For DRIVERS, MECHANICS, & FOREMEN.
Page 31
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TEN SHILLINGS is paid to the sender of any letter which we publish an this page, and an EXTRA FIVE SHILLINGS to the sender of the one which we select as being the best each week. All notes are edited be/ore being published. Mention your employer's name, in conAdence, as eridence of good faith, Address, D.. 31, and F., "The anninercial Motor." 7-16, Itosebery Avenue, London, E.C. 1..
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, March 19th, light your lamps at 3.38 in London, 6.48 in Edinburgh, 6.42 in Newcastle, 3.49 in Liverpool, 6.44 in Birmingham, 6.48 in Bristol, and 7.33 in Dublin.
Improving Stub Axle Design.
The sender of the following communication, has been awarded the extra payment of 5s. this week.
[2202] " G.F." (Eastbourne) writes We used to
have a lot of trouble at one time With the stub axles of some char-h-bancs chassis of well-known make. Although these are about eight years old, I find that new vehicles of the same make are still being turned out with the same type of axle, and it may be, therefore, that the following description of the improvement which I effected will be of value to other readers,
" Occasionally a front wheel would cosine off while the chasitis was on the road, not altogether a happy occurrence on any vehicle, and less so, perhaps, on a char-a-banes: The accident was due to the fact that the fibre washers which intervened between the wheelretaining nut • and, the hub wore away too rapidly, 'allowing excessive side play, 60 that the wheel subsequently hammered against the nut on the stub axle to such an extent as to shear the thread both in the nut and on the axle. Of course, when this happened, both wheel and nut came off, for there was nothing to stop them. I improved this. construction in the following manner :—I turned the stub axles down for • about 2 ins, from each end, as shown in the sketch. On the portion thus reduced lent a fine thread (11 to the inch), right or left -hand, in aecordanee with the requirements, so that the wheel, rubbing against, the nut, tended always to tighten it in place. I then made a nut of speeial design for each stub. In the body it was turned outside of exactly the same diameter as the stub axle, but had, at its outer end, a collar of the same diameter as the hub of the wheel. 'Holes were drilled in this collar so as to allow grease to pass through to the inside of the hub, and I also drilled a couple to accommodate a fork spanner. This special nut is made long enough to allow afibre washer Ain thick tointervene between it and the end of the hub. Moreover, it is important thfa, when screwed in place, this collar fits tightly against the stub axle, so that the junction between the two is just visible only. If this is not done, there is a risk of injury to the floating bronze bush on which the wheel runs. Further description of this modification
of the design of these stub axles is hardly necessary, I think, if reference be had to the sketch. I need only say that I effected the improvement described some four years ago, and have not since then had a recurrence of the trouble."
[We have to inform our contributor that, in our opinion, there is nothing about this improvement which would justify him in going to the expense of attempting to patent it.—ED.]
A Roadside Commutator Repair.
[22031 "G.P." (Rhondda Valley) writes :—"A short time ago I received instructions to proceed to 'a oneton Ford van which, with a full load, was, I understood, anchored some distance away. I proceeded to my job, partly by train and partly by favour of a tradesman, who gave me a lift in his trap. The difficulty of getting there was, at the very least, sufficient to discourage me from making too many trips over the one job.. When I examined the vehicle, I found that the one thing wanted was alai) the one which I had not got with me. The spring of the commutator had gone. While considering what could best be dune in the circumstanaes, a boy came along on a bicycle. We at once tackled him and tried to persuade him either tofetch Us a spring or to lend the driver, of the Ford his bicycle so that he could go for the spring-, -Unfortunately, he refused to do either. While talking, some one of us rang his bell, and the thonght at once jumped to my mind that therein lay the solution of our difficulty. The spring which operated the hammers of the bell would be just the thing for this commutator. At the price of a few coppers and the promise, of a, ride on the van, we persuaded him to part company with this spring, when, of course, our troubles were over. The spring is, so far as-I know, still doing thassame .duty, but you may be quite sure there is another one reposing in my tool-bag ready for a similar emergency.'
Overcoming a Starting-up Difficulty
[2204] " F.H.N." (Willenhall) writes :—" During the war, when petrol was strictly, rationed, we only used to get enough to last us from 10 to 14 days out of every month, and we used to make up by using paraffin, ofwhich, during that period, I used hundreds of gallons. I had a petrol can fixed on the dash to carry this fuel, my main tank being filled with paraffin. I used to start the engine on petrol and, when it was warm, turn on the paraffin and turn off the petrol, and had quite good. results. During the summer time all was well.The engine started up easily and there was very little to complain of in regard to the petrol rationing. In the winter, owing in part to the fact that it was never possible entirely to drain the carburetter float chamber of paraffin, I had a lot of trouble when starting from cold. Eventually, I got over it by using ordinary household coal gas for starting. I took a piece of flexible pipe and coupled it up to the gas bracket in the shed. When quite ready to start, I placed the open end of the pipe in the air intake of the carburetter, I• flooded the latter, turned on the gas, and the engine would generally start quite easily. In fact, I have actually started-it on paraffin in this way by leaving the gaspipe in the air intake until the engine had warmed up. It is necessary, by the way, that the gas be only turned on immediately before turning the starting handle,„otherwise there is a tendency for the mixture to become too rich and increase instead of diininish the difficulty of starting."