Driving Instructions – Unicorn Invictus Speedster

101 years, 1001 miles and a story worth to share….

Seagrave driving instructions for a new technology coming to change the world

“Today, the motorist enjoys the most luxurious mode of travel that has been devised by man.
He is comfortable, he is warm, and he is protected from the rain…In short, from a weird contrivance that was the plaything of cranks, at which boys in the street threw stones and the public stared agape, the motorcar has developed into the splendid horseless carriage of prophecy. It stands as the triumph of automobile engineering.”

A.E.BERRIMAN. MOTORING (1914)

The second edition Seagrave Firepumper text book printed 1919 explains:

See that the gear shifting lever is in neutral position. Full instructions regarding this lever are given on page 120. Advance the throttle lever (the longer lever on top of steering wheel) about one inch on the quadrant. If the engine does not start readily upon cranking, open the throttle a little more.Set the Spark Lever (the shorter lever on top of steering wheel) at the bottom of the quadrant. Never crank the engine when this lever is in any other position unless you know what you are doing. Otherwise, you will be is danger of injury from the kick-back of the starting crank. Have the emergency brake set so the car will not roll forward nor backward while cranking. Pull out the compression release.

In case the battery has run down, the engine can be started on the magneto. The throttle should be open about one inch on the quadrant. Put the magneto switch int the “on” position; advance the spark lever not more than half way up the quadrant, and crank the engine by spinning the crank rapidly, if possible. Or, if this cannot be done, pull up on the crank quickly. Never push down on the crank, for should the engine back-fire, you would be caught in a position from which you could not escape without injury. This should not be attempted by an inexperienced operator.

To Start the Car

After taking seat at the steering wheel, release the hand brake.
Never forget to release this brake; otherwise, the engine will have to pull against this brake, besides pulling the load of the car when it starts. If the car stands on an incline so that it would roll when the hand brake is released, the driver should hold the car by means of the foot brake until ready to start when this should be released.

Disengage the clutch by pushing the pedal with the left foot as far forward as it will go. It is not necessary to put an undue strain upon this pedal, and the driver can readily tell when it has reached the limit of its travel. This operation is commonly known in automobile practice as throwing the clutch “out.” Hold the clutch “out” while the gear shift lever is moved towardyou sidewise and then draw it back into first speed position. Be sure that the spark lever is advanced toward the top of the quadrant. Increase the speed of the engine slightly by moving the throttle lever an inch or so up on the quadrant. Let the clutch in gently by gradually releasing pressure on the foot pedal. The car will now move forward.

To Stop the Car

Push out both foot pedals, gradually increasing the pressure on the brake pedal until the car has come to a stop. At the same time,reduce the engine speed by moving the throttle lever toward the bottom of the quadrant to prevent the engine from racing. When the car has almost stopped, and while still holding out the clutch, place the gear shift lever in neutral position, then let the clutch in. If the car is left standing, set the emergency brake and release the pressure on the foot brake.

It is just important to be able to stop a car and to start it. And at any time you become confused or are in doubt as to what to do do, the first thing is to bring the car to a complete stop.

Seagrave motor fire apparatus, text book.

Clutch and Gear Shift Interlock

To prevent the shifting of the transmission gears without first releasing the clutch, a simple interlock is provided between the clutch pedal and the gear shift hand lever. This makes it impossible to move the shifting gears in the transmission, either in 0r out of mesh, without having the clutch thrown out, and prevents damaging thegears by shifting them with the clutch only partially released.
The interlock consists of an extension on the clutch pedal which drops into slcts in plates attached to the gear shift hand-lever linkage.

Whenever the lever is moved from one position to another, different slots register with the arm on the clutch pedal. so that when the clutch is let in, or engaged, the gear shift hand lever is locked in whichever po sition it has been placed. Unless the gears are properly meshed or the hand-lever placed in the neutral position, the arm on the clutch pedal will not enter the slots, therefore. the clutch can not be engaged.

The interlock is permanent Iy set at the factory; it requires no interaction.

The Gear Change Control
The three forward speeds and reverse are obtained by movements of the one change speed or gear shifting hand-lever on the right hand side of the car. The method of making gear changes is described under “General Direction.s‘ for Operation.” The lever moves in two directions, forward and back, in and out. The four positions of the lever to obtain the various speeds are shown in
In neutral position (with no gears engaged) the lever is in the middle of the quadrant. It can be moved in and out across the center of the “I-I” slot to reach‘ any desired position.
In the first speed position, the lever is brought in towards the car and back to the end of the slot.
In the second speed position, the lever is pushed out from the car and forward to the front end of the slot.
In third or high-speed position, the lever is out from the car and at the rear end of the slot.
In reverse position, the lever is brought in towards the car and then pushed forward to the front end of the slot.

On the top of the lever, a button is located that connected with latch. This latch comes into contact with stop upon the quadrant, making impossible to enter the reverse speed until the latch has been lifted. This safety device provided to prevent damaging the transmission gears by accidentally entering the reverse speed when shifting from low to second speed.
The gear shift lever, when moved in, engages with a finger on the end of the tube. This tube has a lever attached on the opposite end which connected with rod attached to the shifter yoke in thetransmission, controlling the low speed and reverse sliding gear. When the gear shift lever moved out, engages with finger upon another tube that connected by a lever with the second speedand high-speed shifting gear.
Where these rods enter the transmission case, they are provideil with notches, properly spaced, ‘into which plungers, operated by springs, drop. These lock the gears into position so that they cannot move unless the gear shift lever operated. When shifting any gear into mesh or out of mesh into the neutral position, the resistance of these locks can be felt. It might be well to add at this point that the gears can be shifted easily and it is not necessary to yank and strain at the shifti.nig lever.
If the gears do not respond to a light pull, the operator is making the change unskillfully.
Always be sure to leave the gear shifting lever in neutral position when vou stop the car.

In starting an automobile, the object to be striven for is to have the car pass from a stationary position into rapid motion with a minimum strain upon the engine and other parts. The skillful driver aims to create a steady pull on the driving mechanism from the moment he begins to slip into the first speed until the car is under full headway. Starting with a jerk or passing unevenly from one speed to another strains the engine, racks the frame, and causes various troubles with the driving mechanism. To become a proficient driver, you must master the details of starting and stopping, shifting gears, etc., given herein, until they become second nature to you, and you do them unconsciously at the proper time. The various operations of throwing out the clutch, applying the foot brake, andopening and closing the throttle, must be more or less interlocked to obtain smooth starting and smooth running, so that while you are unconsciously allowing the clutch to come in, the moment that you feel it start to take hold, you automatically raise the throttle a short distance or depress the accelerator, giving the engine more gas to take care of the added demands made upon it; at the same time, you turn the steering wheel as the car moves, guiding it in the path you wish it to follow.

Do not make short angular turns when they can be avoided, and never when driving at a high speed, neither in rounding corners nor deviating from a straight line when driving straight ahead. Instead, turn the steering wheel sufficiently to cause the path of the wheel to travel a wide arc. You will be surprised how little the wheel has to be turned to place the car where you want it if you start soon enough.
Inexperieniced drivers have the impression that the steering wheel must be moved first one way and then the other constantly. This is not the case, unless the driver pulls the steering wheel too far each time In reality, the path of the car is never straight, consisting of a series of waves on each side of a straight line. By pulling the wheel a fraction of an inch each time when driving straight ahead, the car will travel in a wide curve, so that it will not be necessary to pull in the opposite direction until a distance of several hundred feet has been covered.
Never take both hands off the steering wheel while the car is in motion. If it is found necesary to move the hands to a new position, as in rounding a corner, move one hand at a time with an overhand motion. In turning the wheel, do so with a full arm movement, keeping the elbows rigid, moving the arms from the shoulders with a slight twisting of the body, making a long sweeping movement partially around the wheel.
When climbing a grade or entering mud or heavy going, where the car will not be able to get thru without dropping to a lower speed, do not wait until nearly stalled before shifting the gear shift lever.
In going over abrupt bumps, high water breaks, or ridges, slow up; and cross them obliquely wherever possible. In passing over wetpavements or slimy roads, avoid sudden turns or changes in direction. Avoid, also, sudden application of the brakes. To avoid skidding, when you feel the rear end of the car start.ing to slip, make a quick turn toward the same side and’ the car will right itself. When a car starts to skid on account of sudden application of the brakes or power. throw off the power and the brakes and let the car coast free. In this condition the car will skid the least. Front wheel skidding is not as common as rear wheel skidding. but should this happen, turn the wheels in the opposite direction to that in which they are sliding.

DONT’S
Don’t try to start without the switch turned on.
Don’t try to crank the engine without seeing that the spark lever retarded.
Don’t run the engine fast when the apparatus standing still. There no worse abuse.
Don’t try to run the engine with the compression release open. Donlt shift into high gear without reasonable start upon thelower gears.
Don’t see how quickly the apparatus can be stopped,
Don’t see how fast the apparatus can be started.
Don’t attempt to shift into reverse gear when the car is moving ahead.
Don’t attempt to shift from high gear into intermediate gear when the car is running at a high rate of speed.
Don’t attempt to shift from second to low gear unless the car is running very slowly.
Don’t fail to investigate any unusual sound which may develop. Don’t drive with the emergency brake on.
Don’t fail to keep your brakes adjusted. It is more necessary to be able to stop the car than to start it.
Don’t jump the car by quickly opening the throttle,
Don’t neglect to inspect the level of the electrolyte in the storage battery every two weeks.
Don’t use cheap engine oil. It does not pay. Don’t drive fast going down hill.
Don’t disregard necessary adjustments.
Don’t drive fast on rough roads.
Don’t abuse tthe apparatus.
Don’t try to improve the design.
Don’t forget that the fan belt stretches and it must be adjusted. Don’t forget to have front wheels, spindles and steering gear
examined after bumping curbs, trees, or posts.
Don’t stay in ruts or street car tracks too long before attempting to turn out.
Don’t forget that you are not the only one riding on the apparatus—the others’ safety is in your care.
Don’t think that because fire apparatus have the right of way that no one else has any rights.
Don’t drive close to street cars or other vehicles, if it can “be avoided.
Don’t drive faster than the conditions warrant. Some cities have limited the speed of their tire apparatus to 25 miles per hour.
Don’t look around on the sidewalk. Your friends are all looking; you needn’t worry.
Don’t forget. above all else. that Seagrave Apparatus is the finest in the world and will pay in excellence of service many times over, for the care and attention given it.

All said, it is time to hit the road

101 years, 1001 miles and a story worth to share….

Seagrave driving instructions for a new technology coming to change the world

Clutch

F6 T-Head