EQUIPPING A
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VAN ON MODERN LINES THE driver's compartment of the boxvan is formed by continuing the 'sides and roof of the loading portion, or the cab sides are recessed and the roof is lower. The second style of cab is not always a separately built unit, although it lends itself to this form of construction, with the advantage that one type of cab may be utilized for a variety of loading portions.
With the introduction of wider cab doors the separate window at the side of the seat has been eliminated. The driver has a good outlook if the door forms the whole of the side of the cab, but when the windscreen is well sloped a fixed triangular window may be inserted between the screen and door.
The use of these front side windows is defended on the plea that, without them, the doors would be too wide, also the slope of the front pillar may be sufficient to prevent the use of hinges above the waistline.
Hanging the Door on the Rear Pillar.
This difficulty may be surmounted by hanging the door on the rear pillar. The door is then not selfclosing, but, when open, it does not obstruct the cross-gangway in front of the seat. Another method is to reduce the slope of the screen so that a hinge may be fixed at the top, and the width of the door is reduced by inserting a panel a few inches wide between the door and the loading portion.
Another solution of the problem consists of substituting a sliding door for the usual hinged one. The c44 sliding door is suitable when the cab is narrower than the loading portion, which has a casing built at the forward end to receive the door.
The sliding door has a large expanse of glass, it doex not form an obstruction when open, and in most instances it is necessary to slide the door only half-way in order to provide a convenient entry or exit. For this reason the casing, or enclosure, need not be equal to the full width of the door, and the space occupied in the loading portion is reduced to a minimum. The door is hung on ball-bearing runners to ensure smooth action, as in the case of a coach.
Although a sliding door for the cab is unusual, some vans have side loading doors of this pattern, whilst many vehicles have a crosswise sliding door on the near side of the partition behind the driver's seat. This door may extend only to the seat level, but usually it is the full height from floor to roof.
The conventional method of mounting the partition door is to insert it between wood guides at the top, whilst at the bottom sash rollers are used to reduce friction. It is considered, however, that a door seldom operates satisfactorily unless rollers of a comparatively large diameter are used, and it is better to hang the door on top runners. Then only a guide rail is necessary at the bottom, with a small working clearance between the bottom door groove and guide rail.
As a rule, the partition door moves behind the bulkhead and does not slide into a casing. If the door slides in front of the partition there must be a space between the back of the seat and the partition. The seat Is mounted independently from the floor, and any back rest provided is fastened to the seat and not to the partition.
In order to give access to the partition entrance the near-side half of the seat is hinged. When in use it is supported on a leg or on a fillet at the side of the body. This bodyside seat support is suitable only for a van with a fixed panel at the side of the seat. The leg should fold under automatically with the lifting of the seat, so as not to form an obstruction. There is usually a locker under the driver's half of the seat.
The partition is of particular value when the van driver has no assistant. The load may be arranged so that seldom does he
have to go to the back doors. If these be locked, he is in a good position for guarding the load when at the wheel.
Back doors may, If insecurely fastened, fly open during a journey. When the vehicle is standing unattended, pilfering is possible if only a square key be required to open the door.
For these reasons some back doors are provided with a control operated from the driver's seat. A lever has to be moved at the side of the seat before the doors may be opened. The connecting rods, Bowden wires or other mechanism, are enclosed or concealed behind the inner panels, so that the packages carried do not prevent it from working freely.
Another control device consists of a spring plunger rod registering with a hole in a plate screwed to the back of the door. The plunger rod must be pulled forward from the seat in order to release the door.
Easy repair and maintenance are important factors. The removal of a large panel is avoided, and much time is saved in painting and writing by neatly patching it. When a steel panel cannot be repaired by hammering out the dent, or when it is badly holed, a regular-shaped hole is cut and the edges recessed, so that when a patch is welded in position it is flush with the surrounding surfaces.
How to Replace Broken Windscreen Glasses.
Broken screen glasses should be replaced promptly, even if of unsplinterable material, because the damaged glass spoils the appearance of an otherwise well-kept van. Usually, the screen frame is removed by unscrewing the brackets which hold the top tube to the cross-rail immediately above it. Side adjustments, such as quadrants, are unfastened, and the glass is released by unscrewing the corner plates which hold the sides to the top channel of the frame of the windscreen.
The utility of a delivery van of the type employed by tradesmen may often be materially increased by equipping the interior of the body with devices that facilitate access to the load.