Job Day and Sons Ltd of Leeds, makers of packaging machinery for tea and granulated material
1901 Invented machine for packing soap; Jacob Day and Sons company founded
Other early products were a bacon slicer and a motorcycle
1912 William Henry Day, son of Job Day, developed a prototype car - the Day Leeds - using a motorcycle engine
1912 The company made both motorcycles and cyclecars. The first models were 3.75hp singles with direct-belt drive, free engine or two speeds, and Druid forks. The main difference from many others was that they had an overhead inlet-valve.
Later cars were fitted with bodies made by Blackburn Aeroplane Co
1913 November. Details of four-cylinder light car.[1]
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Petrol Motor Commercial Vehicles see the 1917 Red Book under the Day-Leeds name.
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of cars see the 1917 Red Book
1914 Introduced all-chain drive and a P and M two-speed gear.
WWI Car production ceased during the war. Production of motorcycles ended but the company continued to manufacture cyclecars until 1925.
1924 A total of 300 cars had been made but increased competition made the company switch to packaging machinery.
1930s Three production factories in Leeds
1935 Moved to Beeston Royds Works, Leeds
1960 Acquired by Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) of Gainsborough
Eclipse was a motorcycle produced in 1912. It was designed by H. A. Smith and built by Job Day and Sons of Leeds.
The firm made their own 499cc engine that had an overhead inlet-valve and a special lubricating system. It had an Edlin frame, Druid forks, Bosch magneto, belt drive and a half-compression device for easy starting.
See Also
Sources of Information
- History of Job Day [1]
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle by Peter Henshaw. Published 2007. ISBN 978 1 8401 3967 9