• SPACE FOR THE BIGGER LOADS.
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Details of an Interesting New Vehicle Designed to Meet the Requirements Demanded by Haulage of Heavy Loads in Dock Areas, Goods Yards and Other Congested Districts.
THE demands of the transport world are both varied and numerous. At one end of the scale speed and weight-carrying capacity are of paramount importance, whilst at the other end manceuvrability and capacity for bulky packages are the most important items for consideration when a choice of vehicle is being made.
To meet the demand for large capacity the Vulcan Motor and Engineering Co., Ltd., of Crossens, Southport, are now marketing a 3-ton runabout, in which the loading height has been reduced so far as possible, and the wheelbase shortened in order to provide manceuvrability. The floor level is flat from one end to the other except for the driver's cab and the engine space. Great care has been taken in the layout of the chassis
in order to ensure even distribution of the load over both axles, and the vehicle possesses advantages which enable it tO meet the requirements of those engaged in the haulage of heavy loads at medium speeds. Such items as dock work, work in goods yards or the collection of house refuse all come within the scope of this new vehicle.
Before going on to sdescribe the chassis in detail it would seem opportune to give a few useful particulars with regard to the performance of the vehicle. in the first place, the unladen weight, complete with cab and platform body, is under two tons, yet it will carry a useful load of three tons. The tax is only £26. The dimensions of the body space are somewhat elastic, in that any wheelbase from 8 ft. to 12 ft. can be supplied according to requirements. With a 10-ft. wheelbase there is 33 per cent. more floor space available than on the standard 3-ton lorry, the platform having no obstruction caused by wheel arches, etc., throughout its whole area.
Witligthe comparatively small wheelbase combined with small wheels a very small turning circle enables the vehicle to be manipulated easily in restricted areas. To the left of the engine along the near side of the body a space approximately 2 ft. wide is available for carrying long planks, tubes, or shafting, etc.
A point in maintenance which will be appreciated is the fact that the engine is readily detachable from the frame by removing the front cross-member.
Turning now to a consideration of the layout in detail. The engine has four cylinders formed in a monobIoe casting, the bore of the cylinders being 85 mm. and the length of the piston stroke 130 mm., the total cylinder capacity being 2,950 c.c. The head is detachable and covers side-by-side valves of the normal type. The crankcase .is separate from the cylinder block, to which it is held by the main bearing bolts which are extended through the case. A three-bearing crankshaft is fitted with double thrust washers to take the end thrust, the crankpin and main bearings being no less than 14 in. in dinaneter. The auxiliaries are positively driven by silent chain arranged as a triangular drive from the crankshaft pinion round the camshaft and the (magneto. Provision is made for chain adjustment externally under running conditions by moving a jockey pulley into and out of engagement with the chain. The fixing of this jockey pulley, however, is such that The drive is not disturbed when the timing cover is removed.
Lubrication is by a gear-type pump submerged in the sump and driven by skew gears from the camshaft. Oil is forced through a pressure filter to the main bearings, thence through holes drilled in the crankshaft to the connecting-rod big-end bearings and the chain drive. A suction filter is so arranged in the sump that it may be withdrawn for cleaning purposes without losing the main body of the crank chamber oil. The pressure filter, placed on the near side of the crankcase, can be easily removed for cleaning, also without losing oil from the base chamber, whilst a dipstick on the near side of the crankcase, marked to indicate high and low levels of on, shows instantly the quantity of lubricant within the engine. Cooling is by pump and fan mounted as a complete unit on the forward end of the cylinder block.
The drive is transmitted to a gearbox (providing c44 four speeds and reverse) by means of a cone-type fabric-faced clutch which, incidentally, is fitted with adjustable springs and a stop. Like the engine, the gearbot is mounted in the frame at three points to protect it from frame distortion. The clutch is mounted in unit with the engine, and the gearbox is located some 12 inches or 14 inches behind on a structure framed up of tied diagonal cross-members.
The ratios provided by the gearbox are :—First gear, 30.4 to 1; second, 16.42 to 1; third, 10.9 to 1; and top, 6.5 to 1. With the ordinary type of tyre, i.e., 24-in. by 5-in. solids, these ratios give speeds for the four gears of 2.35 m.p.h., 4.35 m.p.h., 13.55 m.p.h., and 11 m.p.h. when the engine is running at 1,000 r.p.m.
The drive is transmitted by an open tubular propeller shaft fitted with fabric discs and ball-andsocket locating pieces at each end. Overhead worm drive is employed, the gears being mounted in a Kirkstall 1 per cent, nickel-steel forged axle casing. The vehicle is suspended on extra-long semi-elliptic springs, with the axles offset towards each other in order to provide the shortest possible wheelbase. In this connection it might be mentioned that, with an 8-ft. wheelbase, the length from the rear of the driver's seat to the back of the frame is 13 ft., a floor space of 90 sq. ft. being available. On the standard wheelbase chassis (10 ft.) the length behind the driver's seat is 15 ft. and there is 100 sq. ft. of floor space. With a 12-ft. wheelbase the length behind the driver's seat is 17 ft. and the floor space 114 sq. ft.
It might prove interesting at this juncture to compare some of the figures relating to dimensions and weights of the new runabout with those of a standard 3-tan lorry. For instance, the turning circle of the 10-ft. wheelbase runabout is 32 ft., whilst the corresponding dimension for a 3-ton lorry is 50 ft. to 55 ft. A chassis weight of 32 cwt. compares favourably with 50 cwt. to 55 cwt. for the 3-ton lorry, whilst the loaded height of the platform in the runabout is 27 ins, and of the lorry 36 ins. to 40 ins. The floor space pf the runabout is 100 sq. ft. and of the lorry 75 sq. ft.
The standard type of steering gear fitted to most Vulcan vehicles is employed and consists of worm and worm wheel mounted in a framing located at the front of the chassis on the off side. Four-wheel brakes are fitted as a standard part of the equipment, the pedal operating internakexpanding shoes within drums attached to the front and rear wheels.