From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Possibility of equipping the Bentley chassis with a four-corner hydraulic jacking system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 139\1\ scan0364 | |
| Date | 10th March 1937 | |
| 1166. SR. c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Bv. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} Fm. E/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}1/MP.10.3.37. Bentley Jacking. In view of the difficulty of jacking with the present screw jack and the obvious appeal of four corner jacking, we asked Donald Sessions some little time ago to look into the possibilities of equipping the Bentley chassis with a four corner jacking system, using a hydraulic jack which he has already put on the market at a reasonable price. Sessions has done a considerable amount of work on the idea and has left us drawings showing how the jacking can be arranged. In order to make a really satisfactory job it is necessary to use modified front and rear dumb irons. The modified front dumb iron provides a feature for jacking, and at the same time serves as an efficient substitute for the safety catches which we use to support the bumper in the event of the bolts breaking. The proposed modifications at the rear provide a feature for the jack attachment and also a sound fixing for the rear bumper incorporating provision for the varying lengths of body overhang encountered. At present the fixing for the rear bumpers on the Bentley is left to the coachbuilder with not very satisfactory results. The jack itself is a single stage hydraulic ram with a liquid container, and hand pump, and is stated to be free from the defect of leaks usually associated with portable hydraulic jacks. The leaks have been overcome by a patented feature which precludes the necessity for any vent to atmosphere. Owing to the fact that the complete scheme requires new dumb iron forgings, for which dies would have to besunk, it becomes rather an expensive experiment to carry through in its proposed final form. | ||