Equipment for Various Purposes
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Devices That Facilitate the Efficient Operation and Maintenance of Commercial Vehicles
A Dual-purpose Battery. Charger.
All types and sizes of accumulator can be charged at the same time or separately by an interesting apparatus made by Rotax, Ltd., 319, Regent Street, London, W.1. It consists of a motor-generator, control board, bus bars, etc., and is available in three types of 75, 100 and 150-amp.-hour capacity, which cost respectively £75, £85 and £98.
The outfit virtually consists of two combined charging plants; one gives constant potential charging for large starter cells, etc., whilst the other gives constant current for new batteries, small cells and so forth.
New Uses for Adhesives.
The purposes for which adhesives are used are likely to be extended by the introduction of a new range of adhesives and sealing compounds known as Bostik, manufactured by the Boston Blacking Co., Ltd., Ulverscroft Works, Leicester. It is claimed that operations which, in the past, have been performed by laborious methods, are now simplified by the use of Bostik adhesives. A wide range of materials can be made to adhere together, and equally good results are claimed for materials having either rough or smooth surfaces.
it would appear to be of particular value to the coachbuilding industry and may be used for glazing, floor laying and fixing fabrics to wood or metal coachwork, etc., whilst application is simple and may be completed in a short time. It is claimed that the ma terial is waterproof and does not dry up or crumble.
An Inspection Lamp for New Conditions.
A new product of Mann Egerton and Co., Ltd., Norwich, is the ME. portable ramp lamp, designed for use in the repair shop in conjunction with highlift ramps or hoists. The bulb is housed in a neat box, with a Triplex• toughened-glass top, a reflector at the back and a hook-type flange at the side.
The last-named enables it to be fixed securely on to the platform edge in such a position that it illuminates from below the parts upon which work is being carried out. The price, with cable, bulb and plug, is 17s. 6d.
A High-capacity Condenser.
A small but useful addition to the range of electrical equipment made by Messrs. Runbaken Products, 280 Deansgate, Manchester, 3, is a highcapacity condenser described as the Universal. Suitable for use with any standard coil-ignition system, operating on 6 or 12 volts, the device can be used to replace or to supplement the existing condenser, with which it will probably be interchangeable, the clips provided being adjustable.
It is claimed to be equal in efficiency to some condensers of considerably greater bulk, and costs only 3s. 6d. The function of a condenser is, of course, so to speak, to cushion the shock of current interruption caused by the separation of the contact-breaker paints, and any improvement in condenser efficiency will minimize sparking at the contacts, make starting easier, and increase the power of the engine. A Heavy-duty Portable Engine Starter, The Equipment and Engineering Co., Ltd., 2-3 Norfolk Street, London, W.C.2, announces a new model of the Whipple engine starter, suitable for powerful oil and petrol engines. Intended for starting up in the garage the engines of a fleet of vehicles, this device consists of a two-cylindered aircooled petrol engine mounted on a portable trolley.
It is provided with a universally jointed shaft for coupling to the starting handle of the vehicle, a clutch and other necessary controls, and is available for a variety of handle heights. The use of such an outfit makes for a considerable saving in labour, or wear on the batteries if starters be used, A Neat Thief-proof Device.
Several recent cases of the theft of light goods vehicles and their loads call attention to the need for equipping vans, particularly those which deal with valuable goods, with thief-proof devices. A dual lock which simultaneously switches off the ignition system and the petrol supply, locking both in the nonrunning position, has been placed on the market by Allen, Rae and Co., Ltd., Thames House, Millbank, London, S.W.1. It is described as the Featherstone automatic petrol-ignition lock.
The device may be fitted to the dashboard, and is operated by means of a thumb-lever, a key being used only to unlock it. The lock is of the Yale pattern and cannot be tampered with; the device costs 27s. 6d.
We understand that a number of insurance companies issues at reduced rates special policies to cover vehicles and their contents when this dual lock is fitted.
New Range of Black and Decker Equipment.
A new series of Black and Decker valve and valve-seat-truing and decarbonizing equipment is being offered by Brown Brothers, Ltd., Great Eastern Street, London, E.C.2, whilst in celebration of the completion by the company of 25 years' trading, it is making a Jubilee gift of a well-built portable stand (normally priced at £,4 15s.) for use. in conjunction with this equipment to purchasers of certain sets.
Each of these comprises a valve refacer and a Vibro-Centric universal kit, as the new apparatus is designated, which includes valve-seat-grinding tools, a stone-dressing jig, centring pilots, hard, soft and finishing stones, etc., and is priced, in the smallest size, at £50. The new equipment alone, costing 220, is also available, whilst a kit of carbon-removing brushes, valveguide cleaners, etc., is offeree at the price of £1 15s.