The Motor Drivers News.
Page 29
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Choked Silencers.
" T.R." (Bridgwater) writes :—" I see in your issue of the 6th instant that you publish a letter from W.S.' (Slough), I should certainly think that there was need for the remark at the head of the paragraph (` Pulling badly '). I have had trouble in the same way myself, but not in such a bad degree as 'W.J3.' as I used to clean the strainers, or baffles, which are bolted to the inside of the exhaust box. The exhaust Pipes can be removed by taking off one end of the silencer, and undoing two nuts, and this I used to do every eight or ten weeks. Later on I took the strainers out altogether with good results."
A Repair to a Broken Petrol Pipe.
" G.M." (Kilburn) writes us with reference to a broken petrol supply pipe. He says, " I found one of our motorbuses hung up' by the side of the road a few days ago, and, after enquiring from the driver, I elicited the information that the breakdown was due to a fractured petrol pipe, the break being just behind one of the unions. The hour was x a.m., so, of course, I had to rely upon my own ingenuity to repair the damage. I took down the pipe altogether and commenced to make the broken end of the tube bell-mouthed, by a careful manipulation of one end of a pair of small gas pliers. I ought to mention that, previous to the above operation, I slipped the union nut on the pipe, otherwise, after opening out the end of the tube, the nut could not have been passed over the enlarged end. I found the job rather a nasty one to do properly, but I had to do the best I could with the gas pliers, because they happened to be the only tool I had with me. When I had opened the pipe end sufficiently I took a thin piece of string and wound it very carefully two or three times round the end of the tubc, just behind the flange which I had made. Then, I placed the tube against the male end of the union, and screwed up the union nut as tightly as I could. The repair was quite successful and the string prevented any leakage of petrol which might otherwise have occurred owing to the roughness of the job. This same joint has lasted a considerable time, and is in every way satisfactory."
The Running of Steam Wagons.
" F.W." (Watford) writes :—" I shall be glad if you can find room for these general remarks of mine ; they are particularly intended to apply to steam wagons. I have always found that the boilers of steam wagons are more likely to give trouble than any other part of the machinery, not because they are inefficient, at any rate at the present time, but because the boilers seldom get fair usage when the vehicle is running along the highway. If one man is driving his wagon at the rate of eight or nine miles per hour, every driver of a motor wagon he passes on the road thinks it is his bounden duty to keep up with him. This, of course, is one of the greatest possible mistakes. I hope, by the time others have read this letter, they will be convinced that racing, or over-driving, is one of the quickest possible ways of wearing out a motor. I always try to keep as nearly at one speed as possible on the level, although some men, to make up for lost time, simply make their engine race for all it is worth. Then, after a short period, the wagon breaks down, and the manufacturers are blamed. Another fact which I frequently notice is that a vehicle may be running along a level road on top gear, and doing the work well, but, when a hill is reached, the driver still expects the engine to propel the vehicle on the same gear,
and also, at the same speed. Part of a hill, it is true, may be ascended like this, but something under halfway up the steam gives out and a compulsory stop occurs. When the steam pressure has got up again, the engine is started, and this causes tremendous strains upon all parts of the transmission gear. How much better for the driver to have dropped into the lower gear at the bottom of the hill and have climbed it steadily, if slowly.
" Great attention should always be paid to the cleaning of the boiler; this should be washed out at least once every week. It is advisable to change the water in the boiler two or three times during the week by opening the blow-off cock on arrival at the depot, after the day's work. Ten minutes should suffice to attend to the boiler each night, and it is time well spent. I have adopted the above plan for the past three years, and have found it of special value in cases where different qualities of water have to be used. In cleaning out th,e fire an the road, it is a mistake to stop the wagon, especially if it has been working up to its maximum, and open the fire-door to remove clinker. The proper method is to let the vehicle remain at a standstill for, say, 15 minutes; then, clean the fire thoroughly, and put some fuel on, letting it ignite gradually. On no account should the blower be used for drawing up the fire when it is in this state; in fact, the less the blower is used the better. I always make it a rule to carry some dry firewood with me, so that, if the fire has to be cleaned out, I first of all, after cleaning, put some of the wood on and let that get thoroughly lighted before putting the coke on. In my estimation a fire should not require to be cleaned out oftener than once in fifty miles, and if it appears to want more attention than this, it will probably be because some of the tubes leak.
" I recently had a good deal of trouble owing to the cylinder cover joint constantly giving way between the two cylinders. The bridge between the cylinders is quite narrow, and the joint would only ' stand ' for a very short time before blowing out. I put a thin piece of asbestos string down the centre of the bridge, when making the usual joint, and the result has been good ; I have had no further trouble. I can recommend Klingerit ' to all those who are troubled with leaky joints. The table below shows a week's work done by a Coulthard wagon which has been running for 3i years :— "The wagon is used for the carrying of beer, and this accounts for the long periods taken in unloading the cargo. If more drivers of steam lorries would carefully digest, and act upon, the advice given above, less adverse comment would be heard regarding this, or that, make of wagon, and the running of the vehicles would be considerably improved, and the life of the boiler would be lengthened."