THE SMITHFIELD SHOW.
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A Good Display of Steam Wagons and Tractors.
A• FTER a lapse of two years, the annual show of the Smithfield Club has been resumed at the
• Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington. This is the 118th show of its kind, and, as in past years, a number of exhibits of interest to our readers is to be seen. This Show has always aroused considerable interest amongst the farming and agricultural community, and although it is not invested with the dignity and ceremony of the Royal Shaw, it has a reputation quite its own. The number of commercial-vehicIe exhibitors is fairly representative this year, although several manufacturers have been prevented bum showing certain productions as a result of the moulders' strike. Those of our readers who can afford the time to visit the Show will, however, find much to interest them. We deal in a brief form in the notes which follow with the chief mechanically-propelled exhibits.
The Smithfield Club have apparently this year withheld facilities from the Press for securing eiarly details, and as a consequence our report may be somewhat incomplete. It has been necessary for, us to secure all the details which we publish, some days before going to press and before the Show opens, but we have done our best in the circumstances, although we have been considerably handicapped in our efforts.
Tasker.
A chain-drive tractor, a three-ton rubber-tyro:I steam wagon with end-tipping body, and an end-tipping trailer comprise the exhibits on this company's stand.
The tractor is one of the company's standard type, and is fitted with Air. Hoare's patent chain drive. The design in the arrangement of the sear springing is also a novel feature.
The three-ton steamer is alsO a standard production of the company. It is fitted with single-chain drive, the differential gear being incorporated in the main chain -wheel. The gearing is arranged to give two speeds. The tipping body of this vehicle is operated by hand.
The end-tipping trailer, which comprises the third exhibit, is fitted with a new design of tipping gear, the object of, which is to maintain the load evenly distributed over the two axles when the trailer is travelling on the road, and at the same time to facilitate the tipping.
Robey.
• Robey and Co., Ltd., stage one of their 5-ton steam wagons. The outstanding point of this wagon is its low weight. With the load-carrying capacity evenly • distributed over the body, the rear wheels together impose on the ground a total of only 7i tons. The reduction of weight in the wftale of the design Of the chassis has been. carefully carried out, but in the main its lightness is due to the boiler construction.
The engine-is of the usual type, corn
pound, with double high-pressure gear, which is typical of steam wagon design. A tip body is fitted to this wagon, and the hydraulic tipping gear is fitted with a telescopic ram worked from a pump, which is engine-driven, within the cab.
International Harvester.
This company are showing both in the main gallery anel in Gilhey Hall. The exhibits in the main gallery consist mainly of harvesters, binders, and mowers, and are not of direct interest to our readers, but the other exhibits, which are a 25 h.p. International Junior tractor and a 10-20 h.p. Titan tractor, should come in for attention.
The International Junior has a fourcylindered overhead valve engine of 4 ins.
bore and 5 ins. stroke. A noticeable feature in the engine construction is that the cylinders have renewable sleeves. The gearbox provides three speods forward and a reverse.
The engine construction of the Titan tractor is most interesting. This is of the horizontal, two-cylindered side-byside type. The gearing gives two speeds forward and a reverse.
Aveling and Porter.
This Rochester concern have been exhibiting at Smithfield .Shows for many past years, and on this occasion they are showing one of their 6 h.p. road locomotives for heavy haulage work. It is fitted with a compound engine. A compound steam tractor mounted on rubber-tyrecl wheels is also shown.
Garrett.
Three machines are of interest to our readers on this company's stand. The superheated steam wagon shown is designed to carry .a cross load of six tons; it is mounted on rubber tyres.
The five-ton steam tractor shown is designed and constructed for a gross load of about 12 toes, including Ile tare weight of a trailer wagonIt is fitted with the Garrett patent corrugated firebox. The corrugated crown plates, it is claimed, give an addition of upwards of 25 per cent. in: crown plate heating surface as compared with a fiat top firebox with the same grate area.
The 7 'h.p. single-cylindered generalpurpose traction._ engine suitable for road haulage or for driving, threshing, and other farm machinery is also to be seen_
Martin.
Apart from other agricultural inachinery, Martin's Cultivator Co_ Ltd., ghow a self-contained, three-furrow motor plough and a general-purpcse, fourwheeled tractor.
The former machine is cif the .endless rype. It is self-contained, and can easily be operated by one man. The lifting ofthe plough is done by means of a friction clutch of the Vgrooved type, worked from the engine_ This machine is fitted with a fourcylindered engine having a bore of 41
by 5i ins. respectively. The gearbox provides one forward and one reverse speed.
The four-wheeled tractor is fitted with a similar engine. The final drive in this type consists of spur gears and internallytoothed rings.
Mann. .
Two machines are on the stand occupied by this Leeds company, the first being a light steam agricultural tractor, which is to the order of Major Stewart, of Burnby Hall, Pocklington, Yorkshire, and the other a 3-ton steam wagon. Both machines are standard in every respect, and contain all the well-known features typical of the company's manufacture, such as the side-firing of the bailer which permits of one-man control.
Burrell.
Only one vehicle is shown by Charles Burrell and Sons, Ltd., and this takes the form of a 5 6.p. road locomotive. This vehicle is fitted with double-crank compound cylinders.
Overtime.
One of the company's 1919 model N" tractors is shown.' : The' chief points where improvements have been effected over the previous models made by this company are in the total enclosure of the change-speed gearing, the fitting of Hyatt roller bearings throughout the gearbox, and the provision of a somewhat • larger engine. " The latter unit, is of the Side-by-side type . with overhead valves. The clutch is of the contracting band type, and the.power is con-. veyed by a two-speed and. reverse gear, box of the ordinary sliding gear type. The differential is driven by spur gearing, and its casing forms an extension of the gearbox casting: The engine speeds are . from 400 •r.p.m. to 150 r.p.m., 550 r.p.m. being the normal speed of running.
Clayton and Shuttleworth...
This coan-pany are showing a five-ton steam wagon with fixed body, a
pound steam stea..m traction engine, and a: coinpeund steam tractor.
The steam Wagon is the company's well-known standard over-type :model, and is similar to that Shown at the recent Roads and Transport Congressand Exhibition. It is fitted with a compound engine, and provision is made for admitting high-pressure steam to the low pressure cylinder. The compound steam tractor -will haul
• from B to 10 tons at a speed of 5 m.p.h. In addition to a differential gear, the main axle is fitted with a winding drum, which is found to. be of considerable value when negotiating difficult ground.
Saunderson.
One of the company's 23-25 teh.p. tamtors is shown., The power unit of this , tractor is a two-cylinder vertical engine which has been specially designed to consume paraffin as a fuel. The company's new design of paraffin vaporizer is fitted. The, clutch is a leather-lined cone, and the drive thence is transmitted to the gearbox by a firsi reduction of plain spin. -wheels. The gearbox, of substantial conetruction, gives three forward speeds and a reverse. Final tranemission is by spurs to a sturdy bevel differential gear on the rear' axle; for which' gear a locking mechanism is fitted The Saunderson tractor has a drawbar pull" of 3,000-1b. The machine shown is fitted with a threefurrow plough.
Another exhibit on this company's stand is a na!w., paraffin engine manufactured by .0rossley Bros:, . Ltd., of Opens-hew, Manchester, with whew, as prnbably oar readers are aware, the Satindersen Co. are now associated.
This old-e.stablished companY exhibit cue of their standard three"-ton steani wagons, which is the eighth repeat order received from Hall and Ce., Ltd., coal merchants, Redhill. :
The standard arrangement of mechanism is adopted ' on this particular. machine. Adouble high-pressure Valve is fitted to the cylinders, which enables high-pressure steam to be forlAn the lowpressure cylinders, thereby. facilitating the handling of the wagon in congested areas and also enabling extra power to be secured when required. The cylinders are fitted: with slide valVez.e, The boiler is of the loco .type; well proportioned . and soundly conStrueted. The company's patent double-pin drive and footbrake arrangement to the -haud. wheels overcomes the .necessity ef • keying the near side wheel to the axle• and also provides a very speedy Method
of wheel removal. Substantial pins, • which two fixed to the . sleeves, pass through the wheel hubs, the,wheels then being securely" fixed in position • on the live axle.
Ransome, Sims and Jefferies.
This company are eXhibiting, on the ground floor, a small selection of their
• welleknown preductions. although they are unable, owing t..6 ananufa,ctaring difficulties, to make a representative display. They show, .however, a -five-ton trailer, Which is fitted with drop aides and lift-out ends, and a 6 ri.h.p: portable engine suitable for driving:a aniall threshing machine. As might be expected, the eempany are ais.a, showing a good " array of their various types of ploughs said :cultivators. Foster.
W. Foster and Ca., Ltd., show a 5-ton compound steam wagon anti-a 65 b.h.p. shewman's" read locomotive. The boiler of the former vehicle is of the loco multitubular type, and is tested to a pressur4 of 350 lb. per sq. in. for a, working pressure of 200 lb. per sq. in. The engine cylinders are cast in one piece, their diameters being 4 ins, and fig ins., and the stroke '7 ins. Sliding valves are operated by Stephenson link-type motion. Two speeds of 3 and 6 m.p.h. respectively are provided for.
The road loomnotive is fully equipped to meet the demands of a travelling showman, and can be equipped as an ordinary hauling engine if required. It will haul in the medium speed a gross load of about 26 tons on good roads, and tackle gradients of 1 in 20,.. whilst in the slow speed gradients of 1 in 8 can be negotiated.
We reproduce below an illustration of the five-ton steamer. McLaren.. •
Owing to the moulders' strike, this Leeds concern has been unable to exhibit one of their interesting five-tan _compound tractors, but, nevertheless, they are showing a 5 n.h.p. compound traction engine, and a patent six-furrow anti-balance plough. nte finst machine is, narticulanly,-sult.
able for heavy road haulage -work or for driving a large size threshing mahhine. The anti-balance plough is for use in connection with the double engine °able system, and is of a type suitable for most English soils.
Marshall.
This old-established Gainsborough cornpany are showing a 7 hp.
dered traction engine and a 5-ton compound steam tractor. All these models represent the company's standard productions, and undoubtedly the steam tractor will prove of greatest interest to our readers. The company's patent, .cambered firobox tops are incorporated in the tractor engine and in the steam tractor.
Foden.
This company are showing a. 5-ton standard rubber-tyred steam wagon to
the order of Messrs. Johnson Bras., Mark Lane. London, E.G. A compound, twocylindered engine is used in this wagon, and provision is made for using both of the cylinders as bigh-pnessure ones. The boiler feed pump is gear-driven by spur gearing situated behind and close to the flywheel. The outstanding features of the Forlen are. generally well known. Fowler.
A comprehensive exhibit is shown by John Fowler and C.,o. (Leeds), Ltd., which comprises a pair of steam ploughing cable engines, a special " English-type ' anti. balance plough, a " Tiger " steam tractor, and a two-cylindered motor plough.
The compound steam ploughing cable engines shown are of 10 n.h.p. The winding drum carries 500 yards of steel wire rope.
The plough is fitted with patent automatic anti-balance and centering gear to ease reversing of the plough at the headlands, and is designed for work in conjunction with the cable ploughing engine.
The 'Tiger" tractor is of the company's standard type with compound engine arranged for working by double shafts, and it gives two speeds, the final drive being by gear to the differential on the sprung near axle.
The motor plough follows the same lines as previous models made by the company, but embodies several important improvements. The range of action of the motor plough has been increased by a pair of rear wheels which enable the machines to be used for road work. The two-glintlered engine is suitable for burning benzole, petrol or paraffin, and has a bore and stroke of 4 ins, by 5 ins. respectively. It is constructed with detachable cylinder heads to facilitate cleaning.
The handles previously supplied for steering whilst Ploughing are replaced by the inclusion a a hand wheel. For turning at the headlands the power of the engine is employed to effect steering. Two independent clutches are provided, by which the drive to either wheel can be disengaged, and the engine will then turn the whale machine round in its own length, the idle wheel acting as a pivot.
Wallis and Steevens. • • . Two exhibits will interest our readers on the stand of Wallis and Steevens, Ltd. The first is _a, compound steam tractor, which is spring-mounted and fitted with the company's patent oil bath in which the engine wearing parts run, whilst the other is a 6 n.h.p traction engine fitted with the company's expansion gear. Machines of this latter type played an important part during the war, and were largely used by the Forage Committee; on this particular class of -work they gave efficient and economical service. The general lines of construction of the Wallis steam. tractor will be dearly seen in the illustration of it whieh we reproduce on
this page. "