According to wikipedia... "It was unusual in being an opposed piston engine where each horizontal cylinder contains two pistons, one at each end, that move in opposition to each other Even more unusually, both sets of pistons drove only a single crankshaft; most opposed piston engines have a separate crankshaft at each end of the cylinder. The TS3 engine used a single crankshaft beneath the cylinders, each piston driving it through a connecting rod, a rocker lever and a second connecting rod. The crankshaft had six crankpins and there were six rockers.
"The engine was a two-stroke, compression-ignition diesel engine with uniflow-ported cylinders. Scavenging was performed by a Roots blower and was mounted on the front of the engine and driven by a long quill shaft from a chain drive at the rear of the engine. Although the engines gained a reputation for good performance, this quill shaft was somewhat prone to breaking if over-worked.
"The engine's distinctive exhaust bark was always apparent, leading to their popular name of "Knockers".
Ah, happy long-gone days! In the late 60's I lived in Hillpark, Manurewa, just a section's width away from the southern motorway which was unbelievably quiet compared with how it must be now. On cool crisp quiet winter nights you could hear the Commer and Karrier 'knockers' start to howl their way up the incline from the Takanini on-ramp to the Hill Road over-bridge with the noise increasing as they climbed the grade. It would reach a crescendo until they passed under the over-bridge and then with a couple or three upward gear changes they'd grumble off north towards Redoubt Road. It's a noise I've never forgotten and one I wish I could hear again!
ReplyDeleteGrant.
This tractor unit is a superb restoration. I think it has the sloper inline 6-cylinder petrol engine in it, rather than the TS3. The sloper engine was basically a Humber Super Snipe engine leant over on it's side in the chassis to allow for a flat floor in the cab. By all accounts an excellent engine.
ReplyDeleteThe article mentions the blower driveshaft being proned to breaking. In fact it was designed to break if the blower became damaged through abuse / neglect.
If the engines were properly maintained (and most weren't) the blower driveshaft never failed.