Smith Flyer
The Smith Flyer was an American buckboard that was built by the AO Smith Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1919 . Then the production rights were sold to Briggs & Stratton and the car was renamed Briggs & Stratton Flyer .
description
The Smith Flyer was a small, simple, and light vehicle with two seats and a wooden frame that was both chassis and body. The small gasoline engine was mounted on a fifth wheel that was attached to the back of the Flyer and pushed it forward. The wheelbase was 1,575 mm, the wheels were 20 ″ in diameter and the vehicle width was 762 mm. Since the engine was mounted directly on the fifth wheel, it was started with the wheel slightly raised. As soon as the machine was running, the driver lowered this wheel with a lever and the vehicle began to move forward. Instead of the wheels, the car could also be equipped with skis for the winter. In both cases the maximum speed was 40–48 km / h.
history
Such a drive wheel was first developed in 1910 by Arthur William Wall in Birmingham , England, to drive a motorcycle . This concept was not new, Ferdinand Porsche had already developed such a drive wheel in 1900, but it was electrically powered. The metal processor and automotive supplier for chassis and rear axle housings, AO Smith Company , acquired the manufacturing rights for the USA to the Wall pusher wheel as a subsidiary business in 1914 and improved it to the Smith Motor Wheel . In particular, a full disc wheel was used instead of a spoked wheel and the power was no longer transmitted via a chain , but directly from the camshaft. AO Smith initially used the device as a drive for bicycles . The improved Smith Motor Wheel only cost US $ 60 and was a huge hit; by the end of 1915, US 500,000 had been converted.
The Smith Flyer was developed as a platform truck with a wooden frame by the American Motor Vehicle Company in Lafayette, Indiana . Shortly after the vehicle appeared on the market in 1914, AO Smith bought the rights to it and produced it himself as the Smith Flyer . As accessories for winter operation, skis were available, which were attached instead of the wheels. In 1916 the company went public and was reorganized as the AO Smith Corporation .
In 1918 Briggs & Stratton bought the production rights and manufactured both the drive wheel and the flyer under their own name. The new owner improved the engine in many ways; he enlarged the cylinder bore and equipped the ignition with a flywheel magnet. The improvements made for an output of 2 bhp (1.5 kW). Briggs & Stratton sold the Flyer USA-wide and even published a magazine called Motor Wheel Age . A motor scooter based on the same drive concept followed around 1920.
In 1925, the production rights for the Flyer were sold to the Automotive Electric Services Corporation (AESC). This company manufactured the Flyer until there were no more motors and then replaced it with a version with an electric drive. The engine used was the starter of a Dodge automobile, which was mounted in the rear of the vehicle together with the battery and transmitted the power to the right rear wheel via a drive belt . Production continued until at least 1928.
Briggs & Stratton continued to build the motor, which had been the core of the drive wheel, and adapted it to other applications, e.g. B. to drive lawn mowers or small appliances. The drive wheel was the starting point for all later Briggs & Stratton engines.
Almost all flyers were painted red, which is why they were generally called "Red Bug" (engl .: red flea). The Flyer is even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the cheapest car of all time. There it is stated that the Briggs & Stratton Flyer cost between US $ 125 and US $ 150 in 1922.
The Smith Flyer was recreated in the 1950s as the Banner Boy Buckboard (without 5th wheel). It was ready-made or available as a kit and was advertised in relevant magazines such as Popular Mechanics or Popular Science and delivered by mail order .
Some Smith flyers are still in collections across the United States, and engineering drawings can now be found on the Internet.
Models
| brand | model | Construction period | cylinder | power | wheelbase | Superstructures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | Flyer | 1916-1919 | 1 | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | ||
| Briggs & Stratton | Flyer D | 1919-1920 | 1 | 2 bhp (1.5 kW) | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | |
| Briggs & Stratton | Red Bug D | 1921-1923 | 1 | 2 bhp (1.5 kW) | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | |
| Red bug | Flyer | 1924-1930 | 1 | 2 bhp (1.5 kW) | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | |
| Red bug | Electric | 1924-1930 | - | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | Auto starter as an engine | |
| Banner Boy Buckboard | 1958 | 1 | 2.75 bhp (2 kW) | 1575 mm | Roadster 2 seats | Replica |
literature
- David Burgess-Wise: The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles.
- Jim Altman: The Motor Wheel. In: Antique Automobile. March / April 1971, pp. 19-24.
- Donald McFarlan (Ed.): The Guinness Book of Records. Bantam Books, 1992, p. 361.
- Ken W. Purdy: Motorcars of the Golden Past, Galahad Books. New York, pp. 98-99.
- Jeff Rodengen: The Legend of Briggs & Stratton. Write Stuff Syndicate, 1995, pp. 30-39.
- Beverly Rae Kimes (Ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1985, ISBN 0-87341-045-9 , pp. 140-141 and 1279.
- Beverly Rae Kimes (ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 , pp. 148 and 1359.
Web links
- Briggs & Stratton Company website
- AO Smith Company website
- Smith Flyer at the US Scooter Museum
- Smith Motor Wheel
- trombinoscar.com: McDonough Buckboard / Banner Boy (1960) (French) (accessed February 1, 2014)