SOLVING THE WHEEL CHANGING PROBLEM.

SOLVING THE WHEEL CHANGING PROBLEM.

How to Save Time in Competition Work.

THERE are few competition drivers, who at some

time or other have not suffered inconvenience and delay when endeavouring to raise the wheels of their cars for the purpose of effecting changes necessitated by punctures. In such hurried operations the jack is almost invariably to be found in the wrong place, the handle succeeds in becoming wedged beneath tools, and other irritating factors, too numerous to mention, are apt to harass the driver who wants to change a wheel in the minimum of time.

All these points have evidently occupied the attention of the designer and manufacturers of the Stevenson Jacking System, the main features of which are shown in the accompanying illustrations. Briefly described, the system comprises two brackets, permanently fixed to the side members of the chassis, approximately at a point equidistant a from the two axles. These brackets form the support for the screw mechanism of the jack, which is operated from the edge of the running board by a shaft enclosed in a second tubular support. The handle used for raising the car is detachable and

the hole in which:it fits has a removable cap, so as to exclude dust, water or mud from the mechanism. ti The jacks are made with various lengths of lift to suit different makes of cars, and the operating shaft, with its homing, is supplied in any length to suit the varying widths of running boards. Seven-and-ahalf inches is found to be the correct ground clearance in the majority of cases, but this can be

regulated as required to meet individual needs. In the case of a car with cantilever springs, it may be necessary to link the axle to the chassis by specially designed flexible

straps, which do not interfere with the normal operation of the road springs.

The system was invented about sixteen months ago by Mr. J. V. Stevenson, of Belfast, who is well known in the motor trade, and although it has only been on the market for some seven or eight months, approximately two thousand systems have been fitted to motor cars.

This very convenient method of jacking, therefore, has long passed the experimental stage, and prior to its being submitted to the public was tested on a car weighing over 30 cwt., which was raised well over five thousand times in all conditions of roads and weather. The Stevenson Jacking System is a product of The British Tool and Engineering Co., Ltd., of Wolverhampton, and appears to be well worthy of the careful consideration of all motorists.