What's made you smile today?

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Very interesting car pulled up outside the house yesterday just as I was going on my walk - a Suzuki Swace. Have to say I was really impressed by the looks of it and it's an estate, my favourite configuration of vehicle. Got speaking to the owner, who couldn't wait long as he was on his way up to the crematorium for a funeral, but he did tell me it's really a Toyota Corrola. Another plus in my eyes as Toyota make some of the finest hybrids you can buy. I doubt if I'll be needing to replace the Scala anytime soon - hope not anyway - but if I had to then I might consider one of these. So, a wee project for myself in that I'm going to research them in more detail.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Anyone remember the unforgettably glorious sound of the Commer 2 stroke "Knocker"? I just came across this and it reminded me of our coal merchant who ran one of them.

 

[bugsymike]

Anyone remember the unforgettably glorious sound of the Commer 2 stroke "Knocker"? I just came across this and it reminded me of our coal merchant who ran one of them.

Was that the Commer TS3 turbo two stroke diesel?

 

[vexorg]

Another plus in my eyes as Toyota make some of the finest hybrids you can buy.

The nissan/renault one still impresses me. The tiny battery is a genius in my view since it means no lugging a hefty lip around. And the whole setup of how it can flick seamlessly between battery/engine/charging just works.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Was that the Commer TS3 turbo two stroke diesel?

That's the one Mike. One of the first engines I ever saw that used a supercharger. Actually it couldn't have run without it!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The nissan/renault one still impresses me. The tiny battery is a genius in my view since it means no lugging a hefty lip around. And the whole setup of how it can flick seamlessly between battery/engine/charging just works.

One of the many reasons why I like the Toyota hybrids is because they use solid gear trains - no "silly" infinitely variable metal belts. How does the Renault unit work?

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Was that the Commer TS3 turbo two stroke diesel?

I remember so well being either over at the farm next door or standing in one of the fields and hearing the Coal lorry pulling away out of the 30mph limit a couple of miles away. I would then run home to watch the men unloading the sacks of coal and coke - our hot water stove ran on coke and the living room fire was coal - It was a flat bed exactly like the one in the video with the sacks arranged in echelon front to back on the flatbed. I never saw any sign of ropes and the lorry had no sides, the sacks just seemed to stay there as if by magic! The other I remember even more was the farmer next door's Field Marshal. Starting it was a real ritual. First the flywheel had to have it's timing marks lined up. Then a screw plug was removed from the top of the cylinder and a burning wick installed before the plug was screwed firmly home again and then he it started with a shotgun cartridge!



Very exciting for a young lad to see. He had a Field Marshal and a red Nuffield with a crawler for ploughing - don't remember the make of crawler. Our house and the farm next door were/are on the side of a hill going down to the river Tweed at the bottom. The sound of the Field Marshal pulling a fully laden trailer back up from the bottom of the hill is a sound I'll never forget:

 

[bugsymike]

That's the one Mike. One of the first engines I ever saw that used a supercharger. Actually it couldn't have run without it!

When I was at college they said about how advanced it was for it's time.

I remember so well being either over at the farm next door or standing in one of the fields and hearing the Coal lorry pulling away out of the 30mph limit a couple of miles away. I would then run home to watch the men unloading the sacks of coal and coke - our hot water stove ran on coke and the living room fire was coal - It was a flat bed exactly like the one in the video with the sacks arranged in echelon front to back on the flatbed. I never saw any sign of ropes and the lorry had no sides, the sacks just seemed to stay there as if by magic! The other I remember even more was the farmer next door's Field Marshal. Starting it was a real ritual. First the flywheel had to have it's timing marks lined up. Then a screw plug was removed from the top of the cylinder and a burning wick installed before the plug was screwed firmly home again and then he it started with a shotgun cartridge!



Very exciting for a young lad to see. He had a Field Marshal and a red Nuffield with a crawler for ploughing - don't remember the make of crawler. Our house and the farm next door were/are on the side of a hill going down to the river Tweed at the bottom. The sound of the Field Marshal pulling a fully laden trailer back up from the bottom of the hill is a sound I'll never forget:

The Field Marshall was one I recall a very well endowed lady driving at a Steam Rally with the single cylinder engine thumping vigorously creating a lot of interest
Bristol Crawlers were quite popular I recall.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Anyone remember the unforgettably glorious sound of the Commer 2 stroke "Knocker"? I just came across this and it reminded me of our coal merchant who ran one of them.

I remember the coal merchant down here having one of those in the 80s the engine noise is pretty distinctive.

I grew up in a suburban part of Norwich that consisted of houses mainly built before and just after the 2WW and by the 80s many of the residents were elderly people who moved in when they were new. So most of them still had coal fires, our neighbor still had her concrete coal bunker in the back garden, and the coal man would still make regular trips up and down the road with the open lorry, coal sacks all stood upright on the back, with often one of the boys sat on the back of the open bed.. these days people would have kittens with the number of health and safety violations.

 

[bugsymike]

I remember the coal merchant down here having one of those in the 80s the engine noise is pretty distinctive.

I grew up in a suburban part of Norwich that consisted of houses mainly built before and just after the 2WW and by the 80s many of the residents were elderly people who moved in when they were new. So most of them still had coal fires, our neighbor still had her concrete coal bunker in the back garden, and the coal man would still make regular trips up and down the road with the open lorry, coal sacks all stood upright on the back, with often one of the boys sat on the back of the open bed.. these days people would have kittens with the number of health and safety violations.

A lot of security is in how the load is stacked, I have a friend who is in the tyre trade and the way their are laced together in a lorry makes all the difference plus how many you can fit in.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

A lot of security is in how the load is stacked, I have a friend who is in the tyre trade and the way their are laced together in a lorry makes all the difference plus how many you can fit in.

That makes sense to me, not to mention the top speed of the heavily loaded lorry was probably in single digits, but now if it’s not tied down with at least 10 safety approved straps in a a recommended and precise pattern then they will have breeched at least 10 laws.

This coming from someone who bounced around in the boot of an estate car on family holidays

 

[vexorg]

One of the many reasons why I like the Toyota hybrids is because they use solid gear trains - no "silly" infinitely variable metal belts. How does the Renault unit work?

There's a 2 speed gearbox for the motor to wheel, a 4 speed gearbox for engine to wheels.
They can independently drive the wheels, or combined for max power.
The engine can charge the battery while running on electric, or regen where the motor charges the battery insead of braking.
The battery itself is only 1.2kWh, about the size of a normal car battery, but that just means it charges and discharges quicker, a faster cycle than the big hybrid batteries. That makes no real difference in the long run as you rarely hit the max charge as the car uses the recovered electric before it reaches max.

The only disconcerting thing from a car driving point of view is there no real connection between accelerator and engine power since it uses electric or engine as required..

This coming from someone who bounced around in the boot of an estate car on family holidays

Rear seatbelts weren't a thing either back then, so probably didn't make much difference.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Rear seatbelts weren't a thing either back then, so probably didn't make much difference.

The earliest car I remember my dad having was a ?78 mk2 Granada Ghia there were rear seat belts on the two outer seats in the back, none in the middle but there were 4 of us kids in the back so largely pointless anyway. Then later we had a Vauxhall Carlton estate which had a rear lap belt in the middle but these were the days before “anti submarine” seats so you would slide under the belt a bit during the braking phase then the belt would snap your back higher up leaving many user of lap belts with serious spinal cord injuries. It’s amazing any of us are still alive

 

[vexorg]

More shocking that it took to the early 90's before rear seatbelts became law.

 

[StevenRB45]

Very interesting car pulled up outside the house yesterday just as I was going on my walk - a Suzuki Swace. Have to say I was really impressed by the looks of it and it's an estate, my favourite configuration of vehicle. Got speaking to the owner, who couldn't wait long as he was on his way up to the crematorium for a funeral, but he did tell me it's really a Toyota Corrola. Another plus in my eyes as Toyota make some of the finest hybrids you can buy. I doubt if I'll be needing to replace the Scala anytime soon - hope not anyway - but if I had to then I might consider one of these. So, a wee project for myself in that I'm going to research them in more detail.

Some time ago I was looking at a Corolla Hybrid estate to replace the Mazda (all in all not a surprise I ended up with an Auris estate).

I think the main issue for me is the reasonably priced ones are slow which I could live with without CVT. But given every commute involves a 4 mile long uphill national limit with 3 rounderbouts breaking it up I'd spend a huge amount of time listening to it whanging on at 4k+ straining to reach 60mph.

This would also likely kick the fuel consumption squarely in the balls, and the fuel tank due to the hybrid gear is only 40 odd litres.

There is a 2.0 (which Suzuki don't get) but that's a mid 30s car which is ridiculous. There is a more powerful 1.8 hybrid perhaps this would bridge the gap but the normal 1.8 is slower than the 1.2 manual but feels slower because it's so busy shuffling power round smoothly it seems to forget to move.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Some time ago I was looking at a Corolla Hybrid estate to replace the Mazda (all in all not a surprise I ended up with an Auris estate).

I think the main issue for me is the reasonably priced ones are slow which I could live with without CVT. But given every commute involves a 4 mile long uphill national limit with 3 rounderbouts breaking it up I'd spend a huge amount of time listening to it whanging on at 4k+ straining to reach 60mph.

This would also likely kick the fuel consumption squarely in the balls, and the fuel tank due to the hybrid gear is only 40 odd litres.

There is a 2.0 (which Suzuki don't get) but that's a mid 30s car which is ridiculous. There is a more powerful 1.8 hybrid perhaps this would bridge the gap but the normal 1.8 is slower than the 1.2 manual but feels slower because it's so busy shuffling power round smoothly it seems to forget to move.

Thanks Steven - I couldn't live with that. Pity, it's quite a bonny looking car.

 

[StevenRB45]

Thanks Steven - I couldn't live with that. Pity, it's quite a bonny looking car.

They might have improved it/changed the software for the Suzuki.

But the lower powered Toyota hybrids are not really designed for open road use as far as I could tell.

Edit, having looked they've got rid of 120bhp version in them now...at facelift it became 138.

The 138 more modern one could be fine but the 120 was slower than the Auris is while shouting about it.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Posted earlier today about Mrs J being admitted to hospital with pneumonia this morning. She's spent the day there being assessed and nebulised. They've X-rayed her and pumped her full of antibiotics also been on the oxygen. She's just rung to tell me they've decided she's at less risk if here at home so my very kind neighbour is off to pick her up for me (I can't currently drive due to my recent hip replacement operation). She told me, when she phoned, that she's got fluid on her lungs and she's being given medication to bring home with her. She was really unwell this morning so I'm nervous about how this is going to turn out. Going to get a nice hot cup of tea on the go for her getting home.

 

[bugsymike]

Posted earlier today about Mrs J being admitted to hospital with pneumonia this morning. She's spent the day there being assessed and nebulised. They've X-rayed her and pumped her full of antibiotics also been on the oxygen. She's just rung to tell me they've decided she's at less risk if here at home so my very kind neighbour is off to pick her up for me (I can't currently drive due to my recent hip replacement operation). She told me, when she phoned, that she's got fluid on her lungs and she's being given medication to bring home with her. She was really unwell this morning so I'm nervous about how this is going to turn out. Going to get a nice hot cup of tea on the go for her getting home.

I know you will watch and care for her 100% , but if any concerns tel.999 don't hesitate and make sure they realise how urgent it is and that she has only just come out of hospital!!!

 

[StevenRB45]

I know you will watch and care for her 100% , but if any concerns tel.999 don't hesitate and make sure they realise how urgent it is and that she has only just come out of hospital!!!

I say this as someone who's wife is er involved with ambulances.

Unless she needs something only an ambulance can provide eg Oxygen get her in the car and go.

Emergency responses round this way are waiting 2 hours at present...so even at normal road speed you'll beat the ambulance by hours not even taking into account it's a one way trip for you rather than 2. She'll be triaged on arrival because arriving in an ambulance means nothing in terms of how quickly she is seen.