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The Motor Drivers News.

20th February 1908
Page 27
Page 27, 20th February 1908 — The Motor Drivers News.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Starting up in Cold Weather.

" (Bath) writes :—" Some time ago you had some good hints in these columns for starting up engines in cold weather, but I think the following dodge is better than any of them. Pump up the pressure, or turn on the petrol, so that the carburetter is filled to its proper level. Then pour about one quart of very hot water round the carburetter so that the spirit is well heated. Then flood the carburetter, and you will find that the engine will start off on the first pull-over, provided that the ignition system is all in order. We have proved the above method to be many times quicker than putting hot cloths round the induction pipe," A Tractor to the Rescue.

" H.B." (Birmingham) sends the following letter :— "While on a journey from our Birmingham factory to the depbt at Coventry, with a steam tractor which was hauling a load of five tons, I came upon a steam wagon belonging to a large brewing company. The wagon had become completely stranded, and, when I saw it, its wheels were deeply embedded in the soft mud at the side of the road. The driver, in trying to avoid a lot of loose metal upon the roadway, had steered his vehicle to the side, with the result that he sunk in, and, in trying to get out, things went from bad to worse. To add to the trouble, it was quite dark at the time so the driver and his mate had decided to give up the job, and let the vehicle remain as it was until the next morning. Well, believing that I could be of assistance, I unhooked my trailer and connected the tractor to the wagon by a heavy chain which we were lucky enough to have by us. Then, I turned on steam, and it was just like a tug of war. There was the big motor in the mud at one end of the chain, and the little tractor pulling gamely at the other end of it. We went on pulling, but it was no good, and, in the end, the connections broke and we were unable to do anything. I then thought of the steel cable which is wound round the drum on one of the back wheels. So I ran the tractor ahead, and into the correct position. I then scotched up the wheels firmly, and unwound the cable, after which I hooked one of its ends to the wagon. I turned on the steam and, after a stiff pull, I got the wagon on to the hard road once more. The wagon had a four-ton load on its platform so the pull was a pretty good one, I think. The stranded driver was most grateful for my help, as it did away with the necessity for being' out ' all night, which is not pleasant at any time of the year. I have often helped horse-drawn vehicles up a hill or out of soft ground, and especially the horses of those big pantechnicons which are often heavily loaded with furniture."

A Runawly Steam Wagon.

" A.B." (Leeds) writes :—" I undertook recently to repair a steam wagon which had run away down a hill, landing finally in a field at the bottom. I could not quite understand how it had happened, because the brakes were in fairly good order. I found out afterwards that the spring which passes the catch on the gear-changing lever into the notch on the quadrant was broken, so, of course, the gear slipped into a neutral position with the result mentioned above. Toe crosshead and brasses were broken, and, also, the stud which holds one of the slippers in position. The repair of this proved rather an awkward job. To get the broken crosshead away from the piston rod, I had, first of all, to get the piston itself away from its rod, and this took some considerable time to do. I could not get the crosshead off by any other means than that of splitting it off with a sett and a sledge hammer, although I tried heating it in a fire first of all. We sent the piston rod to be trued up, so there was no need to get a new one. After we had done all the repairs, we had a very satisfactory run on the vehicle, excepting that a bolt on the connecting rod would keep working loose; as it was too short to allow of riveting over the end, I swelled the end of the bolt all round by means of a centre punch."

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Locations: Birmingham, Bath, Coventry, Leeds

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