Our Despatches front the Front (No. 49),
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An Excellent Effort to Set Down a Number of Structural Alterations Which will be Necessary Hereafter on War Lorries.
These messages from Our Own_ Special Correspondents have been submitted to and censored by the Press Bureau, which does not object to their publication but takes no responsibility for the correctness of the statements contained therein.—ED.
"Somewhere." 26th July.
It is many months since I saw a copy of TILE COMMERCIAL MOTOR,' but this morning I had the good luck to be presented with a; muchsoiled and ancient (4th March, 1915) copy by a " demoiselle " who came up, with a smaller sister, to air her knowledge of the English language, whilst my lorry stood in the park of a chateau, a long way back from here, where I had driven to dump borrowed men. The knowledge of English referred to was certainly inadequate to permit this lady to take, an intelligent interest in the contents of the ' C.M.," and goodness knows how she came by either the knowledge or the paper ; doubtless both were " souvenirs " from a M.T. column which I noticed was parked a few kilometres away from the spot. Anyway, I was excited to get hold of even so out-ofdate a copy, and had soon devoured the contents, the operation remindmg me of :old times when the
was my first choice from our weekly bunch of motor journals.
Par from Perfect War Lorries.
As a motor lorry salesman and enthusiast and a temporary warlorry driver, I was particularly interested in the article on page 8 dealing with the British Government subsidy model specifications, and whilst I agree in the main with your contributor's opinions, I am convinced, from an interesting and -varied personal experience in this campaign, that the Government subsidy models, despite the excellence of their manufacture, are very far from being perfect war lorries.
A Break-away in Design Wanted.
It will be generally agreed that motor lorries have been worked under comparatively favourable conditions in this war, and that the roads and conditions generally have been far better than they Might be in some campaigns. Yet the need for improvement is Marked enough to justify the designer of a war lorry breaking right away from the conventional design in some important respects.
War Lorries Not Commercial.
' The ideal war lorry is not a lorry that the ordinary commercial user can make the best use of, so the next war, which, doubtless, we all hope may be long deferred, should find us equipped with a number of more or lesa ideal war lorries plus B26 the subsidized variety withdrawn from ordinary commercial use as at present Must Negotiate Soft Ground.
This campaign has demonstrated the need for a big improvement in the means for negotiating soft ground ; and the claims of the fourwheel drive, a differential lock, and self-hauling gear are not to be ignored. Even now, with dry weather, repaired and widened roads and lorry traffic restricted to one direction only on most roads, it is no infrequent occurrence for a lorry to get ditched or bogged. If we Were in the Alps!: Any alteration in design which will shorten the wheelbase and thereby reduce the turning circle is well worth the most careful consicleration, and doubtless our French Allies appreciated this when they adopted types whereon the driver's seat is over the engine. Of what use would most of our convoys be in Alpine passes with their hairpin bends ?
The Need for Easy Starting.
More attention must be paid to facility of starting the rather large engines usually employed. As matters stand, it is an arduous business to start a cold engine; especially in winter, despite too rich setting of the carburetter, the waste of much fuel in flooding and priming, and most careful ignition setting. The disadvantages attending hand starting are too obvious to warrant comment. I have myself experienced instances when it caused serious inconvenience and even danger. Porous cast induction pipes and bad joints are sometimes partly responsible for the starting difficulties ; but careful design of the induction system and the provision of a means of shutting off most of the air supply would be great helps.
Packard Air Shutters.
I notice how effective were two air shutters on a Packard I drove for a time. The several lorries I have driven out here have all been adjusted to run on too rich a mixture at slow engine speeds and no doubt this setting was to assist starting. Swinging a cold engine with a 41 in. bore at, say, 2 a.m., when unexpectedly called out as I have been, is not exactly pleasant.
A Comtner Warmed Up Quickly.
The war-lorry engine should be capable of acceleration within two minutes of starting in cold weather, and should give off a fair proportion of its normal power without a long wait for warming up. A Commer, fitted with a Claude! carburetter, wHch I drove for a time, was good in this respect. Imagine the saving in time, fuel and wear and tear if a big convoy is able to get away directly the engines are started on a cold day.
Position of Starting Dogs.
More attention might be given by designers to the proportions of starting handles and positions of starting dogs in relation to compression. Some engines 1 have had to start were extra difficult to swing through these points being neglected. M.T. drivers of the future will no doubt be considered sufficiently intelligent and well. trained to use an extra air control, the provision of which would help starting and warming up, as well as economy of fuel—an important factor where fuel supplies are. restricted, which is quite conceivable in war time.
Why Retain the sonnet?
The dashboard seems the best place for the fuel tank, as in that position it is accessible for filling, it.fills an otherwise wasted space, and the stop cock is easily accessible. Dashboards need to be made, much stiffer and with better supports than at present, for they are noisy and flimsy ; but bonnets are great offenders in the matter of noise, and a lot of improvement in them is called for. Why retain the bonnet on a war lorry 2 It is practically never reasonably damp or water-proof ; the engine gets dirty whether it is there or not ; it is not an effective protector against shell or bullets. Of course, no lorry should be fitted with an undershield unless inaccessibility, the creation of noise and the accumulation of filth are aimed at. At the same time, there is no reason why the mudguards for the wheels should not be much elaborated and improved.
Oilers Instead of Greasers.
All oil fillers must be arranged so that the driver cannot over-Oil especially the back axle and engine. Oil filler caps, water and fuel filler caps should be secured to the chassis so • that they cannot be lost, or entirely removed without the use of tools. The substitution of large oil cups for greasers throughout the chassis would make lubrication easier and quicker, and would
eliminate one item of supplies, i.e., motor grease—a desirable result. At the same time, lubrication would not be less efficient ; in fact, it would be much more effective in a cold climate.
Excellent Detachable Tires.
The R.E. Company which I am now assisting recently had loaned to it two Peerless lorries by the Canadian Division, and I was much impressed with the apparent excellence of their. detachable tires. I gathered that the type of detachable solid tire they are Using is quite satisfactory as regards the means of attachment. and detachment. Certainly a tire change which had to'be _nnade while they were with us was very quickly carried out, and without even removing the wheel. Detachable tires, instead of the pressed-on variety, are undoubtedly the tires for a war lorry, as anyone who has operated a press will agree.
Twin Tires Wide Spaced.
Another interesting point about the tires on these Peerless lorries was a space between the tires on the back wheels, which seemed to prevent, to some extent, stones jamming between them. I have' noticed that the flat-tread solid tires which give a narrow gap with nearly parallel sides between the twin tires seem to pick up more stones, and to hold them tighter, than the tires with a round tread.
Room for Spring Improvement.
The spring suspension of the conventional type should be capable of great improvement. At present, driving or riding in an unladen lorry over had roads is calculated to save the enemy the trouble of putting one out of action. Shock absorbers, in the absence' of some radical improvement, are essential. I found a marked improvement, apparently due to J.M. shock absorbers, in a lorry to which they were fitted.
Sleeping Accommodation.
The designer of the body should keep in mind the fact that the drivers will generally have to sleep on it, and, for that reason, he must give a front seat quite six feet long, proportionately wide and cushioned the whole length: The bed of the second man,' who may also have to sleep on the front seat, could be provided for in the shape of a Second or false top to the front seat, that could slide out when requiredIn the place now occupied by the petrol tank the drivers could stow their kits, which, after all, have to be carried somewhere, so some -place ought to be provided. The tool and spare-part .accommodation must be elaborate, a space being found for each essential item, so that it is accessible and easily replaced after use. The tool-box should be, as nearly as possible, water and dust proof.