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BUILT -WITH AN EYE OVERSEAS MARKETS.

4th May 1926, Page 16
4th May 1926
Page 16
Page 17
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Page 16, 4th May 1926 — BUILT -WITH AN EYE OVERSEAS MARKETS.
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A Well-designed and Thoroughly Sturd3 Variety o: 20-25-cwt. Chassis Suitable for a Wide ort Uses.

NOT for one market, but for all—home anti overseas —has been the keynote in the designing and production of the 20-25-cwt. Bean commercial vehicle. There, is a very substantial demand for a vehicle of this capacity, and carrying up to 16 people when equipped with an omnibus or char-ii-bancs body, but that demand will very quickly be equalled by the demand from overseas, so soon as it is discovered that Great Britain is well able to meet it.

• Closely connected with the administration of the company and attached to the staff of A. Harper, Sons and Bean, Ltd., are those who have had considerable experience of overseas conditions and requirements and right throughout the chassis is reflected the knowledge which these people have been able to bring to bear upon the innumerable details of the specification. Ample clearances, sturdy construction, accessibility, ease of maintenance and the proper dispositioning of • component parts are all matters which have had the very closest attention, and the result in the 20-25-cwt. Bean is a chassis which for road worthiness and &efficiency would be difficult to beat; added to this, the price is extremely moderate, the ehassis, with 32-in. by 4i-in. straight-sided pneumatic tyres, being offered at £280, whilst the fiat lorry sells at £313, or with drop sides and tailboard at £322; the van complete sells at £340, the enclosed van being £30 more, as a char-k-bancs equipped with larger tyres (viz., 33 ins. by 5 ins.), the price complete is £505, and as a light omnibus (also with these larger tyres) the price is £517 10s.

In a horizontally straight framework, inswept at the forward end, is mounted the 14 h.p. unit, embracing engine, clutch and gearbox, this component being pre cisely the same as that employed on the Bean private car. The drive is taken through a universally jointed propeller shaft to the rear axle and through the springs which take not only the drive but the torque.

To deal first with the engine. This is a fourcylindered monobloc, the cylinders being cast in one with the upper half of the crankcase, with a detachable aluminium sump and detachable head. As the induction manifold is cast between the cylinders and the exhaust manifold is raised above the exhaust ports, an unusual amount of clearance is given to the valve gear. Often the valve cover plates are unnecessarily obstructed; but in this ease both cover plates could be detached and 'replaced withiii a few seconds, as the knurled-beaded screw which fastens the plate is retained on the cover plate, thus not only simplifying the operation but ensuring that the screw cannot be lost whilst attention is being given to the valves. The joint around each cover plate is made °Wight with asbestos, and this asbestos packing is secured to the block so that it cannot fall down when the cover is taken off.

The bore of the cylinders is 75 mm.' and the piston stroke 135 mm., so that the total cubic capacity is 2,385 c.c. The valves, which are placed side by side, are interchangeable, and the tappets are very readily adjustable. Tha tappets are of the roller type.

The auxiliaries are driven by silent chains in a casing at the forward end of the engine. One chain drives the camshaft and dynamo shaft and the second chain drives the fan and magneto. In order to adjust the chain driving the camshaft and dynamo shaft, the dynamo is merely slackened off, when the slackening of one nut permits of the adjustment of the chain. To adjust the second chain which driyes the fan and magneto, the nuts on the bolts holding the magneto bracket are slackened, and the bracket is then raised by a screwed stud which has, the effect of taking up any slack in the chain,

The magneto is mounted on 'a level with the Watercooled head, and the carburetter is also placed high up, at rather a lower level than the magneto, but very much higher than is uormal practice, so that these two components are well out of the way of water when crossing fords. Other points regarding the relative position of :these two components are that petrol cannot drip on to the magneto, whilst each is given the utmost accessibility.

The dynamo is mounted below the magneto and its drive is so arranged that should it give trouble at any time it can be' removed without disturbing the timing mechanism of the engine, as it is often possible to get

through with temporary lighting, reserving -the necessary mechanical attention to the dynamo until bench is available or proper time given to the job. The cylinder head is free from all obstruction. When being detached, all that it is necessary to do is to break the water joint between the outlet and the radiator. Two tap holes are provided for inserting studs which, bearing against the top of the cylinder block, lift the head from its seating. This is a good point, because the gasket is often injured when a screwdriver is used to prize off the cylinder head.

A large filler with two filter gauzes is provided on the near side of the engine. In addition to the fine gauze inserted inside the orifice there is a second coarser-mesh gauze secured between the flange and the crankcase which would stop any nut or washer which might accidentally and, perhaps unnoticed, be dropped in when the engine was Wholly or partly dismantled.

The gear pump forces oil through the hollow crankshaft to all the bearings, viz.,--the main, camshaft and big-end bearings, thenormal pressure being about 25-30 lb. There is a pressure-controlled Sleeve with a ball valve which permits all excess oil to go to the timing chains. An indicator rod on the side of the crankcase-shows the level of the oil in the5sump.

The cooling system appears to be, if anything, wellabove the needs, for there is ample cooling surface in the radiator, a pump being used to assist the flow and itself being of full capacity. In some overseas countries, water supplies may be from 50 to 100 miles apart, and even should water run low, if a pump is in operation the water will be circulated, whereas with a thermo-siphonie circulation the water may drop to below the siphon level. In this country, of course, conditions of running are very much more favourable.

Provision is made for fitting an engine starter on the near side.

Accessibility of clutch and gearbox has been ensured by the use of large inspection ports suitably covered. The clutch has five plates of steel, faced with Ferodo, and runs dry, the pressure per square inch being quite low. There is provision for adjustment, whilst the clutch brake, which is spring-loaded,. is also readily, adjust-7 able. The same remark applies to the pedal pads and pedal, for not only can the pad be set to suit the reach of the driver, but it can be set to any angle. The clutch operating gear is amply strong enough for use in bus work, involving a considerable amount of stopping and restarting.

The first thing that strikes one about the gearbox is the short distance between the bushes in which the change-speed shaft moves, all cross binding on the shaft being obviated. The gears are very wide—nowhere being less than in.—and are mounted on short stiff shafts running on ball bearings, the spigot being carried in roller bearings.

The normal gear ratios are : 6.14-1 on top; 9.88-1 on third; 14.2-1 on second ; 23-1 on first; 31.4-1 on reverse. The lever is conveniently placed on the right-hand side of the driver, its position being controlled by a gate. Off the final drive shaft a spiral-gear drive is taken

for the mileometer. Four point suspension is employed for the power unit.

The propeller shaft is universally jointed at each end and is easy to drop should it be required to remove it in order to permit the transmission unit to be detached. 'I/ The back axle is semi-floating, the final drive being taken through spiral bevel main gears. The axle shafts are bolted to the wheel hubs and are carried on taper roller hearings of exceptional size.

The frame is strongly constructed of 5-in, main members with three cross-members and a tubular tie member in front of the radiator, which helps to prevent whipping of the frame under heavy load. It is also regarded as a favourable place for the attachment of the towing rope in the untoward eventuality of a tow home being required. At the rear of the frame, there is a tubular cross-member, on extensions of which are mounted the rear shackles for the rear springs, and bolted to the underside of the rear end of the frame are brackets for carrying the spare wheel.

The housing for the lighting battery is arranged below the driver's footboards.

The steering column is raked to a very comfortable angle and centre-point steering has been adopted. The steering gear is designed on the worm-and-sector principle and is adjustable for mesh and also for wear.

The front axle is a very sturdy job, and, like every othervital part of the chassis, has a high factor of safety. All the steering connections are protected by leather, provided with spring-loaded grease nipples for the Tecalemit type of grease-gun lubrication, which is adopted throughout the chassis. The dashboard has flanged edges and a channel form of stiffener to eliminate drumming. The petrol tank is mounted at the rear of the dash, and has in front of it a facia panel, upon which the instruments are mounted.

The springs are of the best quality silico-manganese steel of considerable length, the rear shackles of each spring sloping slightly to the rear, this giving a better trajectory with a minimum tendency to lift the chassis when a bump occurs.

The hand-operated brakes and the pedal-operated brakes act on large drums on the rear axle, the brake shoes being interlacing, and for the adjustment of them only one adjusting nut is necessary for each system. Front-wheel brakes are supplied at an extra charge of £20. These are of the Perrot type, and the design has been so well worked out that the addition of brakes on a vehicle not previously fitted with them is quite an easy matter, whilst to safeguard the interests of the owner of the vehicle and to ' ensure that no difficulty shall occur should it be required to have front-wheel brakes added, the vital parts are, for the time being, protected from mud and wet by a cover. One of our drawings is a diagram of the connections for all the brake gear.

The standard wheel equipment consists of pressedsteel wheels of the-artillery type, equipped with 32-in. by 4i-in. Dunlop straight-sided pneumatic tyres. We have already referred to the 5-in. tyres, which are fitted at an extra price of £10, but N.A.P.'tyres are supplied without extra charge.

The equipment includes a 12-volt electric lighting set (embracing battery, two double-filament lamps, tail lamp, and ammeter), oil gauge, spare wheel and tyre, loileage recorder, registration number-plates and the necessary tools.

The 20-25-cwt. Bean chassis is suitable for all kinds of service, as we indicated at -the commencement of the

article in setting out the prices. It is extremely successful as a 14-16-seater bus or char-h-banes, and in this guise, or as a van .or, lorry, it is calculated to render exceptional service, to keep at work on the road and to call forrn the minimum of time in inspection and maintenance.

The weight of the chassis is 22 cwt.; with a lorry body the weight is 291 cwt, and with a van body 31+ cwt. The gross load carrying capacity of the chassis is 37 cwt., SO that with a lorry body weighing 7+ cwt. a load of 291 cwt. may be carried. The wheelbase is 10 ft. 6 ins., the wheel track 4 ft. 8 ins., the distance between the dash and the end of the frame 10 ft. 5 ins., and from the back of the driver's seat to the end of the frame 7 ft. 5 ins. The frame height, loaded, is 261 ins. The petrol tank has a capacity of eight gallons, and a low petrol consumption and also a low oil consumption are attributes claimed• for this generally excellent chassis.

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