A STEAM LOW-LOADING REFUSE WAGON.
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The Latest Product of the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. is a Development of Their Well-bodied Machine. Other Yoashire Activities.
ONE of the chief difficulties which have hitherto presented themselves in the equipping of a chassis with a low-loading body is that in the majority of instances wheels much smaller than those generally employed have to be used. Certain types are giving excellent service, but the manufacturer of a practically standard chassis, whether it be of the steam or petrol type, would generally prefer to employ wheels of the normal size to avoid making drastic alterations in his design, as such differences must necessarily increase the cost. Consequently, the latest machine to be built by the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. should be of considerable interest, especially as the opportunity has been taken to embody certain improvements which render this vehicle, which is a low-loading refuse wagon, particularly suitable for its work.
It will be remembered that the makers have for years been marketing a welltype wagon for carrying cable drums, etc., and in the new vehicle the idea of the well body has been retained, but the cross section of the body resembles si.hopper. At each side it is supported on the side members of the frame, or from extensions on these, by brackets having fulcrum pins, and for side tipping the pins at one side are withdrawn so that the body fulcrums on those at the other. A fair amount of power is necessarily required for tipping purposes, as the load has to be lifted with the body, but ample power is available from the engine.
Loading Height and Dimensions.
By its construction the loading level is reduced to 4 ft. 3 ins., and this, with standard wheels 2 ft. 9 ins, in diameter. Consequently, no ladders or packers are required.
The capacity is 9 cubic yards, or, considering it by weight, 3-4 tons. The overall length is 18 ft. 10 ins., and the maximum width of the body is 7 ft. 6 ins. It also has a length of 11 ft. With the side-tipping model, the clearance under the bottom of the hopper is 7 ins., but if required, an end-tipping body can be ,employed, in which case, the clearance can be increased to 14 ins:, although the loading height will' be the same and the total capacity likewise, for as the body does not have to clear the side members in the same manner, it can be squared off at the bottom, instead of being rounded, and thus give the same capacity for less depth. The advantage of having a free engine position in the Yorkshire wagon is now obvious, as it can be used for tipping or other work while the vehicle is stationary.
Detail Modifications.
The engine and boiler are the same as those employed in the wagon, but the transmission has been modified and the frame construction altered entirely, being not only, much stronger but simpler to manufacture. A three-speed gear is still embodied, but this has larger bearings and more centralized lubrication. The position of the controls has also been altered to afford greater convenience to the driver, and the foot-plate has been levelled off in stead of having a well. The whole vehicle has been designed for one-man operation, as it can run five miles without stoking, and would, in municipal service on refuse collection probably never exceed such a distance in a straight run.
The company will be in a position to give delivery of this model in the early spring, but inquiries for it should be made as soon as possible.
So far as the other activities of the company are concerned, the latest type of gully emptier is proving most successful. In one or two instances it has been modified to meet particular requirements, a special type having been built for the 'harrow streets of Shef
field. At this point it is interesting to mention that Sheffield employs 27 'forkehire machines in all, these including seven gully emptiers and eight of the latest shaft-driven Yorkshires, some of which are employed on road constructional work.
Reverting to the gully emptier, one modification in this is that the sludge tank has been restricted to a capacity of 750 gallons, because, as a result of the Yorkshire system of draining off the water, the sludge rises to within a foot of the top of the tank, and with a tank of the size usually employed the load carried might reach 10 tons, which is, of course excessive.
Despite the introduction of the shaftdriven model the chain-drive vehicle is still very popular, chiefly for the reason that it is cheaper to produce, and many buyers apparently consider first cost of primary importance. The chain-drive model is, of course, particularly useful for contracting work where soft sides are encountered, and where road material and other rough loads of the same description have to be carried. The greatest demand appears to be for the 6-ton run-back tipper.
Engine and Boiler Features. •
We have already pointed out that the engine and boiler are similar to those employed in the wagon, but, as not all our readers may be fully acquainted with their main features, we will give a summary of these.
The patent' boiler has fire-tubes and is most unusual in being a double-ended loco. type, which is set across the front ok the chassis. One of the main points in design is that the water level is practically unaffected by gradients; in fact, a hill must be steeper than 1 in 3 to uncover the tubes; also the water level is 9 ins, above the top of the fire-box. So efficient is the combustion of the fuel that no sparks and a minimum of smoke are emitted from the chimney.
So far as the engine is concerned, this is a balanced vertical compound 'slidevalve type, with the cylinders disposed at the back of the driver and fitted to a casing which 'can easily be detached from the vehicle. All the moving parts are enclosed and run in an oil-bath.