Let the Operator Advise the Maker
Page 43
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It Is Experience of Use that Counts
The Criterion of a Better Vehicle is the Proportion of its Life it Spends on: the Road and that Depends on the Qualityand the !Fear and Breakage . Resistant Properties of its
ComPonents
THE article by, Mr. A. W. Haigh, entitled " The Vehicle That is Not a Little .Better," in The Commercial Motor " dated December 31 last,' -is particularly interesting. It is a striking example of the attitude of mind which makes it so necessary' that we should have a Technical Institute of Road Transport Operators. The `writer :is obviously so detached from the mundane World in. • which commercial motors are used and operated aS to make it hopeless for any, individual user to appeal to" him for consideration of what an operator would regard as reasonable-suggestions . for improve
meats in his prodact.• .
The article ptirports to be a reply to one of mine, vs,laich appeared in;`,` The Commercial Motor " dated November 19, 1943. 11r. Haigh entirely ignores a second article on the same subject in which my argument. . was really developed and brought to a logical Conclusion. His criticism .of. what he aid read is, moreover, almost entirely,stultified because his argument is basecl on an entirely . unwarranted assumption for which there is no foundation in fact,
Assumptions That are Not Justified.
He assumes that •I am .comparing a mass-produced machine with one which is not so produced. He assumes that Mr. Pickles,' who asked for economic. comparisons between good and better vehicles, also desired that ComParison to be betWeen mass-produced chassis and others.
Neither of those assumptions is correct. So far as I recollect, none of the discussion which has taken place in the feature " Let the Operator Advise the Maker " has had that particular feature of to-day's commercial-motor manufacture in mind. If there has been such a reference, it has been incidental and no part of the main theme.
Certainly, in the article which is subject to criticism. I had no such comparison in mind. My comparison was between two chassis, similarly constructed, but embodying different components, the qualities of which are well known to me. The question of the value of mass-produced vehicles does not, therefore, arise.
It is of interest, nevertheless, to take his own preliminary argument in favour of the Mass-produced product, and bring it to a logical conclusion& task he, himself, very wisely avoids.
• Comparing the Rolls-Royce car with the mass-produced product, he states that " the • quality of mass-Produced chassis is definitely not lower than that' of individually produced machines." Ergo, the Rolls-Royce differs from the mass-produced machine in only the matter of price—the quality is the same! .
Those of us who have bought—and
used—cars of the mass-produced type an cars. that are a little better,. who have plirchisecid-;-and operatedlotries of 'themass-produced type and--those 'that are 'somewhat superior, will know
the answer_to that one, "
Proceeding now to the , gist of the matter—NIL -Haigh's Criticism of My 10 points—he makes his next assuiription in dealingwith point one; when he_suggests that.. my judgment of an axle . casing might be. determined by the way in which it is 'fettled' The mistake is, of course, not so serious as his first one: I think, however-, that I am entitled to correct it... Moreover, my experience . was gained in i.-hard school. Wc had no-previous.-practice to guide us. We _started from scratch and although there have been tremendous strides in -the science and art of vehicle construction since those days,' not everyone will agree thatdetails of present-day chassis are an imPiovernent in every way on those embodied in earlier products.' •
The Sausage Skin May. Be Misleading!
So, whilst it may be true that I have forgotten most of what I ever knew about design, and equally true that what I did know would not be of much use to-day, I should not base my opinion of anoxic casing on the way in which it was fettled, any more than I should judge a sausage by its skin!
It is, indeed, appropriate, at this juncture, to mention that I left the designing room because I came to the conclusion that the economic aspect of commercial-vehicle use was likely to become tremendously important and, therefore, likely to offer greater scope. Events have jastified ma in that
So far as my judgment of the relative Merits of the 10 chassis compa. .nents is concerned, I relied entirely On the experience of ',tiers, thus, in effect, complying With "Mr. Pickles' request. In other Nvords, I know; from' the various experiences of my Many user .friends, that what I called the better axle is really the better "one; as-demon
strated by actiial "
This method has., for me, the immense advantage' that it relieves the of Jhe neeeksitY of quaking the calculations called for' by Mi. Haigh in his • disc:ussion of first Point—the relative merits of the two .a.Xle casings: Mr. Haigh did not use Sufficient care in reading my paragraph about brakes. I said that both brake gear's were fthe same type but different in model: one _was a grade better (otherwise more sub. stantially ':made) ' than the other, a quality which confers the longer life and .greater freedom from need for maintenance, which arc so important.
Shackle Pins—An "Elastic Lintit"
As regards shackle pins; whilst 1 'accept. Mr. Haigh's figures for comparative wearing surfaces, I do not agree that the period of absence of need for 'attention, •or' of reneWal; varies in direct proportion to the area of the wearing surface. There -appears. to be, in this matter, 'a sort of elastic limit" of wear, inasmuch as,a, bigger pin lasts -considerably longer, Wears much less; as the area increases. I adhere, therefore, to my original estimate 'of the comparatiye.co,st of losaof tithe in maintenance.
With regard to spring brackets, it was stated that " prospects of breakage are reauded," That cannot be denied, and is all that I desired to demonstrate. I made no mention of psychological effects in this connection.
In collection with springs, king-pins and the frame, practical experience contradicts Mr. I-high's theoretical argu-, men ts.
Engine mounting, the eighth point, is a particularly sore point inconnec‘ tion with oil-engMed chassis, Mr. Haigh can take it from me that opera. tors, seeing evidence in a new chassis . of more attention having been given to this point, do beave a sigh of relief.
He gives ine a good point in refer. ence to the gearbox. If it be " constructed to last for a given length af time " it will assuredly be more likely to give trouble at an earlier date than one designed to last longer, Which is all I want to prove.
So far as wheel studs are concerned. " it may have been proved that •the, smaller studs on the cheaper machine are entirely capable of coping with the lolaiodros ?imp,oSed on. them." Proved by l.s