Part of Lever's Prize Scheme.
Page 20
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Recognition of the Commercial Motor by the Directors of the Great Port Sunlight Company.
One of the largest of recent individual orders for 'commercial motor vehicles has just been handed to the Alidays and Onions Pneumatic Engineering Company, Limited, of the Matchless Works, Birmingham, by Lever Brothers, Limited, of Port Sunlight. The order is for 5o vehicles, zo of which are travellers' cars similai in design to the one exhibited by this maker at Olympia last week. We understand that these cars are to be used in connection with the huge prize scheme which is being promoted by the purchasing company.
The illustration at the foot of this page shows the general arrangement of the chassis of these vehicles. The two-cylinder engine develops toh.p., and it is fitted with the double-jet carburetter which was shown on page too of our last issue. The power of the engine is transmitted through a cone clutch, and a short cardan shaft, to the
three-speed-and-reverse gearbox which we illustrate herewith. The design of this gearbox is very neat, and, when the direct drive is brought into operation, the lay-shaft reducing gear is positively thrown out of mesh ; the shaft is then quite free, and allowed to remain stationary so long as the car is being driven by its top-speed gear. A cardan shaft transmits the motion from the gearbox to the live axle, and each of the cardan joints is enclosed by a grease-retaining sheath, as shown in the illustration of the gearbox.
The bodies on all these vehicles provide comfortable seating accommodation for the traveller and a driver; the after part of the body is fitted to take samples and the stationery which is necessary for the conduct of the traveller's business. The sample compartment is 54 inches long inside, and it is provided with doors at the back.
The remaining 30 vehicles are small delivery vans, which are capable of dealing with loads up to to cwt. They are also fitted with toh.p. engines, of the same type that is found in the travellers' ears, but the final transmission to the road wheels is through side chains, from a differential countershaft, which we illustrate by means of a sectional view. In general design, the chassis, of these is built on the same lines as the one illustrated in our Olympia report, the only differences being : (a) the four-cylinder engine is replaced by this maker's two-cylinder model; (b) the change-speed and brake levers are mounted on the same quadrant, instead of separately ; and (c) single, solid tires are fitted to all the road wheels.
Having regard to its recent entry upon the commercial branch of trade, the Alldays Company is indeed fork]. nate to have secured so large en order. and we trust Mr. William Alldav;. will take steps to ensure the proper handling and maintenance of the vehicles. Success and good reports will meen an enormous increase of orders from other people who will be observing them.