Efficient mothballing' preserves your future
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A word in operators' ears from Tony Wilding: There's more to laying up vehicles than meets the eye.
IMES are hard: very hard. nere has been a continuing rise bankruptcies of companies in I sectors of the economy, with ahicle operators particularly 3rd hit; short-time working is revalent and there have been despread staff redundancies. taff and vehicles have become rdundant, and with lorries and ailers laid up the problems are Ding to arise when things get ack to normal and it is decided at they can be put back on the )ad.
A vehicle not being used deteorates fairly rapidly, perhaps in ifferent ways to when it is beig run — but none the less 3riously. It is essential that roper action is taken in the way I protection of both internal id external parts if difficulties her the vehicle returns to serce are to be avoided.
Protection costs money, and it natural to try to avoid expendiire when business starts to rap, particularly if it is anticiated — hopefully, maybe -at it will not last too long. But is recession has gone on )nger than any that most eople can remember and there no sign of it ending. And the ank of England report at the rid of December threw cold ,ater on hopes of an upswing in ie UK economy during 1981.
So vehicles that are laid up ow are likely to remain so for iany more months to come. /hat should the operator do to nsure that he does not have iajor problems when the oped-for day of recovery evenJally arrives? In some cases it may be almost too late with corrosion inside units and components through internal condensation having already started and rust starting to develop on cab panels and bodywork. Condensation inside engines, gearboxes, cliffs and other units can lead to situations where the only answer is stripping down and cleaning up before return to service, but if the vehicle has not been laid up too long this can be avoided provided correct protection is given without delay.
Few operators have what could be termed "comprehensive protection policies". Obvious exceptions are the Armed Forces who have well defined preservation systems for equipment put into "mothballs". Even there the need to have the majority of logistic and fighting vehicles on immediate availability status means that it is not all that common to use these systems.
Vehicle manufacturers and importers are in a different position. They have to make sure that vehicles sold maybe a year or even more after they were built stay in top-class condition; if they don't do this, warranty costs and customer animosity can be enormous.
One of the most important points in storing vehicles is the choice of site. Ideally vehicles should be stored under cover, in buildings not subject to condensation, but this is generally not possible. So far as operators are concerned there may be some spare warehouse space available. If not, availability of outside space will usually be limited to the company premises. It will be unfortunate if this is an industrial area where "fall-out" from chimneys, etc, can damage paintwork. Similarly, if in a coastal area, salt spray, or even salt in the atmosphere can speed up metal corrosion and paint damage.
A hard, well-drained surface is important, but it must not be on grass or newly laid cinders and not under trees where resins, de
composing leaves and bir droppings can cause problems.
Before storage the vehic must be thoroughly cleaned, . or near to.the site and preferab put through a full maintenanc check which will include mar items that are part of a prote tion procedure. This will incluc a check of all fluid levels inclui ing engine, gearbox, axles, h. draulic brake and clutch rose voirs and steering box. And the same time as checking 0 engine coolant make sure th there are no leaks from join and hoses and that the coola contains the required proportic of anti-freeze.
During the service tyr pressures should be adjusted be 10psi above the normal, Ar when parking the vehicles at 0 storage site, it is advisable, ram-type power steering if fitte to set the front wheels on 0 appropriate full lock to ensu that the power ram is not e posed to the atmosphere. Pr vided that the tyre pressures a increased it should not be nece sary to put the vehicle on bloc to get the wheels off the grouni Also before storage, windov and doors should be secure closed and heater contra should be set so that entry dust and moisture is kept to minimum, although it must I borne in mind that seasor weather conditions can produ condensation and resultant m dew through complete endl sure. So it is sensible to leave intakes open to a degree; tl alternative is to employ a d humidifying agent such as Sili gel.
One of the main purposes cleaning vehicles thoroughly b fore storage is to prepare for a plication of protective wax al rust-preventive coating Another is to ensure that the u derside of the chassis, cab al body are freed from any c posits which could contain s. or other corrosive chemim thrown up from the roads. It most important that such c posits are removed otherwi corrosion will be set up unc any protective coating appli€ After cleaning with hig pressure water, steam clean. etc, the surface should
!lowed to dry thoroughly bere further work.
To protect the chassis and unerbody a film of Tectyl 506 ABS, Croda PW11 or similar ust preventive should be prayed on all surfaces. These re produced by Valvoline Oil Co td and Croda Chemicals Ltd aspectively.
It is important that this protecive material is applied in ccordance with the suppliers' acommendations and that it oats completely the chassis rame, handbrake linkages, teering and gear change nkages, transmission, exhaust ipe, drive shafts, suspension, xles, brake drums (not discs) nd all machined and unpainted urfaces. It is obviously impor3nt not to block breathers and ydraulic brake system vents nd bleed nipples. Parts such as andbrake cables and propshaft plines should be lubricated iith grease before spraying.
In addition to exterior protecon it is advisable also to take ction to safeguard against corDsion inside the engine. To do us in the case of diesel vehicles ley should be run before sto3ge with additive such as Lubriel 560 Fuel Inhibitor in the fuel. very low concentration is reuired and in the case of petrol ngines lubricating oil can be dded to the petrol at 1 fluid oz er gallon, and the engine run ntil blue smoke is seen to be oming from the exhaust.
This should be done before -oatment of the engine because, bviously, running the engine fterwards will destroy the reservative. Body panels in the ngine compartment are best .eated with protective wax such
as Autokote 15 (from Astor Chemicals Ltd) and this should be applied to adjacent exterior painted panels if there is a chance of overspray from later application of engine preservative material which may be difficult to remove from unprotected surfaces.
The engine, electrical components and wiring, the exhaust system and chassis components within the engine compartment should be sprayed with Croda Engine Protective coating or WD 40 derivative and the latter can also be used on the interior body panels; as with the spraying of Autokote 15, it is advisable to mask (where applicable) batteries, carburettor, brake fluid reservoirs, etc.
In the service before the start of long-term laying up, it is important to check that there are no chances of rainwater getting into the cab or body through defective joints or ineffective seal-. ing. These must be cured and attention should also be given to any damage to paint surfaces especially if rust has already started to appear. After this has been attended to, all exterior surfaces, bright metal trim and bumpers should be protected by sprayed application of wax coating such as Autokote 15. Before this is done, wipers and arms should be covered by plastic bags, not completely sealed to prevent condensation, or they can be taken off and kept in the cab.
It is important, as with the chassis and underbody treatment to ensure a continuous film and any trim items in stainless steel, aluminium or chrome plated should receive a second coat or where appropriate, removed and stored in the cab also. It is best to coat wheels with a product like Tectyl 506 CABS, etc, which incidental can also be used on exter paintwork if desired, rather th the lighter wax preservati% and it is worth removing 1 wheels to ensure that hidd surfaces are dealt with.
The interior of the cab a body should need no particu treatment — except to ensi ere are no leaks — but some brics used for seat trim, etc, n fade when subjected to rong sunlight. If there is a iance that this will happen and ding is to be avoided it will be cessary to mask the insides of e windows of alternatively aping covers over the seats id other trim surfaces. The electrical side of the vehicle is certain to be the area of possible major deterioration on stored vehicles; terminals and connectors corrode readily and certainly benefit from a spray of WD40.
Batteries are best removed from the vehicles and stored inside the workshops where they can be taken care or regularly. If not they should still be removed — and the tray given a protective wax spraying — and bench charged and checked for cracks, etc, and terminals coated with petroleum jelly before refitting.
To maintain the batteries in good condition, they should be partially discharged and bench charged monthly. Braking is another area where particular attention is also called for. When the vehicle is parked in the storage area, the wheels should be chocked and the handbrake put into the "off" position.
With vacuum-braked vehicles, release the vacuum by depressing the brake pedal several times with the engine stopped and in the case of air-braked trucks the reservoirs should be drained of air and condensation by opening the drain taps — and the taps closed before leaving the vehicle. With spring-type park-brake actuators, these must be wound off manually.
When this had been done a notice saying "No brakes" must be prominently displayed in front of the driving position.
During the preservative treatment of the chassis, particular care should have been taken to ensure adequate coating of all brake, clutch and throttle-operating linkages to prevent ingress of water. Exposed linkages and areas of sliding contact should have a coating of grease applied as should exposed portions of handbrake cables.
Having done all this work to ensure his vehicles do not deteriorate while laid up, the operator cannot sit back and expect to do nothing more regardless of how long they are in storage. For example, if it is desired to maintain paintwork in topclass condition, the protective wax may have to be removed after six months. It has been found that this can adversely affect exterior paintwork after this period, and should the storage period be prolonged then deterioration has to be accepted or the coating removed and under-cover storage found. And this is not all that has be considered. When a vehic has been in storage for thrE months, it is advisable that if engine and transmission are R. for 30 minutes including a thr& mile drive. To do this calls for good deal of work although nl as much as when returning tF vehicle to service.
Apart from refitting parts r moved, the preservative appliE to the propshafts must be r moved and excess greas cleaned off various chassis cor ponents. Then the spring bral actuators if fitted) have to t reset, the battery refitted ar tyre pressures corrected. Aft the run, the procedures th have been undone have to reinstated.
There is quite clearly mu( more to laying up vehicles thi seems likely at first glance. But is essential to do the jc properly. If it is not there can I greater problems and cosi Maybe it would have been bE to sell off the surplus lorries, b then the market for USE vehicles has gone through ti floor also.