Milk float

A milk float from the Dairy Crest dairy from Smith's Elizabethan .

Driver's cab of a larger milk float

Milk float (German milk wagon , literally milk raft ; low platform wagons for goods or for people in pageants are called float ) is a type of electric car that was developed for the milk delivery service and especially for the delivery of fresh milk to the front door of the consumer.

distribution

Milk floats were in use in several European countries and also in North America, with the greatest prevalence in the UK during the 1970s. With the spread of supermarkets, the proportion of home deliveries decreased, resulting in longer routes. Coupled with the limited range of electric vehicles , this led to the increased use of diesel-powered vans and thus to a decrease in the importance of milk floats in the transport industry. The electric cars were preceded by horse and carts in the late 19th century.

In the UK, Milk floats were made by Smith's, Wales & Edwards , Osborne, Harbilt, Brush, Morrison, Midford Electric, Bedford and Leyland . Bluebird Automotive and Smith Electric Vehicles are still active .

In the Netherlands was Spijkstaal a major producer.

properties

Milk floats were designed for speed ranges from 10 to 15 mph (16–24 km / h), and in some cases could reach speeds of up to 80 mph (130 km / h). The doors could remain open while driving. Due to the electric motors used, the vehicles are designed for operation in residential areas in the early morning hours and at night due to the lower noise emissions.

Some of the vehicles were equipped with a driver's seat, which was mounted on a hinge at the front and equipped with one or more spiral springs at the rear, so that the seat was inclined approx. 30 ° forwards when unloaded. When getting in / sitting down, this seat was pressed down by the weight of the driver and released a mechanical parking brake. Getting up / getting out of the seat relieved the load and thus started the braking effect. Skilled drivers rarely use the (main) brake, which is actuated by a pedal, until the vehicle comes to a standstill, but instead slid out of the seat / out of the constantly open sliding door when driving slowly, with the result that the vehicle after about one meter due to the braking effect came to a standstill of its own accord and the milkman could immediately grab the milk bottles on the loading area.

There were also electric four-wheeled carts without a driver's cab, which were led on a drawbar by the milkman running on foot. It was used in very densely populated / narrow residential areas. Batteries and electric motor (s) were located under the loading area; the front axle had a stub axle steering in order to achieve more space between the wheels and to prevent tipping. If the drawbar was let go, it sank a little towards the ground against the spring tension, without touching it - at the same time the cart was braked to a standstill. Raising the drawbar above a set height set the cart in motion. The vehicle had a loading area of approx. 160 × 120 cm and resembled an oversized wagon.