REO GOODS MODEL ON TEST
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In Fuel Economy and Other Features of Performance the GA type tonner has Characteristics that Resemble those of the 20 passenger Model Previously Tried Out
Road Test No. 51
TE have had a long acquaintV V anceship with and experience of Reo products and, in taking charge of the GA-type 31-toruaer for the purposes of our standard road test, we were already familiar with most of its features, including the Gold Crown engine.
During the past few months some improvements have been made in this chassis. A heavier type of steering box and connections has been substituted, the worm-and-nut actuation being retained. This certainly makes the laden chassis easier to handle at slow speeds.
Preventing Excessive Lubrication.
A small improvement which we were glad to see is the fitting of a spring-loaded ball valve in the oil reservoir, contained in the centre of each of the three ring-type cross-pin universal joints in the transmission line, the object being to prevent 'over lubrication which, of course, would force the oil past the cork glands.
The rear wheels, which carry twin pneumatic tyres, are now cut away in the rim to give better brakedrum cooling and, incidentally, lighter weight. As in past models, all springs ,are mounted under the frame cross-itembers and, by this means, a frame width of 3 ft. 5 ins. is obtained, with a rear track (between tyres) of 5 ft. 94 ins. The front track is 5 ft. The Myers magazine oilers are retained for the shacklepins and are now fitted also to the front-wheel stub axles.
The six-cylindered side-valve Gold Crown engine is virtually unaltered B42 and is mounted with rubber blocks at four points in the frame. The' radiator and bonnet have now been streamlined, rather improving the vehicle's appearance.
The wheelbase of this model is 13 ft. 8 ins., and the length from the back of the cab to the end of the frame 10 ft. 9 ins., the frame height under load being 2 ft. ai ins. The frame is wide and rigid, the main members having a section of 7 ins. by 3 ins, by in.
First Imptiessions.
Starting out at 8 a.m. on a cold morning, we first covered about six miles of winding country lanes, following our custom of first getting the feel of the chassis and testing it for stability, suspension, flexibility, quietness and cornering. In all these respects the Reo GA-type compares favourably with the other Reo • models, all of which bear the .stamp of refinement making them pleasant to drive.
This particular chassis struck us as having a gearbox that was a little noisy, possibly because in the past we have spent more time on passenger models of this make. In fact, so satisfying was the general performance, we had repeatedly to remind ourselves during the day that this was not a light passenger chassis for long-distance coach service but a heavy-duty goods-carrier, meant not only for the highways but also for gravel-pit and other contracting Work. The laden weight was no less than 61 tons, and the chassis actually carried an overload of 3 cwt.
The springing was particularly good ; the rear springs are 4 ft. 2 ins. long and 3 ins, wide and have 10 leaves, the front springs, which have nine leaves, being 3 ft. 2 ins. long and 21 ins. wide. The short snubber plates on the front springs give a pleasant steadiness to the steering when traversing rough surfaces.
Our acceleration and braking graphs speak for themselves. The hydraulic brake actuation gives excellent all-round compensation and the brakes would have been more effective had they been bedded in. In checking the speedometer by several runs over a measured mile, we detected that it was understating the speed up to as much as 5 per cent. Allowance has been made for this in all speeds quoted herein.
Hill-climbing Capabilities.
Considering the load carried, the performance on hills was very good. We climbed Brockley Hill on the Elstree-Edgware road in 78 seconds, the distance being 600 yards and the average gradient 1 in 171, the ascent being made entirely on third gear. This gives an average speed of 15.8 m.p.h. Climbing this hill from the south, the distance is 440 yards and the average gradient 1 in 11. The chassis tackled this climb in second gear, keeping to a steady 12 m.p.h.
For a short and steep ascent we selected Cocks Hill, on the Elstree Barnet road, which is 200 yards long and has a gradient increasing to 1 in 6 at the top. We were rather surprised that t h e
chassis could, from a standstill. make this climb in second gear, the speed recorded on the 1-in-6 section being 10 m.p.h. The time was 42 seconds, showing the average speed to be 9.7 m.p.h., which is most satisfactory.
We had noticed during the morning that the temperature of the cylinder-bead cooling water seldom rose above 155 degrees P., and after our acceleration and braking tests, followed by the hill-climbs, it only reached 175 degrees F. In the course of about 100 miles further travel at speeds averaging up to 40 m.p.h., the temperature never rose above 155 degrees F., and this suggested to us that the thermostat which controls the water circulation might be set for a slightly higher working_ temperature.
Dismantling the Zenith model105B, pump-type carburetter, we found the setting to be as follows : choke tube 30, venturi 12, main jet 125, idling compensator 85, range compensator 50, accelerating jet 90, cap jet 100. We then proceeded with tests for ascertaining fuel consumption.
Noticing that the chassis seemed to run more economically in this respect when travelling at moderate speeds, we decided to obtain definite readings which would help users of
this model. The result is rather extraordinary. The average of 12 consumption tests, taken in every class of circumstance, was 11.1 m.p.g. The least favourable reading, on a stretch of road including much up-hill work, and with the speed averaging 18 m.p.h., was 8.4 m.p.g., whilst the most favourable, travelling at a steady 25 m.p.h. on a level road with a slight tail wind, was as high as 20.4 m.p.g. When the chassis averaged 30-35 m.p.h., which meant travelling now and again at 45 m.p.h., the consumption was about 9.2 m.p.g., and when it was averaging 20-25 m.p.h. the figure varied between 11.0 and 1.2.8 m.p.g.
In the course of the day we covered 160 miles and, in our home ward journey at dusk, we travelled between Bedford and Barnet for a distance of 22 miles, against a head wind, In 41/ minutes.
We should like, in conclusion, to mention one or two features of the chassis which appeal to us. The six-cylindered engine has a sevenbearing crankshaft, the journal diameter being 2.3125 ins., and no doubt its particularly sweet running is largely due to this The big-end bearings are 2.065 ins, in diameter and 1.5 in. in length. The singleplate dry clutch has an effective diameter of 11i ins., the inner diameter being 7-1ins. This gives a total friction area of 179.5 sq. ins., which is ample and partly explains the nice clutch action.