Answers to Queries.
Page 19
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Wants a Five-tonner for 250 Miles of Work a Week.
[2742] (Lanes.).—Our free sheet of costa (mailed direct) may be a guide to you. It is based on a higher mileage for a petrol vehicle than the one which you mention, and the costs for petrol vehicles will be higher, by reason of the smaller divisor, in respect of driver's wages, insurance, interest on capital, and rent, rates and taxes. The other charges are practically in ratio to the mileage. You can take the costs for a six-ton steam wagon as being those for a fivetwiner, plus 10 per cent, A steam lorry is undoubtedly the cheaper, but it has not the same mobility.
Their Two-horse Vans Jointly do 150 Miles a Week.
[2743j (Birmingham).—We should put your inclusive horse-costs at £.5 5s, a week. You do not give them. Our free sheet of working costs has been mailed to you. It is a, more usual practice to work a motorvan about 400 miles a week ; the incidence of the fixed weekly outgoings increases per mile run when the divisor is reduced. That accounts for the apparent discrepancy in cost per mile to which you refer. Pneumatic tires will be unsatisfactory for the load which you mention (25 cwt.), and it is important to use solids.
Pair-horse Van Costs £420 a Year.
[2744] (Manchester).—Our free sheet of working costs (mailed direct) may be some guide to you, if you have not already seen one. There • will be an undoubted economy, on your adopting motor transport, in place of horse transport. The costwhich you give works out at approximately Is. 5.d. per mile run, and it is not clear to us whether you have included in the S;420 any-of the hiring payments when there is an accident of any kind. This costis, in our experience, about midway between the best and the worst for a two-horse. van, served by four horses, used two at a time on alternate days. We recommend you to purchase a rubber-tired three-ton steamer. With a lower mileage than the one which is shown on our specimen sheet as divisor, certain charges will be higher per mile run. We cannot see, however, that the inclusive cost will in any circumstances go higher than is. The advantage to you is. that you have a reserve of delivery capacity at. your disposal, and that on using it for greater mileages the cost per mile falls, whilst the wagon is in no wise harmed by theextra usage. If you use the best Welsh steam coal, you will not have trouble with smoke,.
Moving Up While Loading.
[2745] (Buyer).—A petrol vehicle will do the job which you mention quite well, although it might be more economically done with a steam wagon and trailer. There is no difficulty about the use of a steam wagon, if the driver keeps the pressure down, so that the boiler is not always blowing off, and the use .of the best-qualtiy steam eoal gets over the smoke difficulty. The job is an easy one for a steam wagon, and by the use of a trailer the joint load per trip should be not less than eight tons. As regards moving up the vehicle under the hopper, according to the demands of the load, we -suggest that you should accomplish this by having two long pinch-bars, such as one sees at railway yards. It is quite easy to use such pinchbars, even with a rubber-tired vehicle—in which case the leverage would be applied between the twin tires, unless the loading berth is on a slope. The makers might get over the difficulty of keeping pressure down, by fitting some special hinged. damper to suit your work, or a plate might with the same result. he laid on the top of the funnel, and the ashuan door closed. If the safety valve is set to blow off at, say, 180 lb. or 200 lb. on the sq. in., there is no reason why you should not normally keep the pressure down to 120 lb. The extra cost of fuel would not be material. Answering your question re an electric, we should put the cost at is. 2d. per mile. You must reineinber that the gross weight permissible by law is 12 tons, and an electric vehicle, for a five-ton load, with batteries in position, might not leave sufficient margin to enable you to carry six tons of useful load.
A Five..tonner to Carry Coal.
[2746] (Motor Dealers).--It is impossible for any of the manufacturers of standard British five-ton petrol lorries to deliver vehicles of this capacity, or indeed of any considerable load-carrying capacity, as your client does not come within the present Government stipulations as to release to W.D. contractors ; it is therefore, obviously unnecessary for us to 'endeavour to indicate the best machine of this class for the purpose. There remains the possibility of securing a five-ton steam wagon, and for the class of work indicated it is probable that Lord -will be best advised to endeavour to purchase such a machine. Steam wagons a-re used in many eases with great satisfaction for the haulage of coal. It is probable that the speed required is not great. Several of the principal manufacturers of British steam wagons are also engaged in manufacturing at their full capacity for the requirements of the Government, notably Fodens, Ltd.. of Sandbae.h, and Clayton and Shuttleworth, Ltd., of Lincoln.
With regard to the further inquiry as to the best make of America-n lorry, we think there will he little criticism of our statementthat the Pierce-Arrow is the best of its type. The British agents for this machine are dc Silva and Wallace, Ltd., 3, Belsize Place, N.W. This is designed by an English engineer, and is certainly the finest machine of its class turned out in America-. Messrs. Gaston, Williams and Wigniore, of Alexandra House, Kingsway, are the British agents for several others of the best class of American lorries. We favour steam for this order.