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232 
A NEW SIX-WHEELER
Page 154
Page 155
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for Highway or Country
FOR many years vehicles of ingenious design, intended for a wide variety of purposes, have been produced from the works of Hardy Motors, Ltd., at Slough ; the head office of this concern is situated at 12, Whitehall, London, S.W.1. The latest addition to the range, known as the R682, is a rigid rsix-wheeler, designed to carry eight tons either on normal roads or across country. It, of course, embodies the ingenious two-speed auxiliary gearbox, which is a special feature of current Hardy models.
Readers will recollect that this gives not only a secondary reduction, thus doubling the number of speeds provided by the main gearbox, but it automatically conveys the drive to the live front axle when the lower series of ratios is in service. For ordinary road work the drive through the four wheels of the bogie is, of course, sufficient, but when heavy going is encountered the drive passes through all six wheels.
The advantage offered by front-wheel drive is difficult to exaggerate, because it enables the front of the chassis to lift itself out of a deep hole or ditch, instead of being forced into the face of the bank. This simple provision often makes all the difference between progress and being• ditched, when the going is difficult. Furthermore, the auxiliary box enables a ratio of 67.3 to 1 to be offered, whilst retaining a direct-drive overall ratio of 8.25 to 1. Such a wide range would scarcely be within the possibilities of a single gearbox.
An additional advantage offered by the use of this auxiliary gearbox is that there is provision for a power take-off which is capable of transmitting the full power of the engine through any of the gear ratios in the main box. This chassis is designed so that a winch can be mounted behind the driver, hence the value of this take-off.
As in the case of other current Hardy types, the major components are manufactured by the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., of 'Southall, to which concern . Hardy Motors, Ltd., is allied. The standard power unit of this new model is the 110 mm. bore and 180 ram. stroke. A.E.C. six-cylindered petrol engine, which develops 120 bhp. at 2,000 r.p.m. If required, the A.E.C. oil engine can be installed. The front end has a flexible mounting on the tubular cross-member, whilst the rear of the engine-gearbox unit is carried on a bridge.
Between the engine and gearbox is a 16-in. single-plate clutch, with a stop. The adjustment is external and can be quickly effected. The engine ie actually mounted 5 ins, to the left of the centre line, but the transmission is inclined so as to bring the drive to the centre of the chassis, as the pots of the two axles of the bogie are centrally placed.
Behind the main gearbox is the auxiliary box, which , possesses the unique features store-mentioned.' It is threepoint mounted in the frame, being connected to the main off-side frame channel and to ,a subsidiary longitudinal member at the near side. Shafts with Hardy-Spicer joints convey the power to the live worm axle at the front, which has fully floating shafts and universal joints located on the steering pivots.
Considerable intetest . attaches to the bogie, which has two overhead-worm axles of conventional design. The patented suspension system is novel: On each side there is a single .inverted semi-elliptic spring, free to rock on the pivot member, and a certain amount of side play is allowed in order that the spring may move inwards or outwards when the axles rere moved out of a horizontal Mane. The spring ends are shackled to truenions, which are free partially to rotate in brackets forming part of the rear-axle. casings. The shackles are immediately below the lateral centre line of each axle and torque is takeii through articulated rods to a cress-member immediately over -the bogie pivot.
This design ensures that the springs are not subjected to torsion, despite the fact that a permissible difference in axle height of no less than 18 ins, is allowed. This means that the vehicle can traverse country which is usually regarded as passable to only a military-type sixwheeler.
Seventeen-inch drums are mounted on each hub of the bogie and they carry internal-expanding brakes, a pair of shoes being situated in each drum. When the brake pedal is depressed it operates two Dewandre servos, which pull, through rods, on to a cross-shaft and thence by rods in compression and tension to the second and third-axle brakes restectively.
In the ease of the hand lever, this operates the shoes in the drums of only the third axle, by means of a sliding-link arrangement. As there is no third differential, the hand brake takes effect on all four wheels of the bogie, so that the law is fully complied with. In order adequately to cater for the extreme articulation provided, the brake-red ends work upon spherical joints.
For a vehicle of this type it is obviously necessary to provide a really rigid frame. The channels have a maximum depth of 10 ins, and the cross-members have box ends, riveted to the side members. The frame is 3 ft. 6 ins. wide at the front and tapers inwards amidships to 3 ft., 'whilst it is down-swept a little way behind the main gearbox. This change of level is intended to provide a slightly higher platform at the front, whereon to
mount a winch, if desired. This feature is of considerable importance forwork overseas.
Certain figures regarding the new Hardy model are interesting. The standard final-drive ratio is 8.25 to 1, but optional ratios are 7.25 and 9.33 to 1. At 2,000 r.p.m, of the engine, with the standard axle ratio, the vehicle can attain 28.4 m.p.h., whilst at the same engine speed, but with the lowest forward ratio engaged, the rate of ptogress -is only 3,5 m.p.h.
Standard tyre equipment is 38-in, by s-in. single pneumatics, The following are the leading dimen
sions: Overall length, 24 ft. 7i• ; overall width, 7 ft. 21 ins.; mean wheelbase, 16 ft.; bogie wheelbase, 4 ft. ; body space, 19 ft. 8 ins.; platform height
(laden), 3 ft. 11 ; tnrning circle, 81 ft.; chassis weight, 4 tons 18 ewt. 2 qrs.; allowance for coachwork 1 ton 2 cwt. 2 qrs. The total laden weight is 14 tons 2 cwt., made up as follows :
The machine is a striking contribution to the range of British-built vehicles suitable for the most arduous work in this country or overseas, irrespective of whether made roads are available or whether soft earth tracks have te be traversed, whilst, its many cases, it can with equal efficiency cope with virgin territory. This chassis can be obtained in two widths. The normal type has a front track of 5 ft. 9"i ine, and a rear track of the same dimensions. In this case the overall width is 7 ft. 21 ins. For certain overseas countries it is preferable to employ a vehicle with a narrower track ; in these eireumetanees the other type is offered ; the track measurement, both front and rear, is 5 ft. 5a ins., whilst the overall width is 6 ft. 3.C«1 ins.
"We understand that one of these new chassis will be shown at Olympia, in this case with an A.E.C. oil engine developing 130 b.h.p.