Horse power, why do we need so much?

I remember my Uncle towing a caravan with a motorcycle and side car, we started with sprite aerial I seem to remember 10 cwt, towed with a Standard 8, moved to Hillman Husky and sprite musketeer, and the thoughts at time was length in feet = weight in cwt. gas lights, no battery, pump was dome in floor, today motor mover, no gas lights all electric so caravan colder so has central heating and a hot water tank, and we made an error, ours was I think 1350 weight and car we thought rated 1500 but is seems year that one was made rated at 1250 so when we realised error mad dash to find a new tow car.

I remember my mini had ball on front and rear, tow bar home made, well at work, and towed a boat, which was why ball at front, had to drive down a lane pushing boat to launch, no where to turn around, far easier with ball on front.

Today that would all be illegal, so much has changed, bumping cars are now dodgems and road cars are made to withstand bumping.

However I remember a friend in Suffolk had a flat battery near to a USA base, he asked the guy for a push, yes he said, jumped into his car and pushed him, the USA car no problem, ford sierra however had a plastic bumper, what was the point in that. And yes I had a car where owners manual said tow starting was dangerous always push start.
 
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I remember my Uncle towing a caravan with a motorcycle and side car, we started with sprite aerial I seem to remember 10 cwt, towed with a Standard 8, moved to Hillman Husky and sprite musketeer, and the thoughts at time was length in feet = weight in cwt. gas lights, no battery, pump was dome in floor, today motor mover, no gas lights all electric so caravan colder so has central heating and a hot water tank, and we made an error, ours was I think 1350 weight and car we thought rated 1500 but is seems year that one was made rated at 1250 so when we realised error mad dash to find a new tow car.

I remember my mini had ball on front and rear, tow bar home made, well at work, and towed a boat, which was why ball at front, had to drive down a lane pushing boat to launch, no where to turn around, far easier with ball on front.

Today that would all be illegal, so much has changed, bumping cars are now dodgems and road cars are made to withstand bumping.

However I remember a friend in Suffolk had a flat battery near to a USA base, he asked the guy for a push, yes he said, jumped into his car and pushed him, the USA car no problem, ford sierra however had a plastic bumper, what was the point in that. And yes I had a car where owners manual said tow starting was dangerous always push start.
 
bernardgreen said:
Internal Combustion Engine
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I know the Sterling engine is external combustion engine as are most of the railway engines at local heritage railway, there is one Stanley steamer local which I have seen, but I would say over 90% are internal combustion engines, even the power station at Connah's Quay had four 600 MW generators with internal combustion engines (Combined gas/steam turbines) so even electric cars use internal combustion engines.
 
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EddieM said:
You pushed a car using the bumper, was he a dwarf?
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In Algeria we had Lada Niva's and Chev blazers and bumper to bumper and push start was normal way, not so bad with manual but with an auto too easy to run into the tow car if tow starting, so in USA where most cars were autos, it was push start.

In UK many autos only had one oil pump and you could not tow start as no oil pressure to select a gear, but in USA two oil pumps one input shaft and one output shaft so could tow or push start. Seem to remember some thing to do with engine braking, and exhaust brakes, without second pump engine could stall and you ended up free wheeling with no engine braking.

I seem to remember a problem with the Mini and engine braking, first gear had a free wheel so you could only select second gear for engine braking.

Some of the old cars the over drive resulted in a free wheel, it was made illegal but if built into car not much you can do.
 
Oh thinking about free wheels, I remember the two speed back axle, going down hill if the engine over speed cut in you could fail to hit the revs needed to change down, so back axle stuck between ratios, and could not change up, until the motor had hit micro switch to show in low ratio, so you only had brakes, so red hot drums at the bottom of the hill, 16 ton takes some stopping.
 
ericmark said:
I seem to remember a problem with the Mini and engine braking, first gear had a free wheel so you could only select second gear for engine braking.

Some of the old cars the over drive resulted in a free wheel, it was made illegal but if built into car not much you can do.
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That was the early SAAB with the freewheel system.
 
Towing isn't really about BHP its about weight, traction and torque. Most old tractors have no problem pulling a couple of 1000kg on 50hp. Cars have got bigger and they have also got more fuel efficient. My first car could barely make 30mpg on 70hp. I've cars with over 300 that can easily do 60mpg. I think fuel economy tends to drive power. Few people would buy a 200hp car if it only did 20mpg, which would be the case 20 years ago.
 
I think 2135 was an industrial tractor so twin brakes with 35 HP and yes heavy and low ratio.

And yes old cars likely had a lower ratio in the main the Kia I drive today is between 1500 revs and 2000 revs it will go to 4000 revs but old cars were revs more like 4000 to 6000 revs.
 
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