Specialist service for tanker firms
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by R. D. Cater • From the operator's point of view, the most important item of interest to be highlighted at the Ryland Vehicle Group Ltd. tanker exhibition (CM June 7) which closes today, is the fact that the company is determined to offer a comprehensive tanker service and sales organization.
Specialized knowledge fits the Ryland organization to be middleman for the many relatively small fleets now adding tank vehicles to their strength. A haulier with no previous experience of DFO (domestic fuel oil) distribution for instance, need only give Ryland details of his particular operations, to be provided with the correct specification for the job—quite possibly a vehicle built to that requirement could also be offered from stock.
And apparently the user need have no fears over spare parts. Comprehensive stocks are held at the Ryland Street, Birmingham, headquarters.
Among exhibits at the exhibition are three vehicles based on the Seddon 16-ton-gross four-wheeler, which with the Perkins 6.354 engine and the Eaton 18802 two-speed rear axle and a five-speed constant mesh direct top-gear transmission is equally at home on journey work or urban distribution. One of these machines, destined for medium radius fuel oil deliveries to industrial consumers, is fitted with a 3,000gal max section tank in four compartments of 500, 1,000, 500 and 1,000gal capacity, discharged by a Varley DH 100 pump driven through a pto and shaft.
This machine scales 6 tons 3cwt and can therefore accommodate a payload of 9 tons 17 cwt which represents 2,600gal of gas oil, 2,800gal of paraffin or 3,000gal of petroleum spirit. A feature of all the specifications of Darham tankers supplied by Ryland is that Ryland staff calculate the exact payload in gallons of various commodities which the vehicle can legally carry. These calculations are based on actual weighbridge weights in the fully equipped unladen condition plus 5gal of fuel.
Other items of interest at the exhibition include one of a number of tank remounts which the firm has carried out for Continental Oil Co. Ltd. This has become necessary because the original chassis upon which the tanks had been supplied could not economically be converted to comply with the latest requirements of the C and U Regulations. Continental oil ordered from Ryland seven more conversions on the first day of the show.
In the equipment section of the show a significant display of pumping equipment is shown by Drum Engineering Co. Ltd. With this company's familiar products are shown two items it is manufacturing and marketing under licence to the German Haar organization, which is claimed almost to monopolize the tanker pump and fitting (lids, valves and faucets) market in Europe. One of these is a brand new (to the UK) sliding vane cargo pump. This unit is of 2.5in. bore and employs an eccentrically mounted shaft and rotor carrying blades slotted into it. It can deliver 85 g.p.m. when revolving at 1,000 rpm. A feature of the unit is that the relief valve has a two-stage action. When the free flow of liquid is restricted by a closed line, for instance, the first stage of the valve which is of small diameter cracks open under a pressure of 85 p.s.i. But, as soon as the diverted pressure comes into contact with the secondary valve a full bore by-pass flow is permitted at a reduced pressure of 71 p.s.i. This system has the multiple advantages of reducing hammering when the delivery gun is closed against the flow, and a reduced hp requirement while the pressure relief is operative.
The low initial hp requirement under these conditions makes the pump eminently suitable for electric drive through a 24V system when the pump, driven by the biggest available 24V motor, has a throughput of 60 g.p.m. Some tanker men might look askance at the maximum output of 85 g.p.m. It is obvious that the unit is not designed for maximum capacity tanks but a look at the job for -which it is designed shows that the Wayne T10 flow meter also has a maximum capacity of 85 g.p.m. and as the pump weighs only 72Ib and costs £84 10s, for this application (metered delivery) it is ideal.
Drum/Haar also shows a new hydraulic powered tanker valve system coupled with an electronic probe to avoid over-filling of domestic fuel oil tanks. This unit is designed to be installed in the receiving tank and to pass its sensing information back to the hydraulic valve system via cable which is plugged in before the delivery is commenced. When liquid covers the probe the hydraulic valves are automatically closed.