The Steam Wagon Manufacturer and the Small Load Vehicle.
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AN age-old question for every manufacturer of power-driven vehicles (whether intended for business or private purposes makes no difference to the importance of the problem) is whether there is greater profit from concentrating upon the• manufacture of one type, or from catering for the variety of requirements to be expected from any large section of the public.
Users of commercial motors do, however, differ from the majority of owners of private motors in the respect that, individually, they are more likely to require the services of more than one size of vehicle. The maker of a single type does, certainly, gain credit as a specialist in that type and he, almost unfailingly, if his product be a sound proposition, secures consideration of its merits from any potential purchaser of a vehicle of its particular capacity. But the goodwill that arises from giving satisfaction to a customer is lost when that customer finds, in the course of his business, that he needs further vehicles of a different type, and that he is unable to obtain them from the factory that has produced his existing fleet. Necessarily, he then goes to another manufacturer in order to fulfil his wants, and so great is the advantage to a user of dealing with a single manufacturer and of building up his fleet of that mannfacturer's products, that the one-typt maker is apt to lose a customer through his inability to meet all the requirements of the latter.
Perhaps the problem is insoluble, and all that a manufacturer can do is to follow the line which for the time seems best, being prepared, however, to alter the policy as circumstances dictate. An example of such alteration of policy is dealt with in other pages of this issue, where it is recorded that a concern, which for many years has devoted its attentions solely to the manufacture of steam-driven vehicles, tractors and implements, and finding the call for vehicles of a small capacity —that is to say, below the economic limit of a steam wagon—has decided to increase its range of products by the construction of vehicles driven by internal-combustion engines—known, briefly (but not quite accurately) as petrol vehicles. This concern is fully qualified to design and construct such vehicles, but perhaps is wise to utilize well. tried components by well-known specialists in engine, gearbox, and rear axle manufacture. With one of the tendencies in road transport towards lighter and speedier vehicles, we believe that the development will meet with success, because the steam-driven products of the company have earned for themselves a good name, and have built up a clientele too valuable to be allowed to be drawn away by the petrol vehicle manufacturers who can supply all sizes and capacities, and who might, by means of sound and convincing arguments, secure the complete conversion to petrol of users who, hitherto, have found steam to answer their purpose for heavy haulage.
Helping the User to Attain Economy in Maintenance.
• IT seems to us that the user can fairly look to .1 the manufacturer of his vehicles for more light than is usually vouchsafed upon the question of the cost of repair, replacement, overhauls and adjustment, which are rendered necessary in a vehicle because of wear and tear, or of neglect or ill-usage. The leading manufacturers, of course, maintain repair departments and service depots, but if their ambition has been-attained and their vehicles are disposed all over the country and _also overseas, it is obvious that they cannot expect to be able to deal with more than a fraction of the repair business that must result in the course of a year, and, therefore, the dissemination of useful information about maintenance, includineb facts and figures concerning the time that each job May reasonably be expected to take, and the expense thereof, cannot act in detriment to the repair department It might, in fact, bring work to it, for the fleet engineer will often embark upon a job in connection with a vehicle only to suffer surprise on its completion when he discovers how long the job has taken, and what it has cost. On inquiry from the manufacturer, he is still more annoyed to discover that money could have been saved by sending the vehicle to the maker's service depot.
The majority of operations, however, can genet-ally be done cheaper and with a saving of time in the fleet garage, but only if the fleet engineer has available the experience or the acquired facts concerning cost in labour and material. A carefully prepared scale of charges, drawn up in the repair department conducted by the makers of a chassis, would provide the information required, and enable the fleet engineer to keep a cheek upon his own workmen, which fact, in the long run, would produce that economy of maintenance to secure and ensure which is the aim of all concerned with mechanical road transport.
Are Running Recorders Satisfactory?
OWEVER efficiently a fleet of vehicles is maintained at its garage and despite the multiplicity of forms which are often used, it is admitted by almost all fleet managers that, once a vehicle leaves the garage, the driver is automatically released from any restraint except that imposed by time. This is particularly so where vehicles have necessarily to be absent from their bases for periods, in some cases, amounting to weeks. No system of inspection can then be of any use whatever as a check upon the activities of a vehicle. Any delays, either intentional or otherwise, can often be made up by the bad practice of over-speeding which, whilst not being apparent immediately shows later by rapid depreciation.
Consequently, on vehicles employed at considerable distances from their bases it is essential that some satisfactory sort of check should be Instituted, and any such check must be on the vehicle itself and form a permanent record of stops, running time and speed.
Many devices with this object in view have been invented, and some are on the market, but the majority cannot be looked upon as incapable of being tampered with, and in practically all it is essential to replace charts at frequent intervals; in some also the charts can be altered and do not, therefore, form an infallible guide. It would seem essential, therefore, that the makers of recording devices for motor vehicles or other interested persons should design a machine completely selfcontained and having a chart which could, if necessary, permit the sealing of the instrument for so long as a month.
The original form of clockwork with a balance wheel does not seem to us to be altogether suitable In a device which is subjected to long periods of constant vibration. Those who have had much to do with motor clocks, even on well-sprung, pneumatic-tyred vehicles, know how diffictilt, it is to design them to keep perfect time in all circumstances. We believe, however, that successful efforts are being made to produce an electrically operated device which, so far as can be ascertained without a lengthy trial on an actual vehicle, appears to meet all the requirements. '