Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
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TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for any thing else publishedL
Drivers of conimercial.motor vrhicles and tractors, and mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, are invited to send short contributions on elfy subject wh.ch is likely to prove al interest to our readers. 11'w kslop tips and smart repairs; long and successful runs ; interesting plotogralks : all are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us—no ntaJter how short, or how written, or how worded. We will "knock it into shape" and prepare sketches, where necessary, before publication. The absence of a sketch does 314 disqualify for a prize. When writing bse one side of the paper only and mentirm your employer's name as a guarantee of home fifes. Neither our own a, r your employer's name will be disclosed. Payment will he made ili11952. diately after publication. Address your letters to Ike Editor, THE COMM E iccisi. Mc) roe, 7 15, RO5e'?ery Avenue, London, E.G.
Getting Horne with a Broken Axle.
The scarier of the following communication has IA f n awarded the 10s. pri:r this week. c.T." (lfh.) submits a description of the manner in which he brought home his steam wagon, after the hack axle had broken :—" I am sending you an account of an awkward breakdown whit+ I had, with a well-known make of steam wagon, in one of the busiest thoroughfares in the S.E. district of London. At the time of which I am writing, the wagon was heavily loaded with sand. We were running over a stretch of granite setts, when we came to an abrupt standstill with a wheel off—the result of a broken hack axle. I do not consider that the breakage was entirely due to overloading, as the journal was badly crystallized where the breakage occurred. Fortunately, there was not much ether damage dGne excepting the breaking of a few bolts. The first thing I did was to 'phone through to my firm to get sertain instructions, and, as we were unable to get an other lorry to come to our assistance, we had to engage the services of horses and carts to unload us and to take the sand on to its destination. While this was being done, 1 had to think of some arrangement for getting the disabled wagon off the street. Knowing the district well, I went to a builder, who kindly lent me a. low but very strong truck, such as is to be found in most 'builders' and stonemasons' yards. With this truck and some short pieces of plank and wedges, I was able to get the wagon into the above-mentioned builder's yard, where it had to remain until a new axle had been fitted. As soon as it was empty, I jacked up the wagon until it was up to its. proper height. I then placed the truck under the axle, and packed up as shown in the enclosed sketch [We have had this re-drawn.--Ee.] with short pieces of timber wedged up under the springs to keep the tried; from tipping. When all was ready, we hitched on the horses an(1 proeeeded slowly to the builder's yard, where we duly arrived without further incident. There is not muchi ingenuity about this scheme, but it was useful to !Ile. It situ IL 11.1 be of interest to readers of the "
Joining a Chain: Headlamp Makeshift.
[630j " C.H.E." (Hernel-flampstead), like many of his felluw-drivers in ether instances, has soon found that the small budget of drivers and mechanics' tips, published weekly in this journal, is of considerable practical assistance in the matter of application in the shops and on the road. Our present correspondent had a chain break on the road, a few days ago, and luckily remembered a tip that he had read in letter Ao. 613, on page 230 of our issue for 18th November last. He improved on the method therein indicated, and he now writes to tell us
about it.--" I noticed in a recent issue of the ' a communication from J.S.I.' (Coventry), in which he referred to a simple method of pulling together the ends of a broken driving chain. I remember that, at the time read it, I thought this tip might be useful, and, sure enough, only a day or two ago, I had to put a new chain on to a machine I have been driving, so that I promptly. not only used your tip, but I consider I improved upon it. I procured an ordinary strap—there is always one of some sort kicking about on every motor vehicle—and 1 looped this through the two end rollers of the chain and passed the adjusting end through the buckle in the usual way. It was then perfectly simple to ' get a pull ' on and to draw the ends of the chain together sufficiently to enable me to 'enter ' the .coupling bolt. I should say that this was even quicker than J.S.1.'s ' rope tourniquet. " Another tip! I was in troubl..: one night with my acetylene headlamp; I had broken the burner. I was at least three miles from the nearest motor sleep, and was therefore quite unable to procure a new one. Luckily I remembered I had an ordinary gas jet in my pocket—an unusual thing in these days of incandescent fittings. Jr fitted the thread in the generator, but I felt sure that it wohld pass far too much gas as the hole was so big. I, therefore, put some cotton wool inside the burner, and was pleased to find that the extemporized burner passed just about the right amount of gas, which burnt with a brilliant clear light."
For the PreveiVion of Flooding.
[63[1 " R.W." (Eicheiste,r) writes noticed a lot of correspondence in " The Motor" a while back about running down hill with the engine switched off, and, of course, with the throttle closed, so as to make the engine net as a brake. Now the drawback to this was that, when the throttle was closed, it caused a vacuum, which meant that the oil got into the cylinders and so on to the plugs. Some correspondents advised the fitting of an extra-air inlet, but I think my device is simpler and cheaper. When an ordinary carburetter is fitted and the top of the needle is exposed, I suggest the fitting of a little lever, with wire attached, and led up to within reach of the driver, so that. when the spark wns switched off, the lever would press the needle down and would, of course, stop any petrol's getting into the carburetter. This would allow
the throttle to be kept open and the cylinders to get a full supply of air, for braking purposes.
"Two years ago, while driving a motorvan for a Newcastle firm, one of my low-tension plug castings broke. I had no other to replace it, and I was thirty miles from home, so I puzsded my brains a bit, and eventually hit on the following scheme. 1 got a big washer, of about 1 in. or 2 in. diameter, which went right across the fracture, and tightened the stud up. This did the job, and the fitting stayed like this for nine months without tha slightest trouble."
Patching Up a Veteran.
[632] " J.L." (Malvern) finds matter for congratulation in the fact that some of the oldest gear-driven lorries are still in good running order:—" The following account of some makeshift repairs which I. had to undertake, although they are very uumechanical and are rather crude in method, may possibly prove of sufficient interest for your readers, for many similar old machines are ' not dead yet.' The lorry in question was doing some important trials, and the result of these is seen in the new hallford wagon recently bought by Ansells Brewery, Ltd., of Aston, Birmingham. It was only an old crock, but it had to do, at least, five days a week, and, right in the middle of a week, T became aware that my third speed was so badly worn that it would not stay in mesh. " I had just remedied the cause of the excessive wear; it was in the clutch-drawing collar, which had become worn. In this type it is fated behind the top-shaft heel; bearing and works in a groove cut in the shaft itself ; when fitted it forms part of the bearing. The remedy was simple, as the shaft had a hardened button on the end, and this I matched with another one and fitted it into the back of the hush or bearing. 1 made it out of a 7-16 in. steel bolt and hardened it in potash. When placed in position, it forced the shaft sufficiently forward to take up the play in the collar. This gave me enough draw on the clutch to take away all signs of drag even without a clutch stop. My next proceeding, whilst I. had the shaft out, was to unbolt the third speed; the gears were bolted in pairs, back to back, on flanges sliding on the top shaft. Then, by interposing spring washers behind the speed, I managed to back it away about t in.; this, together with a slight adjustment of the arms controlling the movement of the speed levers and with the easy change I had managed to secure, enabled me to get through the next few days, until I had another speedring made and could find the leisure to fit it. " On another occasion I was sent out to Burton-onTrent to the assistance of a similar vehicle with differential troubles. The differential was in a very bad state, there being about I in. to in. end-play to the ' diff.' shafts, allowing the driving pinion to become disengaged from the crown wheel. 1 managed to make a temporary job of this by interposing washers of stout iron wire ,behind the crown wheel and the small driving bevel, thus forcing them up into proper engagement. All went well until about two miles from home and then the same trouble recurred, through the washers becoming worn. We tried the same thing again without success, and only managed to reach home within reasonable time by taking out half of the bearing behind the universal joint and, having knocked a flange off, by slipping the other half along sideways, with a few brass washers to pack it, and then screwing the cap down tightly. We were very lucky to have such an accessible differential and, although I had my doubts as to the result, we managed to reach home in good time. Needless to say, the bearings which received such rough treatment had to be scrapped and new ones fitted before the vehicle made another journey."