appearance of the whole machine.
The body-work of the two cabs, one of which is a two-seater and the other constructed for four passengers, is painted the colour Argyll's have previously favoured for their cabs, and which has, in certain ill-informed quarters, already earned for their forerunners the description. of " mustardpots." On the four-seated vehicle, a particularly neat patented device is emPlayed for extending the additional collapsible seats which are inside the body " with backs to the horses." The police specify arms to these seats, and, although by no means an easy task to devise a satisfactory interpretation of Scotland Yard's wishes, from a mechanical point of view, the Argyll designers seem to have got over it very well. We illustrate the device by a small sketch, on page tor, showing it both open and closed.