MORRIS
Page 57
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
COMMHRCIAL
Stand 77 NOW that the Show is open, the veil of mystery surrounding the MorrisCommercial programme is lifted. On the stand is exhibited a comprehensive range of the company's products, ranging from a new 25-30-cwt. chassis to a 4-5-ton tipper. Appearance for the whole range of vehicles has been altered by the introduction of a new radiator shell which, in each model, is placed farther forward in the chassis than formerly, to accommodate a forwardmounted engine, an arrangement allowing increased body space with normal control and affording really good accessibility for the power-unit.
A newcomer to the Morris-Commercial range, the 25-30-cwt. model has a wheelbase of 9 ft. 9 ins., and a track of 5 ft. The length of the standard body offered, after giving due regard to the proportion of the load carried by each axle, has been fixed at 9 ft. The unladen weight of the standard lorry is under 30 cwt.
Anyone examining this new model will appreciate the significance of the term " Equi-load " which Morris-Commercial Cars, Ltd., has chosen as illustrative of the main feature of the new range. As explained earlier, the engine is carried well forward, thus allowing the front of the body to be advanced correspondingly, so that the loads carried by the front and rear axles are properly proportioned. An incidental advantage of the arrangement is that a full-width cab, capable of seating three persons, can be provided. On lifting the bonnet,, a well-designed four-cylindered overhead-valve engine is revealed, a prominent feature being the neatness of the controls. The valves are vertically disposed in a detachable cylinder head and are operated by push rods and rockers from a camshaft contained in the crankcase. A Solex SelfStarter carburetter, fed by an Autovac, is included in the specification, like wise a belt-driven dynamo and fan, whilst the cooling system incorporates a thermostat to assist in rapid warming up when starting from cold.
The engine and gearbox are bolted together to form a unit which is fourpoint mounted in the frame by rubberbushed metal brackets. Chiefly on account of the neat triangular bracing of the frame and the Lociheed hydraulic braking system, the chassis has a tidy appearance.
The remarks made concerning the appearance of the new 25-30-cwt. model apply equally to the other vehicles in the range with capacities of 30 cwt. and upwards. The design-of all these larger models is uniform, the chief differences between one model and another being confined to wheelbase dimensions and the size of the, components which are, in many ways, similar to those employed in previous Morris-Commercial models. A new type is a 4-5-tonner with a ft-cubic-yd. tipping body.
Except on the 23-30-cwt. model, six cylinders are standardized, but, as an alternative, a four-cylindered engine is available in the case of the 30-cwt. and 2-ton models.
The 15-cwt. and 20-cwt. chassis, which have been a feature of the Morris-Commercial range for some time, are unaltered in any major particular. —Morris Commercial Cars, Ltd., Bordesley Green Road, Adderley Park, Birmingham, 8.