TRACTORS IN MUNICIPAL WORK.
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How the Tractor is Being Drafted into Service where Speed is Not Required and Low Capital Charges are Essential.
WITHIN certain limits of distance and with a restricted sphere of activities, the tractor of the rubber-tyred industrial type is claimed to be a cheap form of transport, and, it is particularly economical in the performance of a large number of municipal tasks.. Indeed it would not be surprising to find this type of power unit employed in the future for a considerable part of the heavy and slow haulage work. , Where speed is not the chief consideration, and for certain work, the industrial tractor has many advantages to recommend it, and as it operates on paraffin the running costs are below that of petrol or steam vehicles. Not that the tractor is ever likely to compete seriously with the others. On the contrary, it supplements the work of the lorry and dota that which would be other wise carried out by horses. Long-distance work is, of
course, not within the scope of the industrial tractor. because of the time that would be taken on the jour ney. Generally speaking, ten miles is enough for prac tical purposes, although, of course, it would do a much longer journey if reqni red.
The industrial tractor is most suitable for conveying
heavy loads over short distances by means of a trailer, and for work where there is a large amount of stopping and starting, such as street On:111in g, for instance. Trailers to suit the tractor arc made in endless variety and are in most cases reasonably priced. These trailers are constructed and adapted to meet every requirement of the municipality. The tractors mostly in use for these purpoaas are the Austin, McCormickDeering (International Harvester Co.) and the Fordson, the last-named apparently having won the Bon's share
of business in this direction up to the present.
Moderation in running costs is the mest compelling feature of the industrial tractor. After being started on petrol it runs on paraffin, the cheapest motor fuel on the market.
Taking a round figure, the running costs of the appliance, including tyres, maintenance, oil, petrol and paraffin, amount to about 6d. per mile, or just over id per ton-mile. It will haul a 6-ton to 8-ton load comfortably. The makers of the Fordson estimate running costs at 4ici. per mile, or less than hi. per ton-mile, but it -would be best to be on the safe side, especially if it happens to
be the first time of estimating or quoting for its use. If savings are subsequently found possible on running costs so much the better. The capital Outlay is moderate. An industrial tractor costs, as a rule, about £300. (The Foirdson f208.) Taking £300, one arrives at the capital cost:— rraCtor ready for the road, fitted with rubber
tyres ... £300 0 0 A 6-ton trailer ... 150 0 0 In many cases the trailer can be bought below the sum of ma: All such savings (on tractor and trailer), of course, reduce capital outlay and standing 'charges. Taking capital expenditure as £450 the standing charges would work out as under :—
This gives the weekly amount of standing charges as £5 14s. A tractor will travel at eight to ten miles per hour with a load of six to eight tons. Therefore, it will be seen that, with straightforward regular work, operating costs with a tractor are very low.
It is not necessary to attempt to enumerate all the uses to which the tractor is applicable, but, for municipal work, the industrial tractor is most useful in con ection with scavenging and street el ening, gully emptying, water sprinklin , gravel and grit spreading, tar sprayi g, etc. The appliance is also very use ul for transporting loads between de p artments or between shop and shop. Another important consideration i that the tractor is fitted with a b lt pulley for driving stationary machin ry. This is useful, and for such as oad work it can haul the machinery to the site and then drive the stationary plant. This includes macadamizing machinery, asphalt or concrete mi era, mortar mills and so on.
Tractors are being mployed by corporations in increasi g numbers. The makes differ somew t in prices, but there are usually su stantial reasons for these differences. Whether the initial cost shall be £50 ore or less, however, must depend u on the purchaser's own judgment.