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Road and workshop by Handyman

20th June 1969, Page 201
20th June 1969
Page 201
Page 201, 20th June 1969 — Road and workshop by Handyman
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Loads and forces (5)

• Snow and icebound roads bring their own quota of lost loads, ditchings and overturnings. The wise operator will watch weather reports up to the minute where an odd load is to move: in the worst conditions he will hold the load back and wait, taking care to discuss this with both consignee and delivery point personnel.

However. trunk services go through more or less regardless of weather and all too often checks between distant traffic offices will only take into account their own local weather, no real attention being paid to conditions in the middle part of the journey, leaving this for the driver to cope with as it comes.

Strange as it may seem, the short, rough winter often brings more incidents than the really long one, and experience has shown that after the first rough spell drivers can settle down quite successfully to coping with really difficult conditions. Obviously the younger men have to learn from the beginning, but even the older hand needs a little time to get his eye in.

In due course the majority find them selves managing remarkably well—this is confirmed during the longer winter from the weekly mileage, which after the first bother begins to creep back to near normal good-weather running.

Winter driving with the heavies calls for a definite reduction of speed, a "feel" for adhesion--not just blind throttle and bags of revs—and a method of tackling hills. Restraint with braking is vital, and calls for a determination to increase and hold a safe gap between running vehicles.

Should the running gap be closed by some ill-advised driver, take immediate steps to open it again by throttling back and easing down, as this is the only way to ensure that there will be no call for panic action, whatever happens ahead. Experienced drivers know that given a little space they can cope with most situations: they realize the value of a moment's "freewheeling" if a side-slip starts. In general this means no more than clutch out for a second or so, but maintaining unchanged engine revs to avoid snatch to rear wheels on re engagement.

Experienced drivers also understand the value of on-off braking to avoid the locked wheel, and will always get their speed right down before descending a snowbound hill, checking wherever possible if the hill is clear of other traffic in trouble.

On the other hand, the inexperienced driver can he over-cautious by selecting a gear too low for a snow-bound descent: he may stop and engage the lowest ratio, only to find that he has folded up and lost it in a very few yards, due to the high resistance at the driving axle. He commenced his descent with almost nil brake application, when in fact he should have selected a higher ratio and used this in conjunction with moderate brake equally on all wheels. The key point to remember is: under almost all road conditions—with the probable exception of black ice—the vehicle will always prefer to follow the steered wheels, providing they and all others are turning.

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