The Motor Drivers News.
Page 25
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A Faulty Plug. " l. L.'' (London) says Laet Saturday I was coin
ing home to the depot from the country, lvlum the car stopped, and I could not find the trouble for some Lime. The carburetter was getting its full supply of petrol, and the exhaust valves were all right. 1 cleanNI all the plugs and washed them in petrol, and still 1 could not get the vehicle to move. Then, after a time, 1 found the wire from the accumulator Lo the coil had broken inside the insulation, so that there was no external indication to show that a break had occurred : I think that a strand of several wires is much better than a single one. After going about a mile further on I found the car was losing power ; there was a leak past the porcelain tube of the plug, so I renewed the packing and the engine went well. This was the first job that I have had to do on the road since .1ugust. I have been driving for years and do all my own repairs. I am much interested in motor work, and every morning, before leaving the garage, I examine my vehicle. 1 lie on my back and have a good look all round it ; the time is well spent, as my hitches on the road are few and far between, and the repair bilk are, in consequence, low."
Wood a. Steel Tires.
(East [lam) asks us to insert the following loiter : " 1 have taken in 4 THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR 'r since the first number appeared, and I always read the ' Drivers News ' page with great interest. During the last five years I have driven most types of steam wagons, and not a few petrol lorries, all of which have been fitted with steel tires. I have been driving a live-ton steam wagon, of a well-known make, and fitted with steel tires, in London, for over two years. Now I have a new berth, and my job is to look after a lorry which has wheels fitted with wooden treads. Vhat I should like to point out is the great difference in the running between steel and wooden-treaded wheels. I used to have greet trouble in driving my old wagon, on wet days, when running on wood paving, as I found that, directly I got near the kerb, no matter how. much I steered to the contrary, the tail end of the wagon would slip down into the gutter. Now, I can tackle any description of greasy surface without fear of side-slipping, and, an incidental advantage, a wooden tire is considerably quieter over all classes of roads than its steel competitor. I should like to hear the views of sonic of my fellow drivers upon this subject, as I am sure that there is a satisfactory future in store for wooden-tired wheels for use with heavy commercial vehicles."
Care of Boiler Mountings.
" D.H." (Croydon) sends the following for insertion in this page :—" I drive a steam wagon, the property of a Croydon brewer, and I thought you would like to hear one of my experiences of the last twelve months. The only mishap 1 have had during this period has been the breaking of a back-axle bracket, which allowed the second motion shaft to fall down. The only way I could see to proceed on the journey, was to jack up the wagon, place the broken parts back as they were, and get a sling chain to bind round the bed of the engine to hold the broken parts together. This was done, and I found that I could proceed on my journey.
" 1 always make a practice of taking out all water gauge fittings once a week, and of cleaning out the holes, because where the cold and the hot water meet the metal gets corroded. In putting the fittings back, I always run them in with tallow, and I find by keeping to this practice I never have a leakage, and aIways have the parts in good order. never forget to take the strainers out of the water tank, once a week, to see that they are perfectly clean. Twelve months ago, I placed two steam cocks in the bend of the exhaust pipes, near the smoke-box doors, so as to prevent any cold water from getting into the tubes; these I always leave open when shunting in the yard in Lime morning, and also open them directly I stop, when going on a journey. I find by this means that I never have any leaky tubes. I placed a sight-feed lubricator on my engine some time ago, so that the cylinders should be regularly supplied with
oil ; it holds pint of oil, which will carry me lb miles. always make a practice of taking the caps off the hind wheels and filling them up with vaseline every week. My day's work averages 40 miles with six tons on board, and the wagon has to run over some of the worst roads in Surrey. If young drivers would take notice of these few small details they would save themselves much trouble,"
A Long Spell of Solid Work.
" E.M." (Newcastle-on-Tyne) sends this letter :—" I think few of your many driver readers can beat the following record :—My master was, a fortnight ago, asked to send a wagon with to tons of coal to a hamlet distant about 45 miles from Newcastle, away up near the Scottish border among the Northumbrian hills, and to bring back about the same weight of machinery. But the machinery was not yell suited for loading on our motor lorries, so I was told oft to tackle the job with a heavy tractor and two trailers,
" Owing to several weeks' almost uninterrupted wet weather, I was sure that the roads would prove very soft, so, to ensure reaching our destination the same night, my two mates and I turned out al 3 o'clock on the Monday morning. When we started it was simply raining cats and dogs, and so desperately heavy did the roads prove, that it was 2 a.m. on the Tuesday before we got to our destination, and were able to turn into a neighbouring shanty for four or five hours' welcome sleep.
" We were, before starting, led to expect plenty of assistance in loading up, and that this would not occupy over six hours at the most. But, unfortunately, for want of proper lifting tackle, my mates and I had practically to do the whole job ourselves, with our engine jack, and a rope. Though we worked like niggers from 7 a.m., with short intervals for food, until midnight, we had only then finished one wagon. NVe, therefore, turned out again at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but it was 3 o'clock that afternoon before everything was at last on board.
" Our real troubles, however, only now began, for, owing to the character of the machinery and want of tackle, thc heaviest portions could not be separated, but had to be concentrated on the much overloaded front trailer. Hence, eve had barely started when down went one side of the trailer nearly to the axles, so that, what with jacking up and roping, it was e p.m. before we got to the highway and turned in for our third short night's sleep. At 6 a.m. on Thursday we started homeward, but so boggy were the roads, that we sank through them every few yards, and after 12 hours had only progressed about as many miles, the rain coming down Pitilessly the whole time. Our coal had given out, and we were wondering where we wouldset more, being strangers, when a policeman suddenly loomed up on his bicycle like an evil spectre and demanded, with more point than courtesy, why we hadn't our sidelights burning. ' Why, man alive 1 exclaimed, ' it's still daylight." No, it isn't,' he retorted. 'it's 4.50, and lamp time's 4.40, so give us your names and addresses as sharp as you can.' I remonstrated with him, and said, 'You haven't a light on your own bike."Oh, never you mind that,' he answered, and scribbled away in his notebook, rend for anything I yet know to the contrary there may be a summons in store for me.
"That episode over, and et few' bags of fuel having been obtained, off we started again, travelling miserably the whole of that night. One of the trailer wheel bushes gave us a tremendous bother by overheating. We managed to pick up driblets of coal, and water, at odd places in that sparsely-inhabited district, and had to subsist ourselves pretty much on sandwiches. When at midday on Saturday we reached Ponteland, I had for a couple of hours been firing with our timber packing, and so how had my water got that, in order to save my firebox crown, I had to run the front wheels of my engine on to a couple of wood blocks, whilst my mates refilled the water tanks by buckets. " When we arrived home at 11.15 p.m. on Saturday, my mates and I, as you may imagine, were about played out, and the crippled wheel bush was completely worn through. We had, on that journey, put in 117 hours' solid work, e ih short intervals for uncomfortable meals; and until the sixth, and last day of our trip, the rain had scarcely ever ceased. I have had, in my experience as a driver, some pretty stitI jobs, but for pure discomfort and hard work 1 think this one easily outdistances them, I must not omit to mention that the whole of the reeds over which we passed, and into which our wheels frequently sanli, were alleged main roads.'' •