Thread: Remember These Knockers?

Good now that I have got your attention it,s not about what you thought!!

The Knockers are Commer TS3 2 Stroke Diesel Engines designed in the early 50s by Tilling Stevens Maidstone, part of the Rootes Group

For it,s day it was very advanced, based on a Jumo Aero Engine,
It was an horizontal 3 cylinder 6 piston design were the piston converged to form compression (no cyl heads) unlike a Boxer design were you have a central crank and the pistons meet cylinder heads at each end
Normally you need a crank at each end for converging designs but this can make the engine very wide (re Napier Deltic )
Commer utilised an ingenious design having one crank under the Barrels , the Pistons connected by a series of very strong rocker arms
The engine being a 2 stroke had a Roots Blower to scavenge the cylinders

The engine in it,s later years produced 135 bhp from 3.5 liters, ( lumbering Gardner engines only got that from 9 liters)

Even today 60 years on that engine produces as much power as modern Turbo Charged Engines pro rata, makes you wonder what they would do now if they still made them given modern Technology

Chysler bought out ROOTES in 69 , discontinuing the TS3 ( a 4 cylinder engine was being developed at the time) citing noise and pollution as the reasons
The fact that Chrysler had shares in Cummins Diesels and would fit them in place of the TS3/4 had no bearing on the decision!!!

All in all the TS3 was a very good motor , very powerfull. reliable ,lightweight and economical, shame , but it was chrysler who made that decision, look at them now

Originally Posted by TSR2

Good now that I have got your attention it,s not about what you thought!!

bugger.

reds on the way.


your title made me think of this lass

Senility is a sad thing to see...

But knockers are nice

Yes, I remember those engines.
They were the dogs bollux.

I owned two of them both fitted to Plaxton coaches that had been converted into race car transporters.
One was the earlier 2 lobe compressor model and the other the final 3 lobe model.
We used to fight about who would drive the coach, the noise those buggers made was fantastic.

The engine design was superb and it should never have been scrapped.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Senility is a sad thing to see...

Well stop looking in mirrors then ha ha

There was a company in Preston years ago , Bridges Transport. fast parcel carriers, think they owned Ripponden and District as well W/Yorks

They ran about 50+ TS3 Commers from the 50s up to the 70s,

Christ they were fast, drivers crazy as well

The bloody noise they made was incredible especially if 10 trucks were leaving the Depot at the same time

Ah well time to get back to my nap eh Marmite

Anyone wanting to hear what these engines sound like Google up Commer TS3 engines
Scroll down to You Tube vids

and remember these knockers?

Originally Posted by kingwilly

these knockers?

Looks like both SAM and PAM are 20 BSMS

BRITISH STANDARD MOUTHFULLS

I have never seen one of those engines.
But have had many dealing with Fairbanks-Morse OP diesel engines on pump and generator engines, some 3 cyl, but most 5 cyl, on gen sets to power dredges, and at Guerrillo Negro the Japs use those for pump and power generation at the salt evap ponds.
The ones we used were to big for automotive use as the piston/rod weighed 150# each and the cranks weigher over 3000# each,, they were 38D FB engines.

her face is looking a bit 'orrible now, but remember these knockers?

Yeeuughh.

Small yet pert is the way to go.

Big, swinging udders, please!

Are these the same engines that powered British Army AEC ten ton cargo and Militant recovery vehicles?

^
I don't think so.
I think AEC used their own engines

Are you thinking of the leyland H60 engine which was 12 piston 6 cylinder 2 stroke diesel and was used by the Britsish army.

Originally Posted by Thetyim

H60 engine which was 12 piston 6 cylinder 2 stroke diesel and was used by the Britsish army.

That was the Leyland L60 Multi Fuel Engine, a complete waste of space , under powered and unreliable and more to the point made by Leyland

As a matter of interest Eric kitchen who worked on the TS3 designed a barrel to be used on the L60
Again the L60 was similar to the TS3 except it had cranks at each end of the cylinders
You would think that the government in the 50s/60s when this engine was being designed would give the project to Commer who had experiance with 2 stroke diesels

Ah just realised it was a goverment decision, say no more

We called em knockers, that's what prompted the question.

[QUOTE="chassamui"]We called em knockers, that's what prompted the question.

Understand ---Big End Knocks as opposed (pun) a combustion knock