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MUNICIPAL NEEDS

Great Improvements Are to Be Found in Refuse Collectors, Fire-engines, Gully-emptiers, etc.

Annison Bull, Otley, has developed a useful little tractor, known as the Waboy, for golf courses, aerodromes, etc. This tractor embodies certain Ford units, such as the model-A engine. Municipal models, known as the Waboy Patent and the Waboy de luxe, are supplied, with interchangeable wheels, rubber tyred for road, and spiked for land, with sandcart bodies and tipping gear.

Ambulances constitute the municipal products of the Austin Motor Co., Ltd., Longbridge Works, Birmingham. There is a standard 20 h.p. six-cylinder ambulance de luxe at i690, and two others of the same power, one with special chassis and body for town use, at £735, and the other the St. Andrew, at £680. Cheaper models are the 16 h.p. sixcylinder, which casts £450, and the 12 h.p. four-cylinder at £415. Such extras as elevating gear, hot-water heating, washing equipment, are supplied at an additional cost. There are also ambulances for special service, such as the conveyance of fever. patients.

Barford and Perkins, Ltd., Rochester, is well known for its Pioneer motor rollers. The Victor is supplied in two weights, 121 cwt. and 15 cwt., to meet the demand for a light three-roll machine for work on footpaths, playgrounds, etc. The two main driving rolls have a narrow space be-. tween them which permits the use of a differential, whilst the front roll htu,• a generous overlap. Both sides are clear to permit rolling close to walls, etc. The drive is taken by bevel-gear reversing mechanism incorporating two clutches.

Bedford products, made by Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., Edgware Road, The Hyde, London, N.W.9, include a useful fire-engine at £685, utilizing the Bedford 2-ton short chassis with twin rear wheels. It is equipped with 250-300 g.p.m. turbine pump, 35-ft. escape, 120 ft. of first-aid hose, 45-gallon tank, etc. Next comes the refuse wagon at 1385. This is' on the long chassis. Wheel-arehes run the length of the body on a level plane, so that they offer no obstruction to tipping. Three metal-covered flaps at each side are operated by rodlever gear.

The ambulance also costs £385 and utilizes a special chassis with suitable springing, shock absorbers, low-pressure tyres, etc. The body is coachbuilt and panelled with metal-faced Plymax, the inside being finished with three-ply. Ventilation is by Beclawat Typhoon half-drop windows and a Colt device in the roof. The equipment includes Carter's elevating gear.

Butterfields of Shipley, the well-known makers of tanks and other equipment, produce excellent refuse bodies for fitting to various chassis. These are of mild-steel plates with' steel doors. Some have canvas covers with laths to keep them stretched ; others,' such•as are being used for the Karrier CYR chassis, have all-steel roller blinds in each of the six openings. In this case, the rear doors have strong wood frames covered with steel.

• Many trailers for municipal use have been supplied by Carrimore Six Wheelers, Ltd., High Road, Great North Road, London, N.12. One, which was designed, to the order of Priestman Bros., .of Hull, for carrying an excavator, has been sold to Lancashire County Council. The approximate dimensions of this trailer are 20 ft. by 7 ft. The company is notable for having produced one of the largest-capacity tipping vehicles, in. which the prime mover is the 100 h.p. Carrimere-Lynx with Bromilow and Edwards gear. A large assortment of municipal vehicles has been supplied by Commer Cars, Ltd.; Luton, as in the case of the Commer GL3 3-ton special street-waterer with Eagle equipment.

The Commer Centaur 2-tonner forms a highly satisfactory vehicle for refuse collection, the 7 cubic-yd. body on the long-wheelbase model being that most recently introduced. It can be supplied with hand-operated or mechanical tipping gear. The C'ommer ambulance, as supplied to Luton, is remarkable for its exceptional riding comfort, roominess and moderate price.

Dundee Corporation has a Raider 30-cwt. carrying a special bulk petrol tank ; this acts as a re-fuelling machine for the double-deekers operated in the city. This particular vehicle has, a Thompson, Brothers oval tank.

The Crossley J-type ambulance is supplied by Crossley' Motors, Ltd., Gorton, Mancheste,r... It is speedy, comfortable, and is much appreciated by many municipalities. It is on a 20.9 h.p. six-cylinder chassis, with semi-elliptic springs front and rear fitted -directly under the frame; those at the C34 rear are off-set and underslung. Four types of stretcher equipment can be provided, but a speciality is made of the L'asilift two-stretcher equipment. De Dion-Bouton combined watering and sweeping machines are marketed in this country by Botten and Stewart, Ltd., High Street, East Finchley, London,. N.2. The tank capacity is 720 gallons and the chassis employed is the model LM. The municipal department of Dennis Bros., Ltd., Guildford, is dealing with four refuse collectors for Deards, Ltd., Camden Town, for use in connection with that company's contract for St. Pancras North Division. Each body has a capacity of 12 cubic yds. Twelve refuse collectors of similar capacity are being supplied to Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for service in Camberwell, and 7 cubic-yd. collectors for Guildford, Hambledon and Godstone. Hambledon has also ordered an 800-gallon cesspool emptier. An order for no fewer than 80 machines of various types for the Tanzim Department of Cairo was recently received. One of the most useful machines is the Handyman for street watering, gutter flushing and cesspool emptying. This • has a capacity of 050 gallons. The company is also famous for its fire-engines, of which 200 have been supplied to the London Fire Brigade, one of the latest being an 80 hp. escape first-aid tender. The Dennis trailer pump is favoured by many smaller municipalities.

A fleet of 12 Pactum refuse collectors on-the 4-ton forward-control chassis has been supplied to Portsmouth. In this an hydraulically operated plate compresses the bulkier, articles and virtually increases the capacity of the body. St. Marylebone utilizes a 1,100-gallon Dennis gully emptier on the 6-ton chassis. _ Amongst the concerns supplying equipment for municipal use, the Eagle Engineering ,Co., Ltd., Eagle wick, has gained a high reputation. In spite of municipal .ponotay last year it supplied manymunicipal vehicles,

refuse-collecting bedies and cesspool and gully ernptiers to towns here and overseas, whilst several chassis makers specify Eagle equipment. The range is far too, large to deal with in detail. We will, therefore, refer only to certain types recently supplied. A good example is the 5-6-ton cable-drum trailer supplied to Worcester. This is on pneumatics, has a two-position drawbar, 18-in. internal expanding brakes on the front wheels, and a hand-operated winch. The Eagle-Thornycroft patent side and rear-loading refuse collector with a capacity of 10-14 cubic yds., is a type which is proving very popular. Roller shutters are utilized and dust is obviated while loading and in transit. Three have just been ordered by Westminster, but are utilized only as rear loaders. The Eagle hygienic refuse collector is another popular model, It has foot-operated covers, an automatic • tail door and hydraulic tipping gear. The 600-gallon cess • pool emptier is exemplified, by the standard model mounted on a Morris-Commercial and supplied to Stratford-on-Avon.

Electricars, Ltd., Lawley Street, Birmingham, has just supplied two 24on Electricars on pneumatics to Birmingham. They are dustless loading, with upward-sliding wood shutters. By fitting pneumatics the tax is reduced to 116. They are the first of this type to be so equipped for this city. The tipping gear is electric-hydraulic, of Electricar design and manufacture, giving 45 degrees tip, and the body is of the shutter type which, in the case of these two vehicles, is of wood instead of the usual steel. The range is about 25 miles per charge.

The Ford Motor. Co., Ltd., Dagenham, has several interesting, vehicles available. Amongst these is a dustless refuse loader of either 5 or 7 cubic-yd. capacity. Three pairs of metal lids are used, opened by a pedal bar along each, side of the body. Both chassis are 2-tonners, the

smaller having a 10-ft. wheelbase, end the other a wheelbase of 13 ft. 1 in., the prices being £302 and 1375 respectively. The Fordson chassis is also utilized for fire-service work. The latest engine seats eight men, including officer and driver, and has • a light, telescopic ladder. The pump, is ,a self-priming turbine giving 250 g.p.m. 'A first-aid tank with reel and 120 ft. of hose can be supplied.' The price is £647.

An ambulance accommodating two stretcher casedis available on the 30-cwt. chassis. This has special ventilation features. first-aid and other equipment, and is priced at 1405.

The tanker en the Fordson long chassis holds 500 gallons and costs 1365. Ford engines are being utilized in such devices as the Pulsometer trailer fire pump, and as a power unit for light rollers, etc.

One of the most popular products of John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd., Leeds, is a motor gully emptier, which, in addition to working for this purpose, can be equipped for street washing, sprinkling, sewer flushing, kerb washing, cesspool emptying, gully disinfecting, etc. The tank capacity is exceptional ; that of the sludge compartment is 705 gallons, whilst the vacuum tank has a capacity of 165 gallons, the waste-water tank 70, and the clean-water tank 850, making a total of 1,790 gallons.

The chief features are that a working vacuum can be consistently relied upon, the patent separating system allows a large number of gullies to be emptied before discharging, and the refuse deposited semi-dry. Other_ Fowler products include a range of trailers from 3-ton to 8-ton capacity.

Garner Motors, Ltd., Tyseley, Birmingham, is marketing a range of low-loading chassis of 2-ton and 3-ton capacity. The Garner patented forward-control arrangement" allows immediate access toany part of the power unit. Ample accommodation is given for driver and two or three loaders

in a full-width tab. The turning circle is small, and the load distribution excellent.

The company has its own designs of body for refuse work, but can supply others to meet particular requirements. oin refuse collector has a special Garner feature. The vehicle is loaded from the rear, and there is a sliding partition running on Coburn tracks, the partition having a patent footoperated cover. The partition is gradually brought back as the body is filled. Some of the bodies have side loading with foot-operated covers, others are of the conventional roller-shutter type and can be made in either 7 or 10 cubicyd. capacity.

The Guy sweeper and loader machine, made by Guy Motors, Ltd., Fallings Park, Wolverhampton, conducts all street-cleansing duties. It waters the road surface, sweeps the refuse and positively loads this into a container by means of conveyers on an endless chain, whilst a special form of horizontal gravity tipping gear allows the full load of 2 tons to be tipped at the dump. The controls for sprinkling and sweeping are in the cab and can be operated while the vehicle is travelling, so that only one man is required. Orders for this type have recently been received from Sheffield Corporation and the Great Western Railway.

Another popular Guy model is the 7 enhic-yd. refuse collector on the UWF forward-control chassis. It is equipped with a steel refuse body made by Butterfields of Shipley, and fitted with quick-action sliding steel covers and hydraulically operated end-tipping gear.

Halley Motors, Ltd., Yoker, Glasgow, has always paid much attention to this subject. There are four standard fire-engines, the outputs ranging from 250-350 g.p.m. to 550-650 g.p.m. All models have two-stage, centrifugal Pumps. A large number of Halley tower wagons, mounted on either the 2-ton or 3-ton chassis, has been supplied to tramway undertakings.

For gully and cesspool emptiers, the equipment standardized is Eagle, varying from 500 gallons to 1,000 gallons. The smallest has been supplied on the semi-forward control model, whilst the larger are on 4-ton or 5-ton chassis with either forward or normal control. Street washers are produced up to 1,000-gallon capacity on four wheels, but for over 1,000, six-wheelers are employed or, alternatively, tractor-trailers. Westinghouse air brakes are used for large units.

Refuse collectors are supplied in three sizes, up to 5i cubic yds, on the low-loading model, and up to 10 cubic yds. on other types. Brornilow and Edwards tipping gear is employed.

Machines are built for hot liquid tar, for combining street washing -with fire fighting and for cable drums.

The road sweeper and collector made by Karrier Motors, Ltd., Karrier Works,' Huddersfield, is well known both here and abroad. It has a 700-gallon tank, and, under normal conditions, will wash and sweep some 30 miles of road per day. The sectioned brush enables roads of various cambers to be swept.

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Birmingham is.' usingthe 'Worrier Colt in 'conjunction. with a road-gritting machini; the tailboard, being dropped . so 'that chippingS thrown thereon by the loader vibrate into a hopper rim:Meg -the full width of.the.gritter. The speed of ,working is '8 m.p.h. Other Colts are employed by the Southgate and District -GasCo. as platform lorries for the interworks conveyance of_skips or the . delivery of coal and coke to the

private consumer. , Leyland Motors; Ltd, Leyland, Lanes, markets a wide variety of municipal appliances. A few examples are the Leyland Metz 85-ft. turntable escape supplied to Liverpool, and the Terrier six-wheeler, with 700 g.p.m. pump and special coach-type body for Dundee. During the recent blizzard this machine skidded on icy roads and was .diteled, but with the aid of its creeper tracks it extricated itself. Another six-wheeled fire pump is the CO with 400 g.p.m. centrally mounted pump supplied to Abingdon. „The Cub also forms a useful 7-cubic-yd. refuse collector, several being used by Bedwellty.

The Lodemor vehicle (Layeoek Engineering. Co.,. Millhouses,. Sheffield), with the largest appeal to municipalities is the patent gritting machine. It has a hopper capacity of 30-35 cwt. and

lays grit evenly to an easily adjustable thickness. The Tates product is a petrol-driven articulated truck with a trailin portion 11 ft. long and 3 ft. 9 ins. wide.

The road rollers manufactured by Marshall, Sons an. Co., Ltd., Britannia Iron Works. Gainsborougb, Line: whether steam or oil power, have, as their outstanding fee ture, their notable fuel economy. The ranges cover all usua weights, from 5 to 20 tons, and the steam-engine units cal be single-cylinder or compound cylinders. This applies t engines of the standard three-roll type, but in addition th company makes a three-roll roller—the Universal—whic has a quick-reverse engine, and is equally serviceabl for ordinary rolling or laying bituminous surfaeingE The company also makes a tandem steam road roller fo waveless resilient surfacings. Both the Universal an tandem rollers are made in a number of weights. Th three-roll type can have.enginea with flat slide-valve gear, o more modern pistori-valve gear and the latter are especial': economical in steam.

Turning to oil power, the Marshall three-roll type is mad In working weights ranging from 3i tons to 12 tons. It ha a Blackstone high-speed oil engine with one, two or thre cylinders, according to the weight. The engine has a de compression device which makes starting quite an eas matter in any temperature. The larger rollers have thre speeds and the smaller two.

The 250-400 g.p.m. fire-engine built by Morris-Commercia Cars, Ltd., Adderleyo Park, Birmingham, includes a powe unit developing 50 b.h.p., and four speeds, with a specie low ratio for negotiating unmade roads. The Gwynne mum is highly efficient, and a comprehensive equipment is in eluded with the price, which ranges from £635.

Eagle equipment is employed in the 800-gallon cesspi outfit recently supplied to Meriden, the chassis being th °courier, which has the patented feature of a " wheel-out ' engine. Other types of usual capacities are availabi. throughout the extensive range of chassis. Refuse vehicle can be supplied on the standard chassis, and typical of thi is a 2-ton, 7-cubic-yd., all-metal model with streamline, wheel-arches and aluminium spring-balanced covers.

The C-type ambulance ras a 25 h.p., six-eylindered engine four-speed twin-top gearbox and hydraulic four-whee brakes. Special suspension, hydraulic shock absorbers am large-section low-pressure tyres ensure comfort.

More than 1,00 units are working in Great Britain uncle the patents of the Pagefield system, and serve the require ments of over 3,500,000 people. One of the latest machine is the P,agefield Prodigy, supplied by David Hamilton am

bford House, Wilton Road, London, S.W.1. This ha Co.,iast and well-built machine designed to carry a usefu

load of 3 tons and bodies with capacities up to 15 cubic yds The oil engines now fitted in these vehicles effect a con siderable saving.

Nearly two years ago, Ruston and Hornsby, Ltd., Lin coln, placed. on the market oil locos with Lister engines it three sizes-10 h.p., 16 h.p. and 20 h.p. These are in last in large numbers. In addition, the company produces at oil-engined roller, also with the Lister unit. It weighs 2-2 tons, and is particularly useful for footpaths and light roadwork, as well as for the rolling of recreation grounds. When required for grass work, wide rolls can be fitted, and a drawbar can be supplied for a grass cutter.

By using Sentinels with steam-heated tanks, surfacing material can be transported long distances and sprayed by steam pump directly on to the road with less expenditure than was formerly possible. In addition, the road sprayed with hot or cold material as may be required, and under steady pressure, is more regularly covered and the penetration of the dressing extends to a greater depth.

The apparatus is mounted on a Sentinel D.G.4 built by the Sentinel Waggon Works, Ltd., Shrewsbury, and is designed for transporting and spraying any liquid road dressing. It has a 1,000-gallon tank and internal steam pipes heat the contents. At the rear is an operator's platform on which is a steam pump designed to handle road-surfacing materials, which are delivered as a fine spray 7 ft. wide ; detachable extension pipes can increase the width to 11 ft. Stop valves control the width of spray from 11 ft. down to 2 ft. in 12-in. steps.

H. C. Slingsby, Kingsway, London, ViT.C., supplies a neat road sweeper for light work, known as the Little Elephant. It employs accumulators and can be stkpplied in various sizes and weights. The tractor itself is also available without the sweeper attachment for hauling loaded trailers weighing up to 12 tons. , The Steel Barrel Co. (of Uxbridge), Ltd., Phenix Wharf, Uxbridge, markets a ;special tar-spraying plant of light weight and rigid construction, which can be mounted on any modern tank lorry. The width sprayed varies from 6 ft. in the smaller machines to 7 ft. 6 ins, in the larger. The compound is delivered by a rotary pump to the individual jets and is either circulated back to the tank or passed out to the road, according to whether the jet be closed or open. The pump runs at a constant speed, but the quantity of dressing is readily controlled.

Taskers of Andover (1932), Ltd., Waterloo Iron Works, Andover, makes a trailer refuse collector to bold 10 cubic yds., which can be used with either horses or tractors. Double or single shafts and a quickly detachable steel drawbar are provided. Hand-operated or hydraulic tipping gear is available.

The tar-spraying unit produced by Thompson Bros., (Bilston), Ltd., Bilston, is of considerable interest to road authorities. The special pump for hot tar can fill or empty the tank, or be used independently. The width of spray is 7 ft. 6 ins. A rotary pump is employed, the delivery being controlled by a common operating handle. The tank is the well-known T.B. elliptic. The outfit can be made a complete unit for fitting to ordinary open lorries. Although not strictly within the scope of this article, we may just refir to the T.B. 12-ton twin-ram combination bus lift.

No concern in the industry has had such a long experience in municipal vehicles as John I. ThornycroftY'and Co., Ltd., which supplied. the Chig.wick Council with •a steamdriven tip wagon in 1897.

The current programme includes two special low-built cbassis for refuse collectors and four others suitable for the 1:418

standardized on Thornyeroft chassis, except for fire-engines, which are the joint product of Thornycrofta and %monis, Ltd., the fire-equipment specialist. •

. The smallest municipal chassis, the type "• A Forward," is for refuse collectors of 7-Cubic-yd. capacity, and the larger type "AA Forward" for bodies of 10-13 cubic yds.; both types have a frame level of approximately 26 ins. A recent introduction is the 'Eagle-Thornycroft refuse cob lector for loading from sides or rear. An interior partition is moved to positions some 3 ft. apart as loading proceeds, at the end the top portion hinges to allow final loading from the ground. Three of these vehicles for end-loading have

recently been ordered by Westminster Council. • An interesting recent deliver* is the multi-purpose vehicle, delivered to Bedford. The "A Forward" chassis carries interchangeable bodies enabling it to be operated for :— Gully emptying, gully flushing, street watering and refuse collecting. The sliding covers on the refuse body can be removed to leave an open lorry.

The Vulcan Motor and :Engineering Co. .(1006), Ltd., Southport, is one of the pioneers in the production of specialized refuse collectors and is claimed to be the first British maker to fit pneumatics on .low-loading types.

Two types of low-loading chassis are Marketed, the b15-40 cwt. and the 3 ton. Both are of the forward7control type and have outstanding manoeuvrability. The fitting of 27-in. by 6-in. tyres gives a low loading line which is a great convenience when emptying bins. A large range of varying types of body is available to suit the individual requirements of cleansing superintendents.

It is interesting to note that repeat orders have been received in the past few days from two important cities.

Wallis and Steevenst, Ltd., Basingstoke, manufactures lightweight motor rollers pOssessing the features of the Advance steam and oil rollers, such as equalized weight distribution, automatic cambering axle, underslung forecarriage, etc. The power unit is the Morris four-cylindered industrial-type engine, to operate either on petrol or paraffin. The gearbox provides four speeds; and a reverse operative on all. Transmission is by enclosed spur and bevel. gears. The rollers revolve on their axles and each is positively driven. The four models available have weights of 2 tons, 2i tons, 3 tons and 4 tons, and there are special types with wide rolls for grass work.

One of the best-known of the gully emptiers is the Yorkshire, made by the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co., Hunslet, Leeds, It is claimed to be capable of emptying 200 gallons a day. It raises vacuum quickly, has a self-discharging sludge tank, and the excess water can be drained off without breaking the vacuum, whilst power street-washing and sprinkling gear can be fitted if required. The vacuum tank holds 110 gallons, the sludge tank 000 gallons, and the re-sealing water tank 1,000 gallons.

In addition to the products already referred to, municipaTities make considerable use of light vans, and of those carrymg 15 cwt. or less the following are good examples :—Austin, various models from 5-15 cwt.; Bedford, 10-12 cwt. ;

7 cwt. ; Commer, 8 cwt. ; Dodge Brothers, 15 cwt.; Ford, 5 cwt. and 12 cwt.; Jowett, 7 cwt.; Morris, 5 ewt. and 8-10 -cwt.; Morris-Commercial, 15 ewt. ; Singer, 5 cwt. and 12 cwt. ; Standard, 8 cwt.;; Trojan, 7 cwt., 10 cwt. and 12 cwt. Specifications of these were included in our ipsue dated December 16.