BOGIES RAISED BY• MANUFACTURERS.
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Manufacturers of Commercial Vehicles Should Beware Lest They Make Too Strong Use of the " Years' Work Without Repairs" Story.
By "Vim."
NOT SO VERY many years ago, though it was in what was practically the infancy of the commercial motor vehicle business, manufacturers, by dint of censtantly advertising that their .vans and lorries were quite capable of carrying anything up to one-and-a-half times their rated loads, raised a bogey that, afterwards, nearly frightened them to death. The name of that bogey was, of course, "Overloading," and although, when its terribly mischievous propensities became known, they did. their -best to place the blame for its creation on the us-er, I venture to put on. record my opinion that they themselves were at fault. At this late date, overloading is not conspicuous; but it does still raise its head in places, ospe.cially amongst the novices in the community of commercial" 'vehicle users, and a great deal more propaganda will have to pass through the printing machines before it will be slain "far good and all."
In those days, it was quite common practice for a manufacturer to boast in his advertisements that his 30 -cwt. chassis was well able to carry 2 tons and, often enough, he would back up the statement by testimonials from delighted customers, who, dis covering that their vehicles did not it down on their haunches and refuse to move when asked to carry more than they were intended to take, cheerfully covered every available inch of platform space with goods, regardless of whether they consisted of feathers or pig lead. Said users, having apparently got far better value than they had paid for, did not begrudge a penny stamp and a sheet of 'notepaper for a testimonial to the makers.
But, 'by and by, the overloading bogey thus raised from Ignorance out of Thoughtlessness, began to take toll of its Victims. Users and makers alike grew aghast at the depredations it made on the vital parts of their chassis. The hard proverb, that you do not get something for nothing in the flinty world of business, not even half a ton of extra load capacity, ea
gradually forced its way home. Then came the revulsion—on the part of the manufacturers, at all • events. Users were rather loath to give up that which they had come to look on as a right, but the firms behind the vehicles which were being so shamefully abused earnestly set to work to undo the mischief that they (or their salesman, acting on their behalf) had wrought. The commercial Motor lent its powerful aid, and presently the effect became noticeable, for users began to watch their loads tnd to educate their despatch managers and drivers. Not that overloading is yet entirely dead, nor will be, until it. is made a criminal offence?
Remarkable and commendable as is the performance of a lorry that does its 50,000 miles and only costs its owner Id. for repairs (7d, for a bolt and nut and 1-d. for a split pin, which really need not have been replaced, except that the bolt showed slight signs of wear, and so it was thought prudent to Change it 1) I would caution the happy manufacturer of such a prodigy to be careful of letting the rest of his customers know about it. Advertisements are, in their combined effect, propaganda; and propaganda is a wonder-working tool, of which we have not yet judged the strength and sharpness, and which seems, on occasion, to have a tendency to cut the hand that employs it. By the propagation of the impreSsion that vehicles do run (sometimes) a matter of 50,000 miles at a net cost of Id.—neglecting the value of the time put into repairs by interested owners or drivers, forgotten sums paid out of pocket for replacements, etc.—a new bogey is even now in the creative stage. Although unborn, let us christen it "No Repairs."
Like its forerunner, this fresh +bogey, when finally it stalks abroad (if this warning does not cause it to be stifled before it grows too active to be caught easily) will pass by the garages of experienced users of coininercial vehicles ; but it is to be feared that it will smart numerous victims amongst the inexperienced. H-you cannot get an overload for • nothing, but must pay for it in abnormal wear and tear, then you' cannot, With any better hope of achieving the impossible, run a motor lorry efficiently and well without ade
quate attention, and not pay for so doing in hard cash.
What sense is there in making the vast body of small users think that the on of their number, who has the temerity to boast of 50,000 miles without a thorough overhaul, has done a clever thing? Has the man who; for three or four years, has been living on his capital done anything worthy of exemplification ? Who is the wise property owner-,-he who has the builder in at regular intervals to see that gutters are watertight, walls well pointed, woodwork protected by paint, and so on, or he who gloats over not having laid out more. than 74d. during the whole of his occupancy, to make good the ravages of sun, rain, and wind?
This is plain speaking ; but plain speaking seldom does any harm, and frequently has a contrary result. Any person who has had much to do with vehicles owned by small concerns knows,how rare it is to find -appreciation of the need for regular inspection and systematic repairing. • I will not go sO far as to say that the small user's disposition to put off till tomorrow the repairs that should be done to-day has been engendered by advertisements of stunt "no repairs" performances by possessors of vehicles similar to their own ; but I do say that this disposition is encouraged thereby to grow into a habit. I do not doubt the good faith of the claSs of advertisement referred to—but as to their advisability, that is a point that is in question.. The effect, of propaganda, conscious or otherwise, is not immediate ; it is to that. which may lie ahead that I draw particular attention.
Bogies have the advantage, to themselves, of being invisible, and once let this No Repairs get as good a send off as was accorded Overloading, and heaven alone knows when it will be laid by the heels—if bogies have heels. The duty of manufacturers is to instill into the minds of their customers that adequate attention pays, and pays again. To some extent, they already do this ; but they might carry their educational efforts much further. Their advertising space, or a substantial part of it, might be devoted to hammering in the lesson. Certainly, when using photographs of sorely-tried vehicles, they ought, while pat•tin themselves on the back for the longevity of their productions, to hold the owners as dreadful examples, for the benefit of those who might be likely to try experiments in the same direction. And that might give rise to a dearth in testimonials 1
STANDARDIZING TYRE SIZES.
Discarding an Old and Misleading System.
T•HERE STILL CONTINUES considerable inconsistency in connection with the sizes of solid tyres fitted to commercial vehicles, and this in spite of the work of the British Engineering Standards Association, which went fully into the matter and which issued recommendations that would have cleared up the situation to a great extent if they had been adopted throughout the trade.
• At present, manufacturers, when asked for particulars of new vehicles, in some cases quote the outside diameters of the tyres Is the large dimension, and in other eases quote the wheel diameters, i.e., the fitting sizes. It must be emphasized that the really important particulars required are the actual diameters of the wheels (that is to say, of the rims) and the 'widths of the tyres. .
If only manufacturers would discard the old and misleading system of describing the dimensions of solid tyres in terms of overall sizes, a great deal of the present misunderstanding would be obviated, and the risk of a user ordering tyres of totally incorrect dimensions would be elinimate-d.
What is often described as a 1,030 by 140 tyre really means a tyre of 140 section which will fit a wheel of 850 diameter. This instance alone should suffice to show how foolish ad misleading is this way of defining tyre sizes. The overall dimension may certainly be 1,030 when a tyre is new, but directly it, begins to wear, thip dimension alters; also there is no guarantee that one maker may not make the overall diameters of his tyres greater or smaller than the overall dimensions often quoted, in spite of the fact that the fitting sizes are standard. J. J.
THE DIESEL ENGINE LORRY.
Is the Application of this Prime Mover to Road . Transport Possible ?
T IS -UNDERSTOOD that some experiments are
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now being carried out in Sweden with a lorry provided with a Diesel engine and electric transmission. While the application of the Diesel engine , to road propulsion has often been discussed by engii neers, so far no suitable design has ever been evolved:' For road work the Diesel engine possesses certain inherent disadvantages, the chief being its excessive weight compared with a petrol engine a equal power, and, another, its lack of flexibility.
The four-cycle petrol motor itself is, by no means, as flexible as could be desired, but it possesses a, far bigger speed range than the Diesel engine. It is, therefore, not surprising to learn that, in the design with which experiments are proceeding, electric transmission is incorporated, by which means the disadvantage of lack of flexibility in the engine is overcome. It seems probable, however, that the design is bound to be very heavy, and, for that reason, it is unlikely that a lorry-of this type will come into common use yet, unlesssame. striking development has
been made, L.M.
A SUGGESTION FOR CO-OPERATION, How to Deal with Small Loads.
SOMETIMES, a haulage contractor is asked to convey small loads between two places, and the question always arises : Is it worth it ? Can I make it pay ?
"A few days ago," a,Liverpool man said to me, "I was asked to bring a small load of 12 cwt. from Manchester on my four tanner, and Was offered a mere 30s., a rate out of all question.". There are two other alternatives open to hauliers : the first is to insist upon rates based upon carrying capacity, which is not likely to commend itself to the person or firm having goods to remove, and the second to try and arrange
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with local carriers for the conveyance of small loads to a 'central spot where they 'could be picked up., when they make a full load, by returning vehicles which could discharge them at a central headquarters in Liverpool for distribution by local service to the respective .addresses. It certainly ig not a. good proposition for three and four tonners, or more, to eater for small. but urgent loads, and it would not pay to collect at three or four different places, for distribution in as many places elsewhere, but there is room for co-operation between local and distance hauliers, who could, very often, put.
things in one another's, way. G.L.
TAXATION AND THE MOTORBUS.
Objections to the Compounded Tax
1\40TOR OMNIBUS proprietors are becoming very anxious regarding the drastic taxation levies which it is proposed the Government should place upon motor omnibuses and • chars-abanes. In cansidesation of the development of rural transport, many firrns are hesitating before launching Well-thought-out schemes that would undoubtedly 'benefit the rural public beyond estimation. The tax on horse-power and weight alone is sufficiently alarming, but the proposal that an initial tax of £700 per bus for vehicles commencing to run upon new routes will, it is claimed, stop development entirely. It will amount to more than the bus ean earn in country places, and that rural betterment by means of improved transport, of which the Government has endeavoured to show so much concerns will never be realized.
Strange as it may. seem, and necessary as it is to foster trade, yet it is a fact that immediately an industry that is likely to do the -country good makes its appearance, the Government cannot rest until it has made it impossible for those concerned in the business to run it in .peace and to get a decent living. The taxation extortioners set to work and are not satisfied until they have either captured the lot or taxed it to literal extinct-ion. Talking to a large proprietor the other day, I was told, that, should the proposals of the Taxation Committee become law, the end of any new developments would then be masked, and many of the smaller businesses now running would disappear. The increase in fares that would be necessary would deter people from travel ling.. P. S•
AMERICAN AND BRITISH COMPETITION.
Master and Man Must Get a Move On.
HERE IS a notable incursion of American motor vehicles into Manchester, and the presence of
so many commercial lorries from across the seas is worrying some of the agents who have confined their business to British vehicles. The other day, in Deansgate, I noticed a string of five American chassis going to an East Lanc-a,shirp firm to be fitted with suitable bodies for the transport of cotton. An agent for a well-known English maker said such scenes were frequent, and that he had just had to turn down the chance of an order for 15 motor lorries, because the firm for which he acted could not give any idea cf delivery. More than that, they held deposits running into four figures and were greatly behind with orders. Such is the condition of things that is giving the-Arnerican.makers a chance to get into the Lanca.= shire market. The old -story of the slowness of British manufacturers in adapting themselves is being repeated, and, after all, who. can complain of equally patriotic firms buying machines from abroad? They are anxious to get their goods along, and road transport is essential. Hence, the number of orders now being filled by other than British commercial lorries.
llaareuNraar.