The Value and Utility of Steam Lorries.
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By a Manager with Four Years of Experience.
I do not think it is wise to stint drivers in their allowance for the water for which they will have to pay outside the boundaries covered by the City's water-permit : it drives them to pick up water where they can, and it is often unfit for use, thereby shortening the life of the boiler tubes. System should also be observed in recording the average time for certain journeys and distances : it helps considerably in the organisation of traffic. There are times, too, when the trailer should be dispensed with : if an order comes for six tons, and say five and a half tons may be put safely on the motor lorry, or even five tons, and the balance can be arranged for a future load, it is obviously cheaper not to send four tons on the lorry and two tons on the trailer, especially where a youth or man has to be sent to watch the trailer and its brakes.
Another point worth noting by intending purchasers is that of the springs. These, from my experience, should be made over-strong, rather than that the error should be on the other side : an extra leaf or two has its effect in the prevention of any bend in the steel frame when travelling with big loads over bad ground.
Management.
Like every other part of a business, good management, in regard to the steam lorry, is an essential point. The organising of paying loads, control of drivers, and the ever-preparedness to meet emergencies in the case of breakdowns, are factors which go far in deciding the success or otherwise of the undertaking. I think that a very good standpoint to take, from the beginning, is to keep the lorry running at any reasonable cost. The spare parts which I advise are helpful in this direction, but there are many jobs necessary in general repairs where it pays to give the driver (who should be able to undertake anything short of a special fitter's work, like valve setting or engine-parts overhaul) some mechanic's assistance. Broadly put, if a repair job is necessary, get the lorry in, and, if it is possible to get it out again in half a day, at the cost of say los. or so for extra assistance, where without it the job would take a day or more, by all means incur the expense, and, with a little extra organising, it is often possible to pull up the loss in the same week.
Drivers.
For the first twelve months, the lorry being new, there were comparatively few breakdowns ; after that, our repair bill assumed proportions which did not tally with the estimate set forth by the makers. Reckless driving, by inexperienced men, has most undoubtedly done the motorlorry trade a great deal of harm, and it has struck me that a black list, started for the checking of such individuals, and freely available to intending purchasers of motor lorries, would be a distinct boon to the trade and the users. A man who can have an eye to every nut, bolt, valve, and spring before turning out, who can religiously debit his charge with 59. an hour while he has the lorry running, and can prove himself resourceful on emergency, is worth keeping, and worth remunerating accordingly.
Lubrication.
Although no engineer, the question of proper lubrication has always had very special attention from me, and, while knowing that the cost of oil per annum to some steamlorry users has been reduced to a ridiculously small figure by
the addition to an inferior oil for the engine bed of cheapening (and thinning) elements, even to water, I have had the benefit of seeing the condition of their engines and, incidentally, hearing of their breakdowns. If, after over four Years' hard working, to have every inch of the engine parts as bright and good as new (except for natural wear) is the correct thing, then I am satisfied.
General Utility and Advertisement.
Experience has shown the value of the steam lorry, as a means of advertisement, and, as a utility vehicle : it can be sent on journeys with an eight-ton load (motor and trailer) where, with steep gradients, three or four horses would take half the load with difficulty. Here, again, one Must not lose sight of the value of delivery and completion of an order in one journey, and the fact that one can do so in less than half the time one could perform a single half load by means of horses has also its value in the eyes of customers. The steam lorry can be kept running on a big order, continuously, 30 to 40 miles a day, for a week or a fortnight, with heavy loads, without showing any signs of fatigue : it would be absolutely impossible to keep four horses going for half that period; with half the load, without change. As a running advertisement, especially in the outlying districts, there can be no question of its value as a means of practically demonstrating what one is performing for someone, and is prepared to perform for others. More than once, I have known customers, who have neglected to order goods until they have run absolutely without, to telephone a big order, part to be sent by rail the same day, and they have been agreeably surprised to have a motor and trailer delivery by noon the following day of the whole order ! This, over a distance of 30 miles out, and a prospect of a railwaydelivery, at the earliest, in three days! In addition to these advantages, one has the comfortable feeling that the railway carriage -account must show a considerable decrease, in proportion to the tonnage that has been carried during the year in direct deliveries 20 to 40 miles away. In loose material, it should be noted, the customer is always more sure of better weight than would be the case if the goods were carried by rail ; consequently, there is less grumbling, and less claims have to be made.
Satisfied and Convinced.
I am firmly convinced of the value of present-day steam lorries in replacing horses, and, in regard to the inevitable repair days, it must always be remembered that, if a horse picks up a stone, or contracts a chill, it may be a week or two's repair for the animal : as with the motor lorry, a great deal depends on the driver. Conditions will vary with every owner : some, with good, even roads and loads, may easily keep well within .4;50 per annum for repairs; others, as in my own case, who have to " box the compass" with all kinds of loads, may not be so fortunate. Still, in increased business and facilities to customers, they should be able to meet, with equanimity, any reasonable repairs arid renewals which may be rendered necessary. I have now a second lorry, my first proved so useful, and the two are doing well. It is no longer possible to deny that the steam wagon has asserted its valid claim to recognition and adoption in work which it could not perform commercially five or six years ago.