The Treatment of a Commercial Motor.
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How to Secure Economy in Running.
There is, at the present day, no room to doubt that the self-propelled goods vehicle is a profit-earning machine. This assertion is substantiated by the number of repeat orders manufacturers are daily receiving from users who have had vehicles in their service for periods ranging from a few months up to six and even eight years. Such evidence is conclusive, and manufacturers are not slow to recognise that a repeat order is worth more to them as a testimony of the capabilities of their machines than pages of written eulogy. Notwithstanding this fact, there are, unfortunately, many large potential buyers who are still " experimenting " with their first motor vehicle, and, yet more unfortunately, there are many others who have not yet instituted mechanical transport to even this extent, the
WANT OF SUCCESS IN PIONEER CASES within their knowledge often influencing their judgment. It is greatly to be regretted that such firms should continue to adhere to a decaying form of traction, and the object of this article is to throw light on the causes of failure, and 10 encourage to action the firms which have not, so far, given the motor vehicle a trial.
The first question, naturally, is the selection of a vehicle, and this is often the stumbling block to many would-be employers of mechanical traction, as some motor-vehicle manufacturers are not too scrupulous in pushing the sale of their particular product, although it may be totally unsuitable to the enquirer's business. Broadly speaking, in the present state of the industry, the petrol vehicle should be selected for light loads and quick travelling, and the steam wagon for heavy loads, or where rapid transit from one point to another is not so essential. But, at the same time, careful consideration should be given to the peculiar conditions prevailing in each case, such as the nature of the road surface over which the vehicle will have to travel at all seasons of the year, length of journeys, nature of goods to be carted, fuel obtainable, and any other questions which will affect the issue. In " TH.E COMMERCIAL MOTOR " for August r6th last there appeared an article entitled " The Choice of a Commercial Motor "; a careful perusal of that should help those interested in the choice of the type of vehicle adapted to their requirements, whilst they will be guided as to " make " by references. Having decided on a vehicle, the purchaser will be well advised to give serious attention to THE SELECTION OF A SUITABLE DRIVER,
as on the type of man secured to fill this post often hangs the success or non-success of the vehicle. Motor-vehicle manufacturers can frequently point to two almost parallel cases where motor vehicles have been adopted, and where equal success should have been assured. In one instance, however, a competent and careful driver has been obtained; in the other, a careless and incapable man. The former may, perhaps, have demanded a few shillings per week more for his wage, but the regularity with which his vehicle has been kept on the road will have amply repaid these few extra shillings, and the working of the motor vehicle, in this case, will have been a delight to the owners. In the other case, the oft-recurring breakdowns and irregularity of running will have been a source of irritation, annoyance, and expense, and the result—prejudice against motor vehicles, and the idea of replacing all their horses abandoned by the user ! It should not be necessary, of cour,e, to employ a mechanic; but a man should be secured, if possible, who has had
SOME EXPERIENCE OF MACHINERY, if no previous experience of motor-vehicle driving. Particularly is this desirable for country rounds. Makers have for long recognised the importance of the driver question, and are usually prepared to allow the prospective driver to spend a week or two in their works, prior to the delivery of the vehicle, so that a knowledge of its mechanism may be acquired. This concession should be taken advantage of by all purchasers of motor vehicles, unless, of course, the driver has already had experience in the driving of the particular make of vehicle selected.
It is common knowledge that a more extended experience with the steam wagon, than with the more modern petrol vehicle, exists, and a thoroughly competent driver of a " steamer" is not difficult to find; but the driver who is " au fait " with the petrol lorry is more scarce. The steam vehicle is also, perhaps, less liable to suffer from any eccentricities or vagaries of the driver than its rival. The want of proper care for the boiler, however, is a frequent source of trouble, and drivers fail to realise the tremendous strains set up in a boiler that is rapidly cooled. Owners should see that greater care is exercised in stoking and feeding, and insist that the driver refrains from putting large quantities of cold water into the boiler when the vehicle is standing. Some makers supply
FULL INSTRUCTIONS with their machines, and it should be the duty of owners to see that these are faithfully carried out. These instructions are, unfortunately, often lost or ignored, and the driver is allowed to have his own sweet way with the vehicle, to its serious detriment.
It may cause surprise to present users of commercial motors to know that, in the early days, traction-engine builders were compelled to introduce unnecessary strength and heaviness in order to make the machine suit the driver. With the class of vehicle now in vogue, and with the present motorcar acts in force, it is, unfortunately or fortunately, according to one's point of view, necessary to find a driver to suit the wagon. Makers find that old steam-wagon men make good petrol-vehicle drivers, after a little training, but the essential probationary term should not be overlooked. Great harm has often resulted to the latter type of vehicle by putting a steam-wagon driver in charge without this initiation.
In order to add to the economy of a motor vehicle, careful consideration should be given to the
ADJUSTMENT OF JOURNEYS
and the allotting of loads, as the economy will be most evident when the vehicle is kept running constantly and with full loads. The working expenses will remain practically the same, whether the vehicle puts in a full day's work or stands about idle the greater part of the day. Heavy items of expense, such as driver's and mate's wages, interest on capital, insurance, rent of wagon shed, supervision and management, remain the same, and the other items which go to make up the total working expenses, such as fuel, water, oil, repairs, and depreciation are only slightly reduced. Arrangements should be made for the loading and unloading to be done with despatch and facility, so that terminal waits are reduced to a minimum. If idling is to be done, it is a case of four shillings an hour for the time of a motor wagon, compared with eighteenpence for that of a two-horse lorry. Where horse haulage is still in use, the motor wagons should be given the preference of the 'longest journeys, and arrangements should be made, as far as possible, to prevent the wagon's return light. If these matters be given serious attention, the economy will be more obvious than when the journeys are arranged in an irregular and negligent manner, or according to horse-drawn practice. Some owners keep their vehicles standing idle
half the day, and then complain that the economy over horse draught is not apparent.
When the loading of a vehicle is, necessarily, a long process, it will often be found beneficial to employ INTERCHANGEABLE CARRYING BODIES, so that the loading of a spare body can be proceeded with while the vehicle itself is on a journey. The owner of a motor vehicle, however, must not be too zealous to show economy by overloading the vehicle, or overworking his men, as he will defeat his own ends by such action. One of the most prolific sources of trouble in the employment of motor vehicles is that of overloading. A large builder gave it as his opinion recently that nine-tenths of the firms who utilise mechanical traction are guilty of this maltreatment in a more or less degree. If indulged in to a minor extent, the result will not be disastrous to a soundly-constructed vehicle, but persistent arid, gross overloading must inevitably result in great wear and tear to the mechanism. Many users elect to shut their eyes to this disagreeable fact, but it should be remembered that the consequent repairs and inevitable delays have to be DEBITED AGAINS1".11-1E WORKING of their vehicles ! The nature of the road surface over which the load is to be taken is a matter of great importance and should have full consideration when allotting loads. It is often more disastrous to send a vehicle with a normal load over a road which is in a soft coroition from recent heavy rains, than considerably to overload the same vehicle on the same road when in a hard condition. The gradients to Ye encountered on the route should also, of course, influence the amount of load assigned to the vehicle, whilst an extra few miles, if the vehicle can be kept on a good road, may be a real economy.
Owners who are not engineers are sometimes tempted by the knowledge that their vehicle is rated, say, at 2 o horsepower, to think that it can be overloaded and overworked with impunity; they judge it by comparison with the work performed by a single draught-horse, and assume a simple multiple. This is quite a wrong view to take of the matter, however, as whilst this zo horse-power represents a definite rate of doing work, the power exerted by a horse is a very varying quantity, and it is well known that a heavy Shire horse will, for a short space of time, e.g., in pulling its load Out of a soft place, put forth as much as 17. mechanical horse power. Again, the power of the motor vehicle is applied at its wheels, and the engine has therefore practically to lift its load out of a soft place, whereas the energy of the horse is exerted in the direction of pulling its load. This explanation will perhaps, help to elucidate the apparent discrepancy between the two cases of stated powers, and may enable motor-vehicle owners to realise the severe tasks they give their machines at times.
To ensure the successful and economical working of a motor vehicle a PERIODICAL EXAMINATION IS ESSENTIAL.
All machinery requires an occasional overhaul, and the arduous duties which fall to the lot of a heavy motor vehicle render it necessary that this overhaul should be of frequent occurrence. One day each week should be set aside for this purpose—Saturday is often a convenient day—and, if this be done, and a thorough examination, clean-down, and overhaul be made, the resulting immunity from breakdown, and the regularity of working, will amply recompense the owner for the few hours lost in the running of the vehicle each week_ In nearly every case where this periodical examination is a feature of the organisation, the motor vehicle is an unqualified success. These remarks apply more expressly to the heavy type of vehicle, but the light petrol van should also have a periodical overhaul. If the whole of Saturday cannot be spared, the journey on this day should be light in order to allow of an hour or two for this purpose. It is a regrettable fact that many owners persist in running their vehicles, week in and week out, without any pretence at a proper examination of the mechanism, and then, when a serious breakdown occurs, seek to throw the blame on the makers' shoulders.
To facilitate this overhaul, and to keep the vehicle from the rain and cold at night, a shed should be provided, equipped with a pit and efficiently drained. There should be a good supply of water, a vice bench with a set of the more simple toots, and, if possible, a moveable gas or electric light for working underneath the vehicle. It will readily be admitted that, when examination and overhauling can be done with facility, they will be done more thoroughly than when they involve much personal inconvenience on the part of the driver or cleaner. It is a frequent occurrence for vehicles to be kept out in the open yard, merely protected from the weather by a sheet of tarpaulin thrown over them. A horse owner appreciates the fact, that to keep his animals in commission they must be properly stabled and groomed; but the treatment accorded motor vehicles, which, it must be remembered, are not invulnerable, is often of the very poorest. When repairs or adjustments are necessary, the deplorable CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE MEN MUST WORK often cause, and excusably so, the jobs to be scamped.
An old stable can usually be utilised as a wagon shed, and it is rarely that a building has to be erected specially, but if construction is called for, the proprietor will be amply repaid for any outlay by the increased good running and economy of his vehicle or vehicles. Let him remember that the life of a motor vehicle is intimately connected with the extent to which it is looked after, and the condition in which it is habitually kept.
Neglect in regard to lubrication is a frequent source of trouble with motor-vehicle owners. Efficient lubrication is a sine qua non to the successful working of any motor vehicle, and adequate measures should be taken to ensure that the driver pays special attention to this part of his duty, as very serious mishaps are often to be attributed to omission in this respect.
INFERIOR OILS AND GREASES
should be avoided, and the proprietor will be wise to take the maker's recommendations, and to adhere to the oilsspecified. It is false economy to purchase cheap and inferior lubricants. In conclusion it is sound testimony to the present-day types of vehicle, as supplied by makers of repute, and incidentally to the inherent advantage of mechanical over horse haulage, that commercial motors are often found in the hands of incapable drivers, and with the most primitive arrangements provided for their upkeep, and yet, at the same time, are able Co realise economies for the owners. It is, none the less, 'extremely unwise policy to regard this as sound business management, or to take things as "good enough." Disaster must ultimately occur when such conditions prevail, and, moreover, the economy will undoubtedly be greater if attention be given to the few points enumerated in this article.