For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN.
Page 27
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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 43 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," 7-15, Bosebery Avenue, London, E.G. 2,
alaps Alight.
On Saturday, May -22nd, light. your lamps at 9.'23 in London, 10.0 in Edinburgh, 9.47 in Newcastle, 9.44 in Liverpool, 9,38 in Birmingham, 9.83 in Bristol, and 10.27 in Dublin.
Repairing a Steam Wagon Axle.
The sender of the following commtmication has been awarded the extra payment of Sc. this week.
[2,088] "FEM." (West Bromwich) writes :—•" I. do not suppose it is very often that a steam wagon back axle, if brokerr right through, can be mended-on the road, yet I was able to accomplish this., feat imyself a few weeks ago; The axle. broke near the swell for the chain who'd. It happened when the "vehicle,was running light, which rather goes;-to prove' the truth of what has often been said.—that vehicles are subject to a far _greater strain when running at high speeds and lightly loaded, than when travelling at a normal rate, but loaded totheir.full capacity. In this case we effected a repair by the use of a quantity of flat liar iron 2 ins. wide. We cut off a numoer of convenient lengths of this bar and laid half a dozen of them round the axle atkequal4distances aPart as shown in the sketch [which we' have had redrawn.— End ; from four other pieces of the same material we made a couple of clamps. We fastened them round to axle, one clamp on each side of the crack, bindit the straight lengths to it as though:they'were splints. The work of repairing the axle lasted less than 'three hours, and we were able to proceed home quite ,tisfactorily with it in that state."
Getting Home on One Cylinder with a Steam Wagon. .
[2,089] "A.J.D." (Sapc-ote) writes.:—" I was returning home some time ago, and, was about 18 miles away from _the garage when the low-pressure.piston,rod of my engine broke off close to the cross-head; bending the connecting rod and, of -course, bringing, the engine to a standstill. A casual examination revealed that the breakage was due to a flaw, bid,' this,information, was naturally of very little use in enabling me to get home, and r had to set my wits to work to enable Me to think of some way of doing that. I had only a hacksaw and a. couple of small spanners, and these, were not likely to be of much use in the fix in which I now found, myself. Eventually, however, I managed to get honie, and it was by adopting the following expedient. "I removed the connecting rod and crosshead and one of the 1.p. cylinder covers. I was unable to remove the other as some of the nuts necessitated the use Of A,ox spanner, and. I had not got one with ins. I then procured a baulk of timber from a neighbouring woad, cut off, with the aid of hacksaw a length of it, which, inserted between cover and piston, would hold the latter up to one end of the cylinder. I then replaced the cover and made all secure, turned on the-steam and was able to•get home. quite easily. It was perhaps-, fortunate that the lorrywas empty, or I might not have got over my difficulties so easily." [It would be interesting to learn what other readers
think of this letter, and whatstheY.consider is hap pening inside the high pressure cylinder while the engine is running under these unusual conditions.
—En.]
Running a Disabled Engine.
[2,090] "C.T." (Birmingham) writes:—" When out driving a well known make of wagon.. recently, the heard of an. exhaust valve broke off, falling into the cylinder and. smashing its way through the piston. To save time and to avoid having to be towed home, I decided to try if it Were possible to run The lorry, using three cylinders only, and eventually 1 managed to do this after making the following adjustments:— " I removed. the hand hole cover of the crankcase, and found the valve head and:piece of broken piston in the, sump ; apparently -diem was no other damage. I then took off the tappet of the inlet valve belonging to the Cylinder to which the accident had oc.curied, an!' also earthed the H.T. lead to-. the sparking plug of that cylinder. "I then.started'up the engine .and rah it for a little time. As it revolvecl, quite freely, I started off for home after a. delay of only a quarter-of an hour. I got back to the garage withoutany•trouble, and as a/ale to replace valve and piston by'-new ones next day. The engine had suffered-no further harm than the loss of exhaust valve and breakage of the piston, -nor lvasi,;.it any the' worse for being driven home on three cylinders." •
A Substitute Magneto.
12,091] " G.J.J." (Worcester) writes:--" The magneto of a four-cylindered engine on one of our lorries ceased work recently, and the only spare we had Was amlich smaller one, of which-, apparently, it was impossible to make use. I decided, however, to try and fit this smaller accessory, and finally managed it in the-,following way fitted. a, pie'ce of sheet-iron . to the baseplate of the magneto ofthe right thickness 'to bring the armature shaft in line with the driving shaft of the engine. Round the magneto I fitted a set of wooden liners deeply, Channelled to accommodate the magneto clip; see sketch [which we have had redrawn.—ED.1 "This arrangement proved very satisfactory, and for all I know the magneto is still on the engine and
working satisfactorily •