AN ELECTRIC BUILT FOR A SPECIAL TASK.
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ASPECIAL type of vehicle has just been completed by Electromobile, Ltd., for supply to the Glasgow Corporation for dealing with offal from the slaughter -houses.
This machine will carry approximately four tons of wct material, and, as it operates in the passages below the slaughter-house proper, it is called upon to negotiate right-angle turns from a passage 15 ft. wide Into others which are but 9 ft.. wide. It also happens that the headroom in the passages is very limited, whilst the elutes discharging the material into the body have restricted the dimensions of the machine to a very considerable extent. The wheelbase is 8 ft. 4 ins., the height over the cab 7 ft. 5 ins., and the height of the body 5 ft. 9 ins.
The body is entirely constructed of steel, and is arranged with a flat, closefitting cover and rubber-jointed rear doors, The tipping gear (which, by the way, is very efficient and easy to operate) is telescopic and is winch operated.
• The battery consists of 40 lead cells, giving 360 ampere-hours' capacity, and is accommodated in a cradle below the frame.
The chassis is the latest Electromobile type, each of the rear wheels being driven by a separate motor through internal gear and silent chain, the motors being suspended from the frame so that no weight falls upon the axle itself. Electromobile, Ltd., produce a number of types of electric yehiele of great interest to cleansing superintendents and other municipal officials. The 25-30-cwt. truck, for instance, is specially designed for areas which have narrow passages and cul-de-sacs, the loading line being low and, owing to the low level of the vehicle generally, the driver being enabled to walk alongside, steering, controlling, and braking as it is being driven from door to door. He is, therefore, able to help in the loading opera tions. This truck can be driven with equal facility in either direction, which is a -great advantage when negotiating narrow passages.
Amongst other Electromobile vehicles calling for special attention is the 2-ton industrial truck with a body which tips to either side. This is of considerable ti8e to electricity and gas departments, its body capacity being 36 cubic ft., for coal and ash work. The body is of the balanced type and needs only a slight pressure of the hand to tip a full lead. The great asset of a vehicle of this description is that it is not confined to set routes.