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PICK-UP
By Laurence J. Cotton,
M.I.R.T.E.
ALIGHT vehicle designed for work on normal and estate roads could not be expected to equal the performance of a foul.wheel-drive model across country, but the new Commer pick-up tried valiantly to do so on virgin ground in Kent.
I have tried all-wheel-drive chassis over similar, -ground on the same estate" 'and have found the tractive effort; on .ground which is thickly coated with decayed leaf and fern, to be indeed high and the speed is necessarily reduced to a crawl to provide any degree of comfort. The pick-up surmounted most obstacles, riding over hidden ruts at a fair pace, and although no violent reaction was felt, by the driver, the suspension withstoOd some drastic punishment.
Integral Build The Commer Mark VII pick-up is based on the delivery van and the all-Welded cab and body are built integrally with the underframe.
The four-cyfindered side-valve engine is a well-proved unit. A torque-reaction member mounted on the rear cylinder-head studs and linked to a bracket welded on the scuttle, has recently been added. It has a thermostatically controlled hot spot in the induction system, waterpump cooling and an effective mazetype'silencer and air cleaner for the downdraught carburetter.
A four-speed syncromesh gearbox B10
with steering-column control has been included in Commer light vans for four years and in 50,000 miles' use of this gear I have not had to make any adjustment and it is one of the most positive and light controls of its type.
The pick-up cab retains all the car refinements, including the two-spoke steering wheel, handsome instrument panel and a bench-type seat Additional storage space behind the seat can be reached by lowering the split baek rest, which is. hinged at the base.
The body is protected from internal damage by slats and the rear wings are :boxed, so that the load can be easily stacked: Clips are provided for fitting a tonneau cover, but as an alternative, hoop-sticks to Carry. a canvas tilt can be dropped into recesses in the sides. Cornpared steering on full lock. This required low gear and full engine torque, which proved the new snubber arrangement to be capable of damping violent reaction.
The load was reduced by about 1 cwt. for cross-country operation and the Commer was put through the mill. Travelling along the rutted roads and over broken woodland at speed produced no discomfort in the vehicle, but outside observers witnessed the work being done by the suspension.
Suspension Test A series of three evenly spaced farrows found the critical point of the front springs and, in turn, the Wheels bounced clear of the ground. This was not noticed on the steering or accompanied by unpleasant lurching when the suspension returned maximum at which the vehicle was driven for the consumption tests.
The course was covered in 171 min. and 2.4 pt. of commercialgrade petrol were used, corresponding to 33.3 m.p.g. at an average speed of 34.5 m.p.h. The 63-cwt. load, or 73 cwt. in the case of the delivery van, is carried at low-fuel cost. A one-stop-per-mile test was staged over the same course without adjusting the load, and for this type of work 2.5 pt. of petrol were used in 10 miles, affording a return of 32 m.p.g. In the life of a van or pick-up, a large proportion of the mileage is operated under part-load, so to represent such conditions, I made further tests with a 4-cwt. payload.
First came a one-stop-per-mile fuel trial, 'whiCh was covered slightly faster than the pievious test and with a small 'saving in fuel, the return being 34.5 m.p.g. To represent a locatdelivery van carrying a 5-cwt, payload, an additional test was made with a stop at every 440 yd.
30 m.p.h. in 7.5 see.
The Commer gained speed swiftly in this trial, and 30 m.p.h. was reached from rest in 7.5 sec. and 40 m.p.h. in 13.3 sec. Full-throttle acceleration did not greatly affect economy, the consumption rate working out to 27.5 m.p.g.
Unless many starts are made from cold each day, the vehicle should give a fuel return of 27-35 m.p.g. on practically any type of work. Frequent starts from cold will affect economy adversely, but this applies to any vehicle, especially to those not fitted with thermostats. I noticed that the thermostat worked effectively in the pick-up, the cylinderhead water temperature being raised quickly to a normal reading whenever starting from cold.
The payload was increased to 6i cwt. for the final acceleration and braking tests, the latter showing the retardation to be well above average. After the innoculation of mud and water in the cross-country tests, it would not have been disturbing to find that braking was affected, but this was not so.
Emergency applications of the pedal produced a stopping distance of 33 ft. from 30 m.p.h. without completely locking the • wheels or deviating from a straight course. Such a result is exceptional, the corresponding retardation rate being 29.4 ft. per sec. per sec.. equal to 0.91 g.
Good Torque Curve
The addition of 2 cwt. to the payload slightly affected the acceleration, 15.6 sec. being required to reach 40 m.p.h. from rest, compared with 13.3 sec. recorded with part-load. This swiftness off the mark is aided by a good torque curve which is still quite reasonable at 4,200 r.p.m., thus ensuring that 40 m.p.h. can be reached in third gear.
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The four-speed gearbox is instrumental in providing good performance with a It-litre engine and makes for easier driving. In every respect I found the test vehicle to be wellbehaved, docile in control but lively, in spirit.
Its appearance and furnishings are excellent. I noted particularly the push-button door locks, which are neater and offer more protection against theft than the conventional door handle, which is comparatively simple to force. Another refinement is the replacement of the pull-type starter cable by a neat press-buttonoperated solenoid.
A built-in cab ventilation system is standard, air being drawn in through the radiator grille and ducted to an inlet port on the dash panel. A regulator is provided to control, or stop, the flow 'of air, and a second duct can be added on the opposite side of the scuttle should greater ventilation be required, such as in the warmer climates. A heater unit can be added to the inbuilt ventilation system if required, but a blower is not necessary.