Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Page 18
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Ten Shillings Weekly for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for anything else published.
Drivers of commercial motors, and mechanics and loom:, of garages or shops, who are engaged in any branch of the industry, are invited to contribute short, Personal experiences, opinions or suggestions, on subjects wh•ch are likely to Prove of interest to our readers. We shall be glad to hear of anything interesting that has come under any driver's or mechanic's notice, either in Me shops or on the road. Long and successfu runs services with no "lost journeys'; workshop tips and smart repairs ; all are suitable subjects. Send a post.card, or a leter, or a ;ketch to us—no matter how short, or how written, or how worded. We will "knock it into shape" before publication. When writing it is as well to mention your employer's name as a guarantee of bona fides (not for publican/4), and to state whether you wish your own name, or initials only, to be published. Payment will be made immediately alter publication. ,4 ddress your :itters to The Editor," 'Thin COMMERCIAL Mo raiz. 7-15, Rosehery Avenue, London ,• E .C.
Broken Spring Hangers.
14581 In the letter which we publish below, " (Sunderland) draws our attention to a method which he has adopted on a certain make of steam wagon in order to avoid the continued breakage of spring hangers that he has experienced —"I am writing these few lines to you in the hope that the idea, which I have tried to describe, may be useful to other drivers who have charge of similar wagons. I have found that, when my vehicle happened to strike a bad hole in the road or to traverse a badly-laid level crossing, the hind spring-hanger bolts frequently broke off short at or near the hanger brackets. This happened so frequently that I watched carefully to see what happened the next time we bumped ' badly. I then noticed that, in the worst cases, the spring straightened out completely, and that, as sufficient play had not been allowed in the hanger brackets by the makers, the bolts used first to bend and then to neck off.' In order to remedy this constantly-occurring trouble I had some hanger bolts made in two pieces; one part had a double eye and the other was provided with a single one. These two parts, in each case, I connected with a stout bolt and the usual split pin. The arrangement, although only a simple improvement, allowed the springs to straighten out to full length without their throwing any extra strain on to the hangers. 1, of course, have had no further trouble with hanger bolts. The improvement was made while I was driving for a firm of brewers in West Hartlepool. The -.lake of machine will be recognised by anyone who has had similar trouble."
Snow Shoes for Steam Wagons.
[4391 The driver, " W.H.W." (Leeds), of a Mann steam wagon wishes to draw the attention of " A.B.." (Glasgow), to whom the Goodwin and Spurrier snow fittings were recommended in the " Answers to f, jueries " columns of our issue for the sth of November, to the patent winter wheels manufactured by the Mann Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company, Limited.—"As I am a weekly reader of Tnr. COMMERCIAL Nlo-ton,' I noticed, in a recent issue, a request from A.B.' (Glasgow) for some information about efficient snow shoes for use on a steam wagon. I see that you suggested the use either of the Spurrier fitting, Made by the Leyland people, or of the Goodwin arrangement which, you say, is the invention of Mr. I). Parkes Goodwin of Kidderminster. I wonder if A.B.' has ever heard of the winter wheel which is made by the Mann Patent Steam Cart Company of Leeds. Last winter I had a 18o-mile j...e,rney with a live-ton load to deliver. On the way I only 5aw one other wagon at work. There were two inches of snow and ice on the road, and this other wagon could only get along on the low speed, and it was then necessary to use ashes, old sacks and, in fact, any rubbish that could be procured to enable the wheels to grip the road. I remember that they had a load of furniture on board. Fitted as my machine was with the wheels I have mentioned, we were enabled to run past them on top speed, and to complete our journey as if we had been running on the kind of roads to which we are used in the summer. I have, altogether, had eight years' driving experience, but in tht winter, when the ice and snow are about, I always had trouble due to skidding until last year when we used the
Mann winter wheel.' "
Our correspondents will he interested to refer to descriptions, which w. have already given of various devices that are employed on iron-tire. motor lorries in order to overcome the risk of skidding on frov.en row surfaces. These descriptions, which are fully illustrated, will be found oi pages 298-299 of our issue dated the 22nd of June, 1905, and on pages af4)-38 of our iSS110 of the 3rd of January, I902.—En I
Patched Internal Gear Rings.
1 he sender of the following communication has beet awarded the los. prize this week.
[4601 The job, which is described in the letter from " A.G.' {Cardiff) that we print below, although it exhibits consider able ingenuity, gives us the impression that the repair wa, hardly worth the trouble. Gear rings of the type describe( are now made of good hard east iron, and, as there is hu little machining on them—the teeth are cast —they are no a very expensive replacement.—" Enclosed please find rough sketch--4this has been redrawn.—ED.]---of a repai which I have made to the gear ring of a 3-ton petrol lorr: of a well-known make. I had noticed four old gear ring on our scrap heap. I turned them over casually and re marked that each one had a number of consecutive teeti which were badly stripped, whereas the rest of the teetl in each ring were in quite good condition. I selected th Iwo best of the gear rings and started the following repah I sawed out the stripped portion of one ring, in the manne shown in the sketch, and I then cut out of the other run; a piece upon which all the teeth were sound. I next cart
fully shaped the V-ends of this piece to fit into the g; which I had made in the 'other ring. A carefully-fitt, piece of flat plate iron was then bolted well over the i serted piece and, as the ring registered well up under. ti felloe, the whole made a good stiff job. The renewed rir did as well as a complete new ring would have done."