Tipper Fleet Works Hard
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MAINLY engaged in clearing building sites, the Eltham Transport Co., Ltd:, Well Hall 'Road, London, S.E.9, have two sections to their business. An A-licence haulage fleet comprises five Thames IV petrolengined 5-ton tippers with Anthony tipping gear and bodies, four E17 oil-engined 6-ton tippers with steel bodies and Anthony tipping., gear, and eight Canadian Ford longwheelbase 6-ton tippers.
. A Vulcan-Carrimore . 10-ton articulated low-loader is employed under C licence to carry the various items of machinery making up the-company's growing plant-hire seetion. These include two Allis-Chalmers HD5 tractor shovels, a Merton Overioader, two Chaseside shovels, a Rapier 2-ton mobile crane, which was converted to a prime mover from a trailer-based unit, and an Allis-Chalmers WM and a Fiat 55L bulldozer.
Eltham Transport have their own tips for the disposal of material. They have reclaimed some 100 acres of land during the past five years for development as sports or recreation grounds. When work begins on the preparation of a site, the bulldozers and tractor shovels are taken there by the loW-loader. Excavation for trenching and sewering is undertaken. Working arrangements with other contractors on similar work exist by which any Abnormal demand for a particular.-.. type of machine can be met. Shifted material is carried away by the ,tippers which undergo, is might be expected,' severe operating conditions.
Because of its ability to pick up and discharge material without having to manceuvre, other than simply travelling forward and in reverse over the . same path, the Merton Overloader, purchased five years ago, has proved particularly, valuable on sites where space is restricted. It was originally bought to load ash and brick from Woolwich Common when the banks of the Thames burst in a flood. At the intermittent rate of 8 cu. yd. every three minutes, it loaded 400-500 cu. yd. per 10-hour day.
Since then it, has been used for a great variety of jobs. • It has, for instance, been hired by local authorities for road works, where traffic prevented the use of other types of machine, and for building tracks for stock-car racing at Harringay andNew Cross, where it avoided the necessity to cut up too much ground. It was also employed on 'the restoration of Paragon House, Blackheath.
Found to be capable of handling many kinds of material, it is occasionally used. by Eltharn Transport even for heavy clay when normal shovels are not available. A few modifications have been made by the company's workshop which are now found on the latest factory models.
Uses for Crane
The Rapier crane performs such tasks as the installation of petrol tanks in service stations, placing refrigeration plant in position on Kent fruit farms, and heavy lintels on building sites. It has also been used to install heating plant in schools, and is frequently employed by the company in their own yard for dismantling parts of vehicles and machinery.
Vehicles average 200-600 miles a week each and are serviced fortnightly, although the oil of P6 engines is changed at 2,000-mile intervals, irrespective of time. After a year, a vehicle is completely stripped and rebuilt.
The fact that parts for Ford products are readily available and reasonably priced is appreciated. There is no undue difficulty in obtaining spares for the Canadian chassis from the suppliers who deal in this field, although suitable cabs cannot be found. For this reason these vehicles may soon be replaced by Thames oilers.
The chief reason that they have been retained for so long is that the underdrive provided by the Eaton two-speed axle enables them to travel over soft ground without wheelspin. Their P6 engines, which have run on Castrol Deusol 30 lubricant, have lasted for at least 100,000 miles each before being replaced by reconditioned units FOrd V8 engines return lives of 40,00050,000 miles. They run on Frowsoil S.A.E. 30. When the oil consumption becomes high, before the unit is due for replacement, the lubricant is kept to the required level, but no purpose is seen in completely changing the oil.
.These engines are rebuilt by the Central Garage, Eltham, part of whose land is occupied by Eltham Transport. Crankshafts are reground only once, Transmission failures account for much of the work of the three fitters employed by the company, although half-shaft breakages tend to occur in parallel with the rainfall chart, being mainly occasioned by operation over soggy ground.
Tyre failures for the fleet occur at the rate of about one a day. Firestone dualpurpose covers are preferred for rear wheels.
Tyre Stock
Although one set of tyres gave a life of 41,000 miles, this was exceptional. Only one in every four tyres is fit for retreading, a Blue Peter remould being reckoned to give 75 per cent, of original mileage. A stock of 14 spare tyres is in hand at any one time, and the tyre mechanic makes use of a Harvey Frost remover and a safety cage.
Spring failures, mainly to the rear components. occur at the rate of two or three a week. Tipping gear rarely gNes any trouble, and so far as bodywork is concerned, the vulnerable tailboards require electric welding for repair when damaged.
Seventeen-plate batteries, as found best for the oilers, are being used on all vehicles now, and a Startall booster is sometimes used in winter for quick starting. The company wash vehicles fortnightly and do their own painting with Vulcan paint.
An associated concern, T, R. Broman, Ltd., builders' merchants, provide the vehicles with delivery work. Mr. Rush olm Brown, the owner of the Well Hall Road premises, is managing director of these two companies and proprietor of the Central Garage.
Mr. Peter Brown, his son, is also a director, and Mr. A. C. Palmer is transport manager. Costing and office administration are under the supervision of Mr. N. A. Elton, the company's secretary.
The business originated in 1916 as a firm, with two small vehicles, trading as the Eltham Road Transport Co., which became the Eltham Transport Co., Ltd., in 1927. Nine of the present staff—the secretary, cashier, yard foreman, two fitters and four drivers—have been with the company for 25 years or more.