For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN.
Page 25
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TEN SHILLINGS is paid to the sender of any letter 'which we publish on 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 before being published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence, as evidence of good faith. Address, D., M. and F., "The Commercial Motor," 7-1,5, Itosebery Avenue, London, E,C. 1.
Lamps Alight,
On Saturday, March 20th, light your lamps at 6.41 in London, 6.54 in Edinburgh, 6.47 in Newcastle, 6.53 in Liverpool, 6.48 in Birmingham, 6.51 in Bristol, and 7.36 in Dublin.
Care of Ball Bearings
The sender of the' folio tying communication has been awarded the extra payment of bs. this .week.
[2,065] " F .N .R." (London) writes:-----*Ile following notes on the care of ball bearings are chiefly concerned with the proper lubrication of those important components of the modern motor vehicle. I feel sure that they will interest the readers of your D.M. and F.' page.
"Ball bearings, as a rule require Very little attention. ft. is not necessary to examine or oil them at frequent intervals. The frequency with which either or both these attentions are called for depends largely on the circumstances in which the bearings work. For instance, ordinary line shafting, running at about 250 r.p.m..requires that its bearings be lubricated not oftener than once a quarter, as a rule. In some cases twice a year is found to be sufficient. Ball bearings which carry shafts which run a, higher speeds than this, or. which are exposed to the action of dust, dirt, or moisture, require more attention.
"The lubricant which is used for ball bearings stoilid be selected with great care. Above all, it must be chemically neutral ; that is to say, it must be equally free from acid or alkali. In view of the importance-of this matter, it will be worth while to discuss methods whereby the purity of the oil or grease may be ascertained. As a preliminary, saturate a piece of 'cotton wick in the lubricant. If grease is to be tested, it should be warmed so that it will penetrate the pores of the wick. Then take a piece of highly-polished steel, and wrap the wick round it. Expose the shaft and its wrapping to the sun for a period of 24 hours. If, after this ordeal, the surface of the metal which was in contact with the wick shows any signs of corrosion, which will be evident by its slight discoloration, the lubricant contains either acid or alkali, and should be rejected for the purpose in view.
," Now make a strong solution of washing soda and water. The proportions should be aboutequal parts by weight of soda and water. Then mix equal parts of this solution and the lubricant to be tested in a test tube, and shake well. If acid is present it will oe indicated by the presence of a sediment in the tube, and the amount of the sediment will be roughly Proportional to the amount of acid present. " For general purposes, a good lubricant for ball bearings is made from a mixture of vaseline and vaseline oil in equal proportions. In some cases, however, a good mineral oil, free from the deleterious elements to which I have referred, is preferable. Where the arrangement of the bearings is such that it is impossible altogether to exclude dust or dirt, which causes the vaseline to become gummy, the balls are prevented from rolling freely at high speeds, and their anti-friction properties are thus considerably diminished. It is in such eases that a good mineral oil will be found to give the best results.
" The surfaces of the balls and races of a ball bearing are hardened; and brought to a high polish. They are therefore peculiarly susceptible to the action of moisture, which causes them to rust. Hence the necessity for protecting the bearings so far as possibly, and for /endeavouring always to ensure that they are kept covered with a film of lubricant. Stepa should be taken to protect the bearings from the intrusion of these foreign substances, and this is best effected, in the majority of cases, by "fitting over the shaft, on both sides of the bearing, but at least on that which is most exposed, a felt washer held in a groove of the cover of the bearing. If this is not practicable, then form a series of small grooves in the cover, as shown on the accompanying sketch— (which we have had redrawn—En.). These grooves become filled with lubricant, and thus form an oil seal.
"A good grease can be made up as follows :—Boil together 11 lb. of tallow and--li lb. of palm oil. When the mixture has reached boiling point, allow it to cool to blood heat, stirring it all the time. Then strain through a sieve into a solution of 4 lb. of washing soda in pint of water. The grease so made must be kept well covered."
Care and Cost of Steamers.
12,066] "ILL" (Plaistow) writes:—" The life of a steam wagon is largely•dependent on the treatment which it receives while it is At work. In the case Of a, mechanically-propelled vehicle, the treatment will depend entirely on the driver, and principally on the amount of mechanical instinct with which he happens to be endowed. By that I do not mean to suggest that he should be a, fitter as well as a driver, far from it. My experience goes to show that the worst man you can have upon the footplate of a steam wagon is he who is a fitter rather than a driver. He • is for ever trying to mend or improve things. Nothing is ever right with the machine: he always wants to be taking it down for some little thing or other, and it spends as much time in the shop as it does on the road. Eventually he manages to put something or other altogether out of gear and the wagon has to go back to the makers, or to the nearest repair shop, before it can be put upon the road again. My advice to the owner is, to get hold of a good driver, and, having got him, pay him well, and treat him. well.. It pays the owner in the long run to do so. I am strongly against any system of paying according to tonnage carried. It tends to make a man an habitual overloader, which is not good for the machine, and does not pay in the long run. I have always noticed that a neat driver and a clean engine are the outward and visible signs o.f a well-cared-for and well-running wagon."