NEW MODELS?
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By "The Inspector."
AS THE OPENING DAY for the great Show approaches, I suppose most of us are increasingly giving thought, in one way or another, to that event. From my own point of view, 1 shall be much interested to observe what progress, if any, has been made in connection with the design of commercial motor vehicles and their accessories. When one comes to think of it, there has, relatively, been little advance, indeed, as a whole, in connection with the evolution of the modern ,industrial vehicle for some year's past. It may be said, of course, that this speaks very highly in itself for the class of vehicle which proved, without modification of any import, to be admirably suited for a test such as that encountered during service in the great war—a test as strenuous as any ever devised by the wit of man.
As a:matter of fact, we are to this day, going along
quite satisfactorily with machines which, in all their essential characteristics, correspond to the vehicles with which we were familiar in 1913-14. This is DO doubt due to the circumstance that the demand has, during the past year or two, so far exceeded the supply that as machines of satisfactory antecedents and reputation existed in the production programmes of quite a number of the prominent manufacturers, there was really very little to gain by attempting re-design on any considerable scale. • And, yet., it is a fact well known to the writer, and to others, of course, that most of the principal manufacturers of petrol machines have complete new ranges of models long ago approved on their drawing boards and, in sonic cases, the first examples of these new models have already been built and tested out. It is only reasonable, therefore, to anticipate that we shall see something of these plans which have been made concurrently with the extension of production programmes on the older lines.
The Olympia Show, it is to be hoped, will reveal quite a number of forward steps in constructional matters. It is a little difficult to forecast, with any degree of certainty, in what direction improvements will have been attempted, but we may usefully speculate on those lines in a few brief paragraphs.
The writer has in mind that one of thc features of the modern chassis, to which insufficient attention has hitherto been directed, is in connection with the suspension. As we know it to-day, on most of the standard models it is really a very crude arrangement. The standard half-elliptic; spring, with its short links, has been thought sufficient, to date, to meet most requirements, and, of course, the great improvement that has taken place in connection with road construction methods has dulled desire to improve matters so far as the chassis itself and its ability to withstand road shocks are concerned. There have, of course, in the past, been numberless imaginative attempts to evolve new schemes, but not one of them, to date, has pointed a way to drastic improvement— at any rate, in respect of the heavier models. Car practice certainly has advanced in this direction, and all sorts of experiments based on a scientific knowledge of what is required and what can be done have advanced us considerably. One wonders, therefore, 'whether this all-important field for improvement will have been traversed at all by the expert. car designers, whose schemes should be made public for the first time in November at the London Show.
• Allied to the question of suspension proper, there is, of course, the equally interesting one of the much Nvider adoption of pneumatic tyres. Largely owing to the very forcible, propaganda initiated by one or two American tyre manufacturers, a great deal of undoubted interest has been aroused in this connection during the past few months, and opinion is, Certainly, at the present time, about equally divided, amongst users at any rate, as to the prospects of the wider supersession of the solid-rubber tyre. The matter has been discussed at great length—on the basis of pure speculation it must be admitted—in the columns of the Press, and it has been debated widely amongst those who are concerned with the running and maintenance of industrial vehicles. There is not a great deal of ascertained data available so far, but it is a certainty that the question will be one of the most prominent to be discussed at the Show. We shall certainly see not a few chassis, and particularly chars-iebanes, fitted throughout with pneumatio tyres—both giant single and twin, so far as the rear wheels are concerned. There is, also, the question of the alternative fitting of mixed sets—pneumatic and solid—and the ventilation of opinions as to whether, in such sets, the pneumatic should be on the front or the rear wheels. The writer has heard expressions of opinion in favour of both plans.
With regard to engines, it is not probable that we shall discover anything very novel that, is proposed, in such new models as i
amay be staged. It s unlikely that further accession of support will be found for the six-cylinder motor. Matters seem to be settling down to standardization in this,direction very steadily. The electrical equipment of'the engine is still a question upon which one hears varying criticisms, and we yet have to arrive at finality with regard to the provision of electrical or other starters for the bigger models. Now that petrol is once again i soaring sky-high, this problem is one which demands renewed attention, if only from the paint of view of possible petrol economy and of tempting drivers to stop their engines, whenever possible, at resting points.
Of the other units in the standard type of petrol chassis, it is unlikely we shall witness anything very startling in the way of new design. Anything comparable with the departure involved in the one-time adoption of the chain-drive gearbox is unlikely, although, perhaps, we may hear something more of developments in connection with petrol-electric transmission. The stepped gear still continues to answer its purpose in a remarkable way : it is one of those mechanical compromises that has more than justified itself. It is a gross injustice that manufacturers should not have the full military records available to them.
Of back axles, much was learned in the great war, and much has been done in the interval in this connection as the result of lessons learned in military service. The live axle, of course, holds the field.
Steam wagon design has always been rather conservative, but construction of these typically British machines has tended, of late years, to fotlow some of the more definite lines upon which designers of their internal-combustion rivals haye worked—particularly in the matter of suspension, steering, brakes, and control, and there will undoubtedly be many interesting things to remark in this oonnection at Olympia.