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 as being the best each week. All notes are edited before being published. Mention your employer's-name, in confutence, as evidence of good faith. Address, D., M. and "2'hf Commercial Motor," 7-25, Rosebery Avenue, London, B.C. 1,
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, July 24th, light your lamps. at 9.28 in London, 10.2 in Edinburgh, 9.50 in Newcastle, 9.48 in Liverpool, 9.3& in Birmingham, 9.38 in Bristol, and 10.31 in Dublin.
Back Axle Trouble.
The sender of the following communication has been ' awarded the extra payment of 5s. this week: (2115] " H.G. C." (Norwich) writes :—" I had a most unfortunate and unusual accident the other day when driving. a fully leaded Maudalay. The Off-side road wheel, including the driving axle, came adrift, owing to the shearing of a split pin, which in circumstances secured the nut keeping the wheel in place. The immediate appearance of • the machine, from the rear, was as shown in the upper figure of the sketch [which we have had redrawn.—En.]. The phosphor-bronie--floating bush of the wheel was split andY.oulged, as shown in another of the sketches, the length of the combined split and, flare being • 4 ins. The end of the tubular axle was damaged in much the same way-, but not, of course, to-the same extent; owing to its stronger material. The particular difficulty in connection with-the axle arose from the fact that the thread Was damaged. The whole affair was far from being A, pleasant .oneto contemplate, as Thad to get the lorry home somehow if at all possible: I commenced operations by sawing off all the damaged portion-of the bush,-leaving a piece of good bush about 5 ins. long. .1 then chipped, hammered, or filed away part of the axle as shown at Z, by the dotted line. 'When I had finished this operation I had about fiv6-eighths of the circumference of the screwed part left intact and carrying a good thread. At any rate, after a deal of scraping and filing, as well as a little bit of humouring, I was able to get the axle to enter the nut, and not only that, but to behave to it as any well-brought-up thread should 'behave to a good nut.
"I then ;dressed up the plined driving shaft, which had also suffered somewhat in the general meI6e, and finally got the whole lot erected again and in going order, even if the going was slow. I riveted the end of the hollow axle over into the nut to make sure that it would not slip, and eventually drove home at a steady speed of three miles per hour. Subsequently I had the end of the axle built up again by a good firm of welders, the thread recut by hand, and a new bush fitted.
"It anay be worth noting that the time taken to execute the temporary repair, on the road, and without any proper tools, was Only three and a half hours."
An Emergency Magneto Repair.
(2116] " J.C." (Tonbridge) writes :—" The following get you home' tip may be of interest to some of the readers-of yourr.D.M. and F.' page. A few weeks ago I waareturning from a journey with a one-tonner, when, after a few splatters, the engine stopped entirely. On examination I very quickly diagnosed magneto...trouble, and atte.ntion to that accessory soon disclosed-the fact that the eellector brush had broken, not into two, or three, but many parts. Moreover,.. although I was able to collect most of the parts I coulchnot,find the-spring, and was also short of a tiny piece of the brush, which was evidently adhering, to it. As seems invariably to-happen in such cases, I was four or five miles. from 'the nearest village, And, of course, had no spare brush'with me. A search through my tool box brought me no nearer to a -solution of my troubles, and for a time I was entirely nonplussed.