SALVAGING
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the Disabled Vehicle
MANY operators of fleets of eommercial-motor vehicles are finding it advantageous to own breakdown equipment to enable them quickly to proceed to the scenes of accidents in which their vehicles are involved. The desirability of having such equipment cannot be argued purely on the question of cost— the collection and towing of a heavy disabled vehicle by a garage may cost as much as Se. per mile, in addition to 10s. to £1 for the use of a crane and ext.iet for a mechanic if the joli involves a considerable amount of 'time. It may, therefore, be expected that one will have to pay £3-£41 for such services. In the case of a lighter type of vehicle the fee may be a. little less.
On the other hand, the capital expenditure involved in purchasing the breakdown apparatus itself is about £150, in addition to a further 1.50 or so for a second-hand chassis capable of carrying it and enabling it to be usctl with safety and satisfaction. The charges—interest, depreciation and maintenance—on this amount are about £40 per annum, so that eight serious accidents per year would have to be experienced in order, to justify this expenditure, if the matter be considered simply and solely on the basis of cost.
. The Advantage of Ownership.
The advantage of owning equipment is in being able to convey it at once to the scene of the accident, in ascertaining that immediate attention will he given to the work of bringing in the disabled vehicle and in ensuring that there is no loss of time in effecting the necessary repairs.
Our first consideration in this article is that of the *type of equipment necessary and the detail items which should be included.
The first subject for deliberation is a chassis, that which is second-hand being suitable for the work, provided that it be sound and that the engine and transmission be in a good state of repair. It may be advantageous to stiffen the frame and it should be noted that, in tiny event, the crane of the breakdown outfit must be secured direct to the chassis members and not to the superstructure.
Ease of engine-starting is important, and, to that end, it may be worth while to add battery and coil equipment. Always keep the engine warm in the winter. See that the mudguarding is efficient and take particular care that the rear wings are brought well down at the back. In wet weather the following vehicle is apt to be heavily splashed if precautions be not taken to prevent it.
Fit the rear end of the chassis frame with permanent jacks, which
ca-n be lowered to the ground, so as to take the load off the springs when the crane is being used. The
jacks should be placed as near as convenient to the extreme rear end of the frame, in order to minimize the risk of the front end of the vehicle lifting when an unusually heavy load is hung from the frame.
The crane itself must be substantial and selected with an eye to its having to withstand lateral loads, owing to its having occasionally to lift from the
side instead of from the rear. This happens -when, for example, the disabled machine has toppled over, a bank into a field by the Side of a lane which is so narrow that the salvage vehicle cannot be turned across the road so as to present the crane, direct to its load. To this end the feet of the crane should be as widely spaced as the chassis will permit and the stanchions should provide ample strength in a lateral direc
bar designed by a salvage expert. (5) Note the two electric lamps near the crane hook on this salvage outfit. (6) in this case the ambulance is situated under the rear axle, the front of the vehicle being supported by the crane, (7) An orthodox method of towing the damaged
motor vehicle. tion as well as fore and aft.
The strength of the crane will, of course, depend upon the size of vehicle which is expected to be handled. That which is illustrated as being used by Mr. W. E. Castello is regularly employed, he tells us, to bring in vehicles of up to 2:1-ton load capacity.
There are at least four items of equipment supplementary to the frame, which
should be acquired. One 'of these is shown in the illustration of Mr. Castello's apparatus. It is the triangular support which is shown depending from the hook of the crane, it being of Mr. Castello's own design and, therefore, not ordinarily purchasable. It enables a vehicle to be lifted by the dumb-irons without their being pulled together.
It should be noted that in the illustration there is a bar coupling this triangular support to the towing, hook and to the rear of the chassis. This is the second of the four items we have in mind. It is adjustable and its purpose is to prevent the vehicle which is being towed and supported by the crane from swinging to and fro as it travels. The third item is the double hook, which is shown in a separate sketch. This is. an alternative method of supporting a chassis by the dumb-irons or by the rear members of the frame. The fourth is a set of pulley blocks and wire rope ; the latter should be between 50 ft. and 100 ft. long, and is for use in hauling disabled vehicles from points which are beyond. the reach of the crane.
There are a dozen or more tools and items of equipment with which the salvage lorry should be provided. The largest and most important of these is the towing ambulance. This, a towing bar with a cradle on wheels at its rear end, is shown in one of the accompanying illustrations. It method of use is also demonstrated. It is most valuable in a case in which a vehicle is so far .disabled that both axles have to be supported. in such circumstances, it may be borne on the ambulance, the cradle of which is situated under the rear axle, and held by the crane at the front, in which case it travels forward or, as may be more convenient, the front axle is supported on the ambulance and the rear of the vehicle held by the frame while it is towed backward.
Stowing the Ambulance..
A method of stowing the ambulance on the salvage vehicle is that adopted by Mr. Castello. The tailboard of the lorry is dropped, the ambulance is picked up by the crane and lifted until the wheels rest upon the floor of the lorry and the towing bar stands vertically between the stanchions of the crane.
A solid drawbar is also carried and is always used in preference to 'ropes or chains, which are troublesome, in that, at inconvenient moments, they allow the following lorry to overt,ake. Another essential for effective towing is a steerjag lock.
A powerful spdt-light directed rearward should be mounted upon the top of the driver's cab, at the back of which should always be carried at , least a couple of good.fire-extinguishers. There should be a place on the lorry for a complete acetylene-welding outfit.
Part of the regular stores which the vehicle should carry is a set of spare bulbs and fuses for the electric-lighting equipment of the vehicles on the road, as well as an extra length of cable to enable the rear light to be moved to the back of the towed vehicle. Another cable and hand-lamp is useful. In one case of which we have knowledge the breakdown lorry was wired all around and fitted with plug points for the attachment of the hand-lamp.
Finally, keep in the driver's locker an inventory of all the foregoing equipment and anything else which experience may show to be desirable. Check this over from time to time against the aPPa.ratus that is on the lorry.