Mystery petrol-delivery truck

I know you lovers of yankee iron were the only trucks here in earlys days BUT how wrong you are .

Remember we belonged to the British Empire and we had only British trucks in the real early days .

So I think it could be a Albion from about 1906 -10 but hey prove me wrong . Dave

Deleee
Gudday M8

Re: British Empire

yes

the biggest handbrake of all time

LOL

Exclude n R.S. of corz
LOL
Cya
[ch9786]

Dave - There were no bulk fuel dispensing bowsers until 1919. All fuel prior to that, came in 4-gallon tins. Petrol and Kero came in a wooden case, containing 2 x 4 gallon (18.184 litres) tins.

It was a day of celebration for motorists when the first bulk petrol bowsers with underground tanks were installed in 1919. Sydney got them first, then Melbourne and Adelaide by 1920.
The first bulk petrol dispensing pumps were made by the American "Bowser" company, and that's how all fuel dispensing pumps got to be called "bowsers".

The first bulk petrol pumps in Australia were Bowser pumps, and many Bowser pumps were installed between 1919 and the Great Depression.
However, also in 1919, a young Australian by the name of Frank Hammond, patented the fuel dispensing device known as the "visible volumetric pump".
He spent 5 years perfecting it, then went to the U.K. to get it commercially manufactured.

Once in commercial production, the Hammond visible volumetric pump became the primary bulk fuel dispensing pump in Australia.
The early Bowsers were noted for inaccuracy, and there were lawsuits with the Bowser Co over their fuel dispensing accuracy.

With the visible volumetric pump, you selected the amount of gallons you required, the attendant pumped it up into the big glass bowl on top of the bowser, that was clearly marked with gallon lines .. then the hose was inserted into your tank .. the attendant flicked a lever, and the contents of the big glass bowl drained into your tank via gravity.

I'm old enough to even remember when numbers of these original Hammond bowsers were still in operation.

When dad started carting sugar in the early 60's Laurie Hall's garage at Sharon had one of those hand pump/glass bowl pumps for distillate.
As most trucks were petrol, diesel pumps weren't high on the priority list for service station owners but that had to change really fast once the 2-stoke Commers took over from the petrol Inters etc.

Deleee
Gudday M8

Re: British Empire
yes
the biggest handbrake of all time
LOL
Exclude n R.S. of corz

[ch9786]

Cheers Swish, you are too kind !!

RS

G`Day
I bought petrol from a Hammond bowser as late as 1967 from Mundiwindi on the old inland road in NW Australia ,very slow !on a hot day
OLDBOB

Cam,

You would have to put money on that rolling chassis. Combined with Onetrack's historical info, even in the absence of a bonnet for comparison, the wheels, cutback angle in the door step with WHITE stamped on it and chassis rail all look the go. The mudguards are also the same, unlike the later one you show on your previous photo.

????

With the visible volumetric pump, you selected the amount of gallons you required, the attendant pumped it up into the big glass bowl on top of the bowser, that was clearly marked with gallon lines .. then the hose was inserted into your tank .. the attendant flicked a lever, and the contents of the big glass bowl drained into your tank via gravity.

There was a tube running up the inside of the bowl, connected to a lever sticking out the side of the body. There was a notched scale on the side, representing the number of gallons to be purchased. This lever was pushed up or down to the oppropriate notch as required. The top of the tube lined up with the gallon marks on the bowl. The tube was hollow, so any surplus fuel pumped up would run down the inside back into the tank.

There were still a few of these pumps in use in the late 60s, mainly out in the bush. I used to go regularly out to the Gilbaco factory at Ryde and they still serviced them there.