Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
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TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for any thing else published.
Drivers of commercial-motor vehicles and tractors, and mechanics and foremen of girrai:es or shops, are invited to send short contributions on any subject tok,ch is likely to prove ot interest to our readers. Workshop tips and smart repairs; long and successful runs ; interesting photograpis : all are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us—no matter how short, or how written, Of how worded. We will "knock it into shape" and prepare sketches, where necessary, before publication. The absence of a sketch does not disqualify for a prize. When writing use one side of the paper only and mention your employer's name as a guarantee of bona fides.. Neither your own re r your employer's name will be disclosed. Payment will be made immediately after publication. Address your letters to J he Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, 7 15, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C.
Broken Water-pump Valves.
[644] " W.T." (York) sends the following note to Its ;-" When I was driving a steam wagon recently, I had the bad fortune to break the stem of a water-pump inlet Naive. The valve in question had the usual three wings and a short cylindrical guide-piece on top ; it was this guidepiece which had broken off. Naturally. this accident caused me a good deal of trouble, and I had to have a shot at fixing up the valve in some way. There was a short bit of the neck of this guide left ; it seemed, therefore. to be V ise to try and fix something on to this bit. I took the cork out of a spare oil can which I always carried with me, and I pared it down as near as possible to the actual size of the original guide ; I then bored a hole up the cork and jammed it on to the broken neck. A yery flimsy sort cf makeshift, it is true. but E managed to get home all right, by means of it, and that was the chief thing.
Joining a Driving Chain—Another Appliance.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 10s. prize this week.
[643] " (Surrey) sends a description of yet anether means for the coupling of chain links.—' Seeing two recent letters in the D. and M.' columns of the' ' Nos 630 and 613.—Eie1, describing. simple but effectual L
methods of coupling up the ends of driving chains of motor vehicles, I thought there might still be room for a description of one more device with the above-mentioned object; one, in fact, which I have had in use for some years. Where there is only the wiestion of one car, Oils of the methods already described in the columns of the
CAL' will suffice well enough. but. in the garage or workshop, something a little more practical is required. The arrangement which I am about to describe was made out of 1 in. by Ps in. flat iron; one end is slightily set, and. just below this, is a short crossbar with a hook fumed at each end. This is either lousily riveted or bolted to the
lever. Two hooks are then made which will piles through the links of the driving chain. Two short pieces of such chain as is usually to be found in most shops and garages are next procured, and one end of each chain is made permanently fast to a hook. 'When it is desired to couple up a driving chain, the first hook—see accompanying sketch is attached to the driving chain, then the end of the lever is passed through a convenient link, and the loose connecting chain is slipped over the hook of the crossbar attached to the lever. The lever is then pulled hack; this will tighten up the driving chain. The other hook. with its chain, is then secured to the driving chain and to the erossbar, in the same n:amier as was the first hook. This will then give freedom to both hands—an obvious advantage. The sketch should make all this clear. [We have had this redrawn.—En.] This appliance is easy to make, quickly attached, or detnehed, and efficient."
Trouble with Gudgeon Pins.
[640] •" DRIVER " (Sutton) writes.—'' I should like to
tell you about a little experience which I had on a steam wagon which I have been driving for a Sutton firm. On the occasion of which I am about to tell you, I had a. load of builder's material on my wagon and on my trailer, and I had to take it from Sutton to West Ealing. When I reached Shepherd's Bush, the H.P. gudgeon pin gave out. I put in my spare one, but. after travelling another two miles, that went as well. It was then too late to try and get another one made; there was nothing for it, therefere, but to try and get my H.P. engine disconnected, and to endeavour to go ahead with the L.P. engine only. The power equipment on this make of wagon is of the enclosed type, and, as I had had the job of getting a similar wagon home before, by means of the auxiliary valve, I knew what trouble that meant, and so I thought I would try another plan this time. 1 took out the H.P. piston and disconnected the big end and the eccentric and valve spindle; I was then able to remove the valve itself. I had a piece of an oak handle in my tool-chest. I took this out, and, after tapering one end, I was able to drive it into the cylindercover opening from inside. I measured the distance back to the other cover and got my hack-saw and cut off the plug to this length. The gland was then replaced and screwed up tight in position. .1 next cut out a piece of sheet iron to cover the inner end of the gland casting, and I put a piece of asbestos next to the end of the wooden plug and jammed it all up tight. The valve spindle was next drawn, and I left the nut on the inside, packed the gland well and tightened it up. I was thus able to give the steam a through passage to the L.P. side without the use of the auxiliary valve. Under these conditions I could then start away, to deliver my load and to get back to Sutton without any further trouble. When we came to overhaul the wagon. we found that the frame had any number of loose rivets in it."
English Drivers for Spain.
Our readers will remember that, in the last issue or the old year, we asked for the names of suitable applicants for a number of positions as drivers of steam-wagons in Spain. We had been asked by the company owning these machines to act in this matter, as the men were required at short notice and good men only were required. From a number of applications, we selected five suitable drivers who were to go out as the first batch; they left Victoria, en route for Paris and Spain, on the evening of Wednesday, the 5th inst.—exactly six days after our request for applicants had appeared in print. The name, of sufficient further men have been selected to form the second contingent which will shortly be despatched. Drivers will please note that we cannot consider more applications, and all references which accompanied those to hand will shortly be returned.
When the Winter Breezes Blow.
[6471 " B.F." (Stockport) recently wrote to us with regard to a frozen feed-pipe on his steam wagon ; his method of thawing it may be of use to other drivers during the present season :—" I am the driver of a --steam wagon. We recently, on a Tuesday, experienced a very heavy snowstorm in this part of the country. In the towns, this was, of course, cleared away at once, hut. in the country, it was allowed to lie just as it had fallen. On the Wednesday, I was sent out on a journey, and, when I had got some miles out, I was soon snowed up. There I was stuck, too, until the Friday morning. On the Thursday night, there was a very severe frost, and the feed-pipe from the water tank to the injector got frozen up; it is partly exposed, as von know, on the models. On Friday morning, I was in a dilemma as to how to get it thawed in order to get some water into the boiler. Eventually I hit upon the following ' wheeze.' In the first place. I got a piece of tapered round iron, %vhich I found in my tool-box. I fixed this into the end of the overflow pipe of the injector. I then slacked out the lock-nuts of the water sieve, which, on this make, is between the injector and the coal hunker. T did this in order to let out the water as the ice melted.
and also to let out steam and thus act as a safety valve. The check-valve was then removed from the injector, and steam was gently turned on. By the time I had looked over the engines, the pipe was again free, so I fastened down the sieve, put back the cheek-valve, knocked out the piece of round iron from the overflow pipe, and proceeded to fill up the boiler."