From Our U.S.A. Correspondent.
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Commercial Vehicles at Madison Square.
The first American attempt to hold a purely commercialvehicle show cannot but be regarded as encouraging. It is interesting, and not a little instructive, to recall the exhibits of a year ago, and to note the immense strides which have been made in U.S.A. Induetrial Vehicles in the short space of 12 months. Madison Square Carden— somewhat smaller than the Agricultural Hail, at Islington, is well filled, so the size of the exhibition may be gauged. A notable feature LS the large crowd of apparentls-intelligent visitors who crush into the building from 10 a.m. tiff 11 p.m. It is the opinion of all—whether neinufautimers or purchasers, that a very large industry indeed has been opened up. A significant fact was brought out by the " Wail Street Journal, which, in an Eeitorial, states: '• Not only does this country offer an attractive hid for development, but foreign countries are awakening to the possibilities. Argentina is said to be ready for the business wagon; Russia, too, has excellent chances for American manufacturers." From which it may be gathered that American builders are out to do business on an extended scale of operations, with the world tor their territory.
The cars shown range in capacity from loads of 1,000 lb. up to 20,000 It., the prices varying front i:130 to 1:L,200, so that every class of user should find something of interest, and certainly every class of user was represented and seemed anxious to get into conversation with the exhibitors representatives. A prominent visitor was Mr. Frank Brown, of Huddersfield, who had come to see the effect of his worm gears which have been intredueed by the Pieree-Arrow :Visitor Car Co. in its new five-ton truck; as this is an inovation on this side, it certainly did create something of a sensation, and, during the show, was the centre ot a very curious crowd.
The exhibitors at the show were all members of the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers, duly licensed, under the Selden Patent, which, as as COMMERCIAL Moron ',vas among the first journals to eintounce, in the last year of its existence, has been shorn of most of its significance by the recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeal that Henry Ford, Panhard and Layassor, and others are not infringing the Patent. This decision, of Course, has changed the whole status of the A.L.A.M.; it has now become a very pacific institution, whereas formerly it adopted a somewhat belligerent attitude. Practically, it becomes an organisation precisely similar to the S.M.M.T. In early days, the Selden patent served the very useful purpose of holding together the various members of the Association; the constant necessity for co-operation over the legal aspects of the situation made for unanimity. Now, however, by the natural course of circumstances, the members have become united by a community of interests which alone are able to form a sufficient inducement to them to remain loyal to their organisation, and there is no doubt that, so tar from the A. [.A.M. losing strength and prestige by the Court's decision, the very reverse will be the ease, and many new members will probably join the Society now that the one controversial condition has been removed
The present show, however, is strictly confined to licensed manefacturers, and, in consequence, is not wholly representative of modern commercial-vehicle practice; foreigners, of course, are excluded, and the Siemer truck, which has up to now been one of the most successful in America, is not on show. It is still somewhat difficult to work up much enthusiasm over many of the cars, but there are exceptions ; in many instances, and not always in the smaller models, the influence of the touring ear is still apparent, entire units Which were iiriginally designed for the lighter vehicles being made to serve on
the trucks. A prominent example of this is the Packard three-ton truck, in which the engine is a standard touring ('Sr model, and the familiar Packard gearbox, built in one with the back axle of the touring car, is made to do ditty for the heavier load named. The entire unit is hung in the truck frame in such a manner that the normally live axle becomes the differential shaft, and is geared to the road wheels by means of roller chains. It is a fact, however, that the Packard three-tanner, during the last two years, has given excellent service, and, apart from one's predilections towards any particular design, that is the final test of worth. On its stand, which occupied just one-fourth of the whole central area of the main floor, the Packard company, in addition to a number of different types of three-ton vehicles, showed two standard 30 h.p. Packard Leering cars, which were mounted respectively as first-aid fire-engine with chemical apparatus, and policepatrol wagon, the later being a type of vehicle unknown in England; in these vehicles potential defendants, to use IA favourite American expression, are " rushed " from the scene of their apprehension into the presence of legal majesty. The weight of a chemical fire-engine and a crew of eight men hardlyseems a fair load for this very light, if excellent chassis. The Packard Company, however, is one of the three foremost builders of touring ears, and the quality of its material and workmanship are of the very highest obtainable. The Mack Co. staged a very large number of examples of its products, the differences being mainly confined to different types of bodies; this company's chassis has no specially novel features, but as it has been in existence a 'umber of years now it may he assumed that itss maker has experience to back it up. The design, however, is not very different from the models built in England in 1905.
'Iwo other exhibitore, both of whom were newcomers. and, therefore, only allotted space under the s'ide galleries, meet be specially mentioned. The Peerless, and the Pierce-Arrow ; these two, with the Packard Company, form the trinity of " Ps " who are generally supposed to lead the way in the best American practice in automobile construction. The Peerless Company hies a threeton model which, with modified springs, may he used as a four-tonner. It has a rigid channel-section frame, and it large four-speed gearbox hung up by four bolts to the cross members of the frame; it is apparent. that the long gearshafts, unsupported except at the ends, may give trouble, especially when the inflexible nature of the susPension is considered, and it strikes one as somewhat astonishing that, with its very large experience of touringcar practice, this company should have omitted to provide for the lubrication of the front spring pins. This is a detail, however, which can very easily. be remedied, and no doubt will be in the near future.
Of the Pierce-Arrow five-ton chassis I need say little except that it is not an example of present-day American practice, and that it is not an overgrown touring car. As already mentioned, it has a worm-driven live axle, and when I state that its designer has, in a humble way. endeavoured to reproduce what seemed to him the hest features of European practice, modified to suit the conditions of American roads, it is, perhaps, as far as I can be expected to go in these notes.
To describe all the cars in detail would probably be tiresome to English readers, and, therefore, I will confine myself to some general observations under the headings of the various units of the chassis, with due apologies to the Editor for the amount of space I am taking up. and to the compositors who will have towork from this M.S., written in the Empire State Express no my way back to Buffalo.
Frames.
In all the models for two tons and upwards the majority of the frames are built up very rigidly of strneturous steel sections, in some cases an f section being usee for the side members, with channel bars and broad gussets forinite,. the cross members; in only one or tet I ases do i-aut a tapered pressed-steel side frame, one of which is the exhibit of the Pierce-Arrow Cumpany. euleframes ;Ire urcasionally used for the support ot the motor. but in ime case, that of Stearns, the front end is hung upon a eteni-elliptie leaf spring that is tarried inside the side members of the main frame. just what attvantages or laheriviso this method of suspension offers it is a litt:e difficult to say, but 1 think it is novel, at. any rate in Ameriea. Another carefully carried out proposition, ef euniewlett dubious value, is the Cerabowski, eliich has the tehole motor (a horizontal opposed type) mode io draw forward on slide bars, and, by thus allotting it. toremoved front its normal position of complete tonceelment beneath the driver's seat, to render it quite fteieseilde for inspection or repair. My own opinion on the queetion Cl short wheelbase and motor-under-seat construetion arc, I. think, well known, and I confess to vitecieg with as niuth satisfaction as surprise dint nn increasing properI cu of designers is adopting the motor-in-front type, on %thick lines, I should say, fully 50 per cent. of all the cars shown this year were built. Of smaller frames there is not much to say except that they are almost universally of the pressed type, and
give one the impression that they were requisitioned from the stock rooms of the touring-ear departments.
Springs.
The favourite form of spring is one which one seldom sees in Europe ; it is of " Ogee " pattern, and, if oejudge from appearances, is usually of an extremely un yielding character. An exaggerated example of this is that ill the Hewitt 10-ton truck, of which spring an iilustradun is appended; it is fixed below the axle, leaving a road clearance of abmit 4 in., and this on American roads where e in. clearance is not considered enough for a tourinn car. I take off my hat to the designer who ezdeulated the stressee and the deflection under load in this example. Oue electric vehicle is unique in the matter of springs: the front axle supports the frame on four long helical springs, placed one in front of the other, nail the side motion is checked by a parallel-motion arrangement of links; it looks as though it might be flexible, hut a. broken unit among this arrangement of springs might lead to other troubles.
Front Axles.
ffere, perhaps, is the greatest amount: of diversite : the strange curvature of outline on the Mogull resembles an intricate pattern on some Arabesque screen ; the PierceArmee axle is perfectly straight and permits a road clear:thee of 12 in. Many of the exhibits Imre considerably lees than that amount. One cannot help but admire the makers who have produced such weird drop foreines ns some of the axles I examined.
Steering Gears.
For the most part these follow accepted pit ths of design. ale! since 1 last criticised the exhibits, at Mailiser Square. a year ago, there has been a complete modification. All models are now far stiffer than at that time, and, if one excepts the ense of a 10-ton truck, are fitted with perfectly reversible steering gears of the rack and pinion type.
Rear Axles.
For vehicles up to 3,000 lb. capacity, bevel-driven live axles are almost universal, and some very good examples
are shown. For large chassis, the side-chain type of final-drive is universal, with the single exception of the Pierce-Arrow. I was somewhat struck by the fact. that no one used the " silent " type of chain; in fact. one maker of chains—the Whitney (a. thoroughly good and well-made chain of both roller and rocker types), informed me that his firm sold no " silent " chains for truck transeessffins as Ha y had prored aitogether .unsutisf artery ice Gentlemen who •operate omnibuses in London may I ike to note this statement.
I. may mention that several makers now fit scone form of atutehment by which, if necessary, the differential may be locked, on occasion, to enable a driver to extricate his cur from snow drifts or deep mud. One truck has quite a neat device; it consists of a dog-clutch which locks the differential-when a third pedal is depressed. Of eotirse the locked differential is no novelty; it is employed unite redly on traction engines and similar machines.
Brakes.
As I have before pointed out. American practice places both foot and hand brakes on the same drums, which are usually mounted on the rear wheels. I do not recall any exception to this in the show last year, and it is universally followed this year ill all the small live-axle trUcks; in the case of chain-driven cars, however, two brake drums—one on each chain shaft—are. the general rule, and some good examples of well-arranged balance levers, etc., may be seen As this both-brakes-on-onedrum practice was always quite a strong talking point over here on the principle of " apply your brake on the wheel itself," it is instructive to note how the ideas of designers are changing in this respect.
Transmission Gears.
There seems very little to note about gearbox practice generally ; most makers have adopted Ivider gears than formally and a direct drive on the top speed seems now general ; in some cases, however, the gearshafte seem to Inunnecessarily long between supports, and provision is not always made for perfect interlocking. In the case of the Rapid vehicle, the disc clutch is placed on the icor • ee/ of the gearbox. Generally speaking, however, gearbox design follows aceepted: lines and does not call for spetial 1.0111ment
Motors.
Converning motors, petthaps the least is to be said. 'The four-cylinder vertical engine is the accepted type, but the predilection of some designers for the motor-underseat construction is responsible for the continued existenee of the horizontal-opposed type of engine, several examples of which were to be seen; they struck me as being " volumes of forgotten lore," quaint and curious ICI boot. The only six-cylinder engines, of course, were on lire-trucks; the Knox Co. shows a good example. Several persons expressed surprise that the PierceArrow truck. made in the factory which formerly was
exclusively devoted to the production of six-cylinder touring cars, was not equipped with this type of motor —1 will think over this.
Conclusion.
Taking the exhibition as a whole, one is certainly struck with the very healthy condition of the commercial-vehicle industry generally. I am inclined to think that there are too many sizes made, but this is only natural in a country where users have not yet had much opportunity to decide, • from actual experience, just what they do want. -But the custom of overloading must be put down some/our. It • is doubtful which is the more idiotic: the buyer who says " I want a three-ton vehicle," knowing perfectly well that he means to put 4!, tons on to it, or the builder who advertises a three-ton car, which can be overloaded up to five tons. The sooner this insane custom is alinridoued.
the better for everyone, both users or builders, and the sooner will tire makers see their way to giving the much to be desired guarantee for 10,000-miles performances.
One other thing occurs to me, and that is the limit of size to which power-driven wagons should be built. There is one maker who shows a 10-tan model, and I have seen several of these in use in the streets of New York City. I am not impressed with the design of these vehicles, although I can appreciate their utility in handling coal and the like. They do not look as though they could for long stand the enormous strains to which they must necessarily he put; but, granted this proviso, that they do stand up in use, the next problem is to construct a road which will stand them. If builders and users impose thus upon the good nature of road authorities there will come a day of reckoning when legislation of a prohibitive nature is apt to hit the user rather heavily. H. K. T.