The Equipment of a Garage.
Page 84
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Some Points to be Kept in Mind when Establishing a Depot.
When about to change over from any animal to the mechanically-propelled vehicle for the purposes of goods transport, some users are inclined to neglect to consider how and where they shall garage the new fleet. They seldom consider how large a fleetmay become in the course of a few years. In quite a lot of cases the new vehicle is totally unprovided for ; it may be given standing-room at nights and at other non-running times in an open yard, to its detriment. Some owners think that, as the• new purchase is machinery and not flesh and blood, any old shed, however unapproachable or dilapidated, is quite good enough as a shelter, and there the unfortunate driver has to manceuvre the vehicle, as well as to carry out such repairs as he can, whenever they become necessary. It is, of course, unnecessary to erect a palatial sort of building for the job, but even for a small fleet it is quite advisable to have a proper and convenient place for storage, where fuel, oils and tools can be kept, and the vehicles can be cleaned. In choosing a site, it will be best to keep the following points in mind, but each class of business will, as a rule, have different requirements as regards situation and size of premises, etc. For a concern desiring to have its own garage for a fleet of vehicles to deliver its own goods, it will be necessary for the garage to be situated as near to headquarters as possible, if not actually on the premises. The entrance should give on to a good wide road on which the traffic is not excessive. The gateway should be wide enough to permit the vehicle to go in without the hind wheels' mounting the corner of the kerb. Much damage is often done to tires and the driving mechanism by frequent collisions with kerbstones.
If the fleet is to be a large one, a separate entrance and exit are advisable, so that vehicles can be arranged, as they come in, ready for going out. It is usual for the first in at night to be out first in the morning. This methcd will also give better opportunities of placing each vehicle in a convenient position, and will be found to avoid much shunting. Washing, if it is to be carried out well, should be carefully anticipated; it is necessary to have plenty of light and water. In large garages, where there is a great number of vehicles, such, for instance, as those used for buses, the machines are invariably washed where they stand. This means that each part of the building has to be very well lighted. If, however, sufficient space is obtainable for a separate wash, and there is ample room to manceuvre, it will be found that a great. saving in light and water can, by such provision, be effected, as the remainder of the garage can be less brilliantly illuminated, fewer hose pipes and taps need be fitted, and the cost of drainage installation can be lowered considerably, and floor levels simplified. For garage floors, concrete is withoutdoubt the best for all-round purposes, but it should be well laid and of sufficient depth to withstand the loads which are to be imposed on it. It can readily be laid to draiii into gullies, and each gully should lead into a catch-pit for the collection of the mud, etc., which is removed in washing. In laying out a new floor, it should be insisted that. plenty of fall should be given, and that the gullies should be of ample depth ,and width—covered
with movable gratings to allow for cleaning out. The catch-pits Nilo ul it be of good depth and are better fitted with gratings at the top, so that silt, etc., may easily be removed. Many people have allowed contractors to have their own way in this matter, much to their cost in a few months time, as drains then may have to be opened in order to clear them. The concrete should be given ample time to set, and horses should not be admitted. Their hoofs damage it.
ots There are several suitable systems of lighting, but electric is probably the best and the most convenient ; it is, too, perhaps, cheapest in the end. It is almost the . only feasible method where petrol vehicles are employed. Then again it is the only system which
provides a safe portable light, and that is necessary for all classes of vehicles. Metal-filament lamps have gone far towards reducing the cost of current used ; they .give less trouble than arcs and are much cheaper to install. Incandescent pressure-gas burners give excellent results for. the general lighting of a building, but they are not so convenient as electric lamps. For a garage for steamers, efficient ventilation at the roof is most desirable, as, when several wagons are making steam in the morning, there is always a Jot of smoke which must be got away as quickly as possible.. Good ventilation of any accepted kind is a sine qua non in any building where men have to work at high pressure. It is desirable to heat a garage in winter in most countries for several reasons, primarily to prevent the -water in radiators and cylinders from freezing, knit also to give the workmen a chance, as they cannot work properly if the atmosphere be not kept at a reasonable temperature. Hot-water pipes and an independent boiler are, in the -writer's opinion, the best system, although several of the hot-air systems are exceedingly good. Hot water is additionally useful for filling up radiators on very cold mornings.
Petrol, if used in quantities of over N gallons per day, should be bought in bulk and stored underground in tanks, and pumped up when required. A vast amount of labour and clerical work is then saved, :Ls one has not to deal with the familiar two-gallon can, which has such an undesirable habit of causing trouble when checking invoices and stock is being booked up. Petrol in bulk can, usually, be purchased more cheaply than in cans. Coal or coke for steamers, of course, does not need such careful storage, but care should be taken so that wastage is impossible. Oils and greases must be stored in a suitable place, and careful check must be kept upon the issues. Non-consumable stores, such as spare parts, etc., must be kept in rational quantities, and great judgment must be used in the selection and maintenance of stock, so that the right part shall be at hand when required. It depends largely upon the size of fleet to be maintained as to the nature of the parts which should be kept in stock, as it is useless to tie up a lot of capital in the purchase of expensive parts which are seldom wanted. Multiplicity of types of vehicles should be avoided at all costs, principally in order to keep the list of parts in stock down to a ndnimum ; it also tends to efficiency in running and to satisfactory work in the repair shop and costs department.
An efficient stores is one of the greatest factors in successful operation ; not only'does such a department provide the necessary parts and stock, but its records show where the money is going. From examination of the stores books and costs, much infornia.tion can be gathered as to efficiency or running, and a, finger can invariably and promptly be placed upon leakage and waste.
Fer the owner who is running his own fleet, the repairing and overhauling of the vehicles is a large question, for, unless the fleet be sufficiently large, he cannot afford to keep an efficient staff to do the work properly. In such circumstances it is better for him to contract with areputable firm for the maintenance, and in most cases for the garaging and wa.shing as well, as the contractor will have the necessary suitable premises, staff and appliances to deal with the work.