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OPINIONS

24th December 1929
Page 46
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Page 46, 24th December 1929 — OPINIONS
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Ton, Landing Ship, Tank

and

QUERIES

The Coachbuilders' Difficulties. Due to Bus-weight Restrictions.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL

MOTOR.

[29681 Sir,--The question of increased laden weight for double-deck buses is a matter of great import to the coachbuilder. It is true that, as specialists in this department, we have spent a very considerable amount of time and money in trying to live within the meaning of the Act and to produce bodies of sufficient comfort and seating capacity which will both be pleasant to the passengers and an economical revenue-earning vehicle for the operator. This, however, incurs a great deal of expense which is really an unnecessary evil, an imposition on the purchaser and a great risk to the builder, who, in his endeavour to get down to the necessary weight, may very easily err on the wrong side of safety.

It further presents another difficult problem, in so much as chassis weights are never the same, and where we put forward a body for 50 persons suitable for one make of chassis the same-size job has to be severely cut about to give the same seating capacity for another make in view of the disparity in their weights.

We have ourselves, however, been successful in producing a covered-top enclosed-staircase body at 42 cwt., seating 48 persons, but, as mentioned above, this increases tile natural cost of the body very much more than is desirable.

We wish you personally every success in your endeavour to press home on the Ministry the necessity of an extra 10 cwt. at least, in order that the bodywork in any ease can be built without the risks which at the moment are apparent, and enable the coachbuilder to cut his costs and so assist the operator.—Yours faithfully,

B. HOMERAY DAVIES, Sales Manager, For HALL, LEWIS AND CO., LTD.

The Form of Combustion Head for Diesel Engines.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. .

[2969] Sir,—Whilat not wishing to initiate a prolonged discussion regarding the relative merits of the pre-combustion chamber and direct methods of fuel injection in high-speed Diesel engines, I should like to reply to some of the points raised by Mr. W. H. Goddard in his letter appearing in your paper on the 10th inst.

The opinion expressed in my paper was that an ante-chamber provides a relatively easy solution of the fuel-injection problem, but is little removed from the type of operation usual with low-speed engines, and in the search for higher outputs and lower specific weights will probably fail to survive. This statement was meant to apply in particular to engines suitable for private cars and high-speed passenger vehicles, where specific weight and output in relation to capacity are equally as important as the advantages outlined by Mr. Goddard.

Mr. Goddard is discreetly silent regarding the disadvantages of the ante-chamber design. 13rieily, in comparison with direct injection, they are as follow :— (1) The output per litre of capacity is low, the value for the Mercedes engine at its governed speed being 8.25, whilst with direct injection 12 h.p. to 15 h.p. per litre can be obtained. (2) By its very nature the cycle followed in the antechamber design is little removed from the constantpressure cycle, and it is generally accepted that the efficiency is increased, and the consumption therefore reduced, by increasing the proportion of the fuel charge burnt at constant volume. (3) The heat loss resulting from the rapid passage of air and products of combustion through restricted channels is high. This further slightly increases the consumption and renders heater units necessary for cold starting, for these, whilst being simple, are additions to the mechanism. (4) The ante-chamber reduces the space available in the head for the accommodation of the gas valves. In heavy-transport work specific weight and output per litre are not of such vital importance, and no doubt in this field the ante-chamber type will continue to hold its own. Mr. Goddard's claims for the Mercedes oil-, engined vehicle are, however, somewhat sweeping. Whilst not doubting its success, I would remind him that other firms of equal repute have developed and produced designs giving reliable and satisfactory performance in service.—Yours faithfully,

Wolverhampton. S. W. NIXON.

Operating a Hire Service.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL Morort.

[2970.1 Sir,—I am an interested reader of your excellent publication, and would be obliged if ' you would send me your Tables of Operating Costs to cover the running of a 31 11,1). Minerva landaulet and an Austin 20 h.p. limousine, as I cannot agree with your estimate of 9d. per mile and 5s. per hour vu Ring time, if most work is only paid one way, .as you gave to Mr. Berry, of Walkden in a recent issue.

If this be possible I shall be grateful for your infOrmation, as it will be evident that I 'am operating in a wrong manner. At present I cover. appproximately 10,000 miles per annum, per ear, 'and my rates are 10th per mile for touring, passengers paying for all miles covered and returning to starting point, 1s. 3d, per mile for one-way journeys, and 1s. per rnile or 10s. per hour, whichever is the greater, for local work.

I shall be pleased to receive your reply, and would like to thank you for the most interesting. information contained every week in your journal.-Yours

faithfully, F. _ANDREWS. Cliftonville,

[The correspondent to whom I was replying in the letter which appeared in The Commercial Motor for November 12th was in a favourable position as regards cost of Operation. He asked me to.advise him as to his charges, basing them on those favourable costs.

Your conditions are probably different, and the terms under which you let your vehicles suitable to your own conditions. I have looked into them, and on an ordinary basis I do not think your charges are in any way excessive.-S.T.R.]

Rate-cutting in Agricultural Transport.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[2071] Sir,--I have been a regular reader of your journal for the past four years, and have found it full of interest, especially "Problems of the Haulier and Carrier" and "Opinions and Queries" ; also for the same period I have carried on business as a haulier with one 5-ton lorry, which I have worked myself.

In your issue of November. 12th I note a letter to you from "Morris," Horsham, and in your reply to him you state that he should charge 8-1d. per mile for running his 30-cwt. van 126 miles per day. I agree with this, but that is not all I wish to say. I reay want to point out the opposition some of us are up against now, and how difficult it is to get a fair price for work done.

Here are a few facts of the business in this locality. I offered to cart a farmer's beet to the factory, a distance of 8-i miles each way, at 6s. 6th per ton, in 5-ton loads, to be loaded up on the road. I was immediately undercut by another carter working a 30-cwt. Chevrolet, who offered to load up on the field and cart the beet to the factory at 5s. 9th per ton. 'He did four loads of about 36 cwt. per day.

Another contractor, who is operating three wartime 4-ton lorries and overloading by 30 cwt. each time, is carting beet to the factory, a distance of a full nine miles each way, at 4s, 3d. per ton. The grower provides one man to help the driver to load and unload: they do three loads per day for five days and two loads the sixth day.

Another one-man carter, who is working a 25-cwt. Chevrolet, is carting potatoes from a farm to the station at 4s. per ton; the distance is seven miles each way. He loads 33 cwt. on two trips and 34 cwt, on one, or three trips to a 5-ton truck, and he does, if he be busy, 15 tons per day with occasional back loads at half price. The roads are very rough during the winter months, and during the summer this includes carting the potatoes from all positions on the fields.

Last, but not, least, all the spring months. when farmers are preparing to plant potatoes, they require a large amount of guano, obtained very often through a merchant, who in most cases has it carted by road from the works by haulage contractors. The rates for this are from 5s. 6d, per ton for .19 miles to 24 miles each way, 6s. 10d. per ton for 31 miles to 35 miles and 75. 10d. per tont for 35 miles to 40 miles, carted in 5-ton to 6-ton loads, and in some cases the rates work out at less than 6d. per mile for a 5-ton lorry, yet everyone seems to be keen on getting the work.

Some of the trouble seems to be that a lot of these hauliers are agricultural workers who have acquired lorries by some means and who do not understand the business; but still,' this is not so in every case. As for myself, I have been connected with the motor industry for the past 13 years.

Here are some of my rates for your perusal for carting beet in about 5i-ton loads, eight miles to nine miles each, 6s. 6d. per ton. I pay a man about 428. per week to help me and I do three loads per day and two on the sixth day. Other jobs include carting potatoes in 5-ton loads, three miles to four miles each way, at 3.s. 3d. per ton, but I am now experiencing difficulty in getting sufficient work at these rates for about six months of the year.

I have felt compelled to cart some of the guano mentioned at times, and I have started my lorry up at 4.30 a.m. I have done 130 miles and carted 11 tons, finished at 6 p.m., and my total earnings for the day have been £3 15s. 2d.

I have done all my own repairs, my garage charges have been nil and in spite of this I am still only in about the same position as I was over two years ago, and it is only too evident that my competitors, if as well off, are no better.

During the beet campaigns there is plenty of work for everyone, and this rate-cutting is absolutely uncalled for, especially as during the rest of the year there is a large surplus of transport and there are certain expenses to be met over that period. I know there is only one end to it, but while the grass is growing the horse is starving.

If you have a representative in this district I should be pleased to see him at any time, when we could talk over things too numerous to mention here.

Wishing you and The Commercial Motor, every

success in the future.-Yours faithfully, C.P. Lincoln.

[The examples of haulage contracts that you quote in your letter are a curious mixture of good and bad. The man who is carting beet at 5a. 9d. per ton on a 30-cwt. Chevrolet cannot be making more than 10s. per week profit, whatever he does. There is a reasonable profit in the case of the man who is taking beet 51 tons at a time for 4s. 3d. per ton. I estimate that his cost is about £15 per week and his revenue £20 per week per vehicle.

The man carting potatoes at 4s. per ton on a 25-cwt. Chevrolet seems to me to be working all the week for a gross profit of 30s.

The haulage of guano I would not touch in any circumstances. According to my calculations the cost of a week's work on that lob in round figures is about £27 and the revenue less than £20.

The prices you quote as being your own rates seem to be reasonable and should afford you a fair profit. I take it that the real reason why you have not made much progress is that you are unable to get work all the year round.

I should very ranch like to meet you and to talk matters over with you, as you suggest, but Holbeach is a•little out of my way. If ever I do get within reasonable distance I will certainly give you a call.


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