Royal Show Novelties at a Glance
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BELOW we present a brief review of some of the novelties spotted by a special representative at the Royal Show at Wolverhampton. The exhibition closes to-morrow and time is short; this guide will enable lastminute visitors to " see the sights " with a minimum of trouble.
A feature of the Fordson row-crop tractor on Stand 27 is the ingenious way in which the track, can be altered in accordance with the spacing of the rows. The live-axle shafts are splined and_ a .split sleeve intervenes .between the !nib of the wheel and the spline; this sleeve being secured by four setscrews. The result is that adjustment of track width can be made to fractions
ot an inch. .
To, release the false hub, as it may be termed, two push-off screws are provided. The wheel is reversible on this hub, so that the track variation is from 52 ins. to 92 ins.
On the standard Fordson tractor the width of the land wheels is now 9 ins., instead of 12 ins., and the lugs fitted are reversible and of improved design. The exhaust pipe is now vertical, a point of intereSt in view of recent medial investigations into the health of B24 tractor drivers, which showed this position to be best.
Among the road-transport vehicles on the stand, a novelty is the 25-cwt. semi-forward-control van—the outcome of experience with the-25-cwt. lorry.
• The next stand (28) is occupied by Comrner Cars, Ltd., and Karrier Motors, Ltd. A feature of the cattletruck body by Thorne (shown on a Cornmer N3 chassis) is the floor, which is of teak and is designed to compensate for expansion and contraction consequent upon frequent waShing. It is• open-topped, with two decks. Provision.is made for the 'upper floor to be extended either the full length of the
• vehicle, or only part way. The rear ramp door is spring loaded.
A Dodge Utility Van.
An interesting exhibit on the Dodge stand (33) is the utility 'van. It has a comfortable cab and removable seats for five passengers. There are four doors, two on each side, giving access to the cab and the main conipartment.
The five Indiana chassis shown on Stand 35 are alike as regards engine power, the six-cylindered units being of 3i-in. bore and 41-in. stroke. The gearbox provides four speeds and the rear axle is of the spiral-bevel type. The chassis shown differ mainly in respect of wheelbase and corresponding dimensions, the smallest being 10 ft. 11 ins., and the largest 16 ft.
The new Firestone spade-lug tyre, the novelty among exhibit on Stand 52, appears to be a useful contribution to efficiency of tractor operation in the fields. Substantial herring-bone lugs are moulded on to the cover and should afford adhesion under the most unfavourable conditions.
International Harvester is showing on Stand 97 three examples of the D line of commercial vehicles. All are sided lorries.
There is also a new model of track laying tractor, known as the TD 35.
. This is oil-engined, but starts on petrol. The change from petrol -to oil occurs when a predetermined number of " revs" has been made.
Massey-Harris, Ltd., is displaying for the first time, on Stand 78, the Challenger -tractor for roW-crop cultivation. fitted with a Stanhay tool bar. The adjustment of track is from 52 ins. to 80 ins. On the live axle are grooves an inch apart, in which a spring ring registers and holds the central split hub at the required distance.
F. 'Perkins, Ltd. (Stand 150) has an interesting display designed to illustrate the variety of applications of the , Perkins oil engine. The Fordson tractor, fitted with a Leopard engine, is of particular interest; but, from the point of view of novelty, we have selected the Kohler-Perkins automatic lighting set. It is believed that this is the first Iighti ing set of its kind to be equipped with an oil engine.
The new Marshall 12-20 general-purpose tractor (Stand 83) embodies a.-20 b.h.p. cold-starting solid-injection-type compression-ignition. engine. The single-cylindeted horizontal two-stroke power uuit is of 6-in. .bore and 9-in.' stroke. The transmission embodies a
three-speed gearbox and spur and pinion live-axle drive. The three Lath tractors on Stands 327 and 388 are all of the new Mark I type. The engine, which has been entirely redesigned, is a four-cylindered overhead-valve unit of 95-mm. bore and 130-mm. stroke, with a high compression ratio, and it develops 53 b.h.p. at 2,000 r.p.m. Two types of tractor are shown. One has retractable lugs for use in the forest and on the field, as well as on the road, whilst the other is a. road machine pure and simple.
A Single-speed Tractor.
The characteristic of the exhibits on Stand 102 of Wallis and Co. (Long Eaton), Ltd., might be stated to be the application of the J.A.P. 600 c.c. water-cooled engine as a power unit for small rollers and tractors. The exhibit of most interest is, perhaps, the agricultural tractor, a single-speed machine designed for work among row crops and by market gardeners.
The clutch-operating gear is arranged so that the movement of the outfit can be controlled either from the driver's seat or when walking behind. The drawbar hitch is designed to fit exist ing implements. '
The Miller wheel (Stand 171) has undergone some slight improvement since last year. The cleat is now elee, trically welded to the angle-iron fastening and is provided with a lateral projection, which enters a corresponding slot in the wheel and provides better holding power.
A New Row.crop Model.
The most interesting exhibit by Associated Manufacturers Co. (London), Ltd. (Stand 172), is a new rowcrop tractor. The wheels are held on the axle by split hubs and key, and adjustment of track width is quite simple. The wheel can be reversed, so as to give maximum width. There are two independent brakes acting on the differential gear, in such a way that one wheel alone can be stopped, so as to facilitate turning.
A comprehensive range of Caterpillar tractors is shown on Stand 92 by H. Leverton and Co., but the most noteworthy exhibit is a tractor coupled to a combined three-row ridger, manure spreader and dibber for potatoes. The implement is power controlled and is claimed to be an advance on anything of its kind yet marketed. A feature of these tractors is the fitting of recording meters showing hour by hour how the engine is running. The .meter is arranged to operate when the governor is fully open.