THE MAINTENANCE OF BODYWORK.
Page 72
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Arguments in Support of the Fact that -Money Spent in Upkeep is Money Well Spent.
T"proprietor of a passenger 'vehicle is usually careful to keep it in a cleanly and presentable condition. When it is realized that most buses and coaches receive systematic daily attention, it is not surprising that many of them compare favourably with privately owned ears in the matter of cleanliness, in spite of the far greater mileage covered and the fact that they have to be out in all weathers. The ownerof a .van, especially if it be attractively. finished, realizes that its value as a travelling advertisement is lessened if it be neglected, and he is convinced that a reasonable amount of time and labour expended on general upkeep is well spent, because the life of the vehicle is prolonged.
There are, however, many lorries and other commercial vehicles which give the impres,scon that their owners consider that outward appearances are of little account. A broken tailboard or other part badly
in need of repair can be left until they get a little worse, the excuse being that the lorry can ill be spared, or that there are no funds available for putting these matters right. Maybe, it is argued, that the lorry is a second-hand one and not worth spending Money upon, or that it is a waste of time to keep it clean if it be engaged in carrying road material or any other load which easily soils it. A lorry which is allowed to run with defective bodywork may easily lose part of its load during a journey, aside from being a danger to other road users, and the owner' who thinks that a dirty and unkempt vehicle has no adverse effect on the development of his business is deceiving himself and indulging in false economy.
Design from the Cleaning Point of View.
As washing and cleaning the vehicle is a constant and often a daily item of expenditure the cost R46 entailed must be kept low, and since the time available for it is restricted, unless the fleet be large enough to justify, the employment of night workers, the necessary operations must occupy a minimum of time. Some vehicles are easier to ,clean than others. A boxvan which has a removable driving seat, flush panelling inside, no partition and a pair of lift-off hind doors, and has no windows and only a sheet-metal windscreen, can be dealt with more expeditiously than another with an enclosed driving seat and partition and a small back door hung on butt hinges, with several shelves inside which cannot be quickly detached.
A coach with a separate door to each row of seats carried right across the body cannot be swept out in the same time as a modern central-gangway pattern. Extra doorways or exits usually increase the labour of sweeping out the interior unless more than one man can be allocated at a time to each vehicle. Panels which are extended below the chassis line are difficult to clean on the inside, unless they form the front of lockers.
With buses and coaches the chief factor which tends to delay the effective removal of the dirt and litter are the seat legs or other supports and the way in which the wearing surface of the floor is finished. A typical bus seat has a pair of legs on the gangway side, usually with some form of rail or bracing as well. These form a continual source of obstruction to the sweeper's broom and present many ledges and corners for the lodgment of dust. A plain end support or cheek piece is to be preferred from this point of view, especially if the front and back edges be rounded.
• • The modern wearing slat with its chamfered -edges is a cheap and
• simple -form of floor covering which is easily renewed, but it requires conscientious brushing if the floor is to be swept properly. An ideal floor would be a metal one with semicircular depresSions to trap the moisture, with an alternating flat surface on which could be mounted a half-round, non-slipping, yet hardwearing surface for the passengers' feet.
Easily Cleaned Cushions and Metal Fittings.
Many bus proprietors prefer moquette upholstery, because it provides a warm and firm seating and the interior is made cheerful owing to the pattern and colouring of the material. Leather and leather cloth, however, are not only waterproof but do not harbour dust and are quickly cleaned. Bright metal fittings should be eliminated t4-, far as possible, but, being so easy to obtain, it is unlikely that their use will decrease to any marked extent until there is a more insistent demand for non-tarnishable fittings, such as those which are oxidized, or made of various aluminium alloys or rustless steel, or until chromium plating comes into more general use. The bus need not be dull and uninviting owing to the absence of brignt metal parts, because the opposite effect may easily be produced by means of a well-.chosen and carefully arranged colour scheme both inside and out.