A DELIVERY ROUND ON A LIGHT VAN.
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Distributing Cigarettes from the Factory to the Retailer by the 15-cwt. Buick with Four-wheel Brakes. Details of the Buick Traveller's Brougham.
NXTITH A VIEW to testing the capaif bilit:es and running of the latest model 15-cwt. Buick van, which is one of the first to be fitted with front-wheel brakes, we took an opportunity of accompanying one of these vehicles on a delivery round.
The particular van on which the run was made was supplied by Lendrtim and Hartman, Ltd., of 26a, Albemarle Street, London, W.1, the concessionnaires for Buick vehicles for the London area and the counties of Surrey, Middlesex, Bucks. and Herts., to R. and J. Hill, Ltd. of 175, High Street, Shoreditch, London, E., for the purpose of delivering their wellknown brand of "Sunripe " cigarettes from their factory to retail tobac
conists.
We arrived at the tobacco fac tory at about 9.45 one morning, and after a little manceuvring in the narrow and congested street where the loading had to be performed, the Buick was brought into position in front of the street lift. .
While loading was in progress we took the opportunity of draining all the petrol out of the tank and refilling it with four gallons. which were carefully measured out, also a reading was taken of the speedometer, this showing 51Y miles, as the van is practically new and has hardly been more than run-in. We started away at 10.30 .a.m., carrying a load of 9 cwt. in addition to the driver. Incidentally, the correct load for the Buick is 15 cwt., but the particular round which we were making did not necessitate this weight of goods. The Buick is fitted with a very effil cient self-starter, and the operation of this is assisted by the provision of a combined hot and cold air choke control device, and we noted that starting was effected almost instantly, although the vehicle had been standing for some time. Running round the narrow back streets near the factory also afforded a good opportunity for demonstrating the adequate lock which permits steering round sharp corners without any trouble. once on the main road, the van threaded in and out of congested traffic quite as easily as the ordinary private car and with even better controllability, for the system of four-wheel braking is really most 'efficient and enables a very quick pull-up in the case of emergency. In order to warn following vehicles when the foot brake is applied, the act
• of depressing the brake pedal switches on a light in a special warning device at the rear of the vehicle. This device consists of a lamp divided into two portions; the lower, forming the tail light proper, is provided with a red lens, whilst the upper acts as a warning and has a yellow lens with the word" stop" on it.
The work consisted of delivering packages of cigarettes in tile districts of Hackney, Stratford, Leytonstone boyton, Walthamstow, Chingford, Ponders End, Edmonton, Wood Green, Herringay, Tottenham and Clayton. In all, about 15 deliveries were made, and during the stops, which in some ase" :were rather prolonged owing to the need for photographing the vehicle, the great advantage of Using a self-starter was obvious.
At one portion of the route we, fortunately, came across a lengthy section of arterial road, on which there was practically no traffic, and, therefore, we -were able to test the capabilities of the van in the way of speed, and were surprised to nets that. the speedometer needle moved to 50 m.p.h., and, in spite of this, the engine gave no signs of distress or undue vibration, and the very supple underslung springs which are utilized at the back reduce vibratien to the minimum and at the same time keep the vehicle well down on the road.
The vehicle is fitted with centrechange of the invisible-gate type, the operation of which is remark ably easy. A neat little device used in connection with the gear-operating lever is a Yale lock, by which the lever can be locked in neutral when desired.
The Buick proved itself to be most
satisfactory in every way. It could travel at 5 m.p.h. on top gear without stalling the engine and could accelerate to its normal running rate in a remarkably short distance.
The total distance traversed proved to be 48 miles, and a careful measurement of the petrol consumed gave a figure of 17.07 m.p.g., which was certainly good considering that almost the whole of the time we were running in by-roads and making frequent stops.
A brief description of the chassis will not be out of place. The power unit is a four-cylinder valve-in-head type, with a bore of 31 ins, and a stroke of 4 ins., which develops 40 b.h.p. It is formed as a unit with the clutch and gearbox, the whole being suspended at three points to obviate torsional stresses.
Ignition is attended to by a Delco generator and storage battery, the same system giving starting and lighting, We have already referred to the clutch. The transmission is of the selective sliding type, giving three gears of 13 to 1, 7.8 to 1 and 4.66 to 1 ratios, with a reverse of 17.4 to L A single fork-and-pin type joint is em. ployed at the front end of the enclosed propeller shaft, the final drive being by spiral-bevel gears.
The ball joint at the front of the rrn
peller-shaft housing takes both torque and drive.
The mar axle is of the three-quarter floating type, and full adjustment is provided for the gearing. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the chassis is the four-wheel braking . system operated by a pedal, which tests have shown to give 100 per cent, better protection than two-wheel braking only. The pedal is connected to a compensating bar, and the effort necessary is not more than that required for the ordinary type two-wheel brake.
The brake bands are so anchored that each. baud wraps itself round the drum for three-quarters of its circumference and tends to tighten itself automatically when applied, thus giving a type Of Servo action.
A special heavy.f rout axle is employed to take the braking stresses and the pull-on mechanism provides that the rear brakes are operated before those at the front and that the leverage is greater at the rear, also, when turning corners, the outside front-wheel brake is automatically released.
hie body is framed in English ash and oak. The panels are of "special Plyinax beard; this is a combination Of threeply wood and zinc-coated steel plate, which entirely eliminates drumming. The roof is built of tongued and grooved boards covered with special canvas. The standard equipment includes electric head and side lamps, combined tail lamp and warning device, speedometer, ammeter, oil gauge, windscreen wiper, electric horn, spare rim and tyre and Alemite grease-gun lubrication throughout. The chassis price is £233, and that of the delivery van complete, in lead colour, £295.
The illustrations which we reproduce also show the standard Buick commercial traveller's brougham.
The body has steel corner panels and Sundeala side panels, which prevent, all drumming. The interior is oak finished in three-ply wood, and spring blinds are provided for the door light and the large side lights. Two doors are provided at the front, both having frameless &tip windows, whilst the upholstery is in imitation antique leather, and a maroon carpet is used for the floor. Incidentally, the outside finish of the vehicle is maroon for the bottom panels and black for those above.
A foldine. step is provided at the rear, and there is a drip beading over the door. .A small square light is fitted into the driver's partition; above this are small holes for ventilating the interior. The instruments are the same as those provided on the van, and the price of the finished vehicle is £370, hut it can be supplied in lead colour for £358.