Extending Safe Tyre Mileage
Page 59
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Two New Devices—a Tool for Worn-tread Regrooving and an Ingenious Hose Clip
A NEW product, marketed by the
Wilcot (Parent) Co., Ltd., 12156, Great Portland Street, London, W.1, is an ingenious tool for regrooving the worn treads of tyres, and thus affording. them renewed 'non-skid properties. It is designated the I-CwickKu t tyre groover and should give valuable service to fle'et owners and repairers, enabling tyres that have worn smooth to be safely used for possibly several more thousands of miles.
We have witnessed new grooves, nearly in. deep, being cut by this device, and we were impressed by the clean, square edges formed and the rapidity of operation. The detachable knife is heated by an element which consumes electric current at a cost that is claimed to he only about one penny per hour; adequate provision is made for cooling the handles, and seven different sizes of blade are supplied. Any design of pattern can be cut, guides being provided to assist the maintenance of symmetry and parallelism. No great skill is demanded of the operator, but care must be taken to avoid damaging the knife against stones embedded in the rubber. The price has been provisionally fixed at
The limit of usefulness of the 1-cwicke Rut tool seems to be dependent solely on the thickness of rubber remaining on the periphery of the tyre, but on
the larger sizes there is usually ample, without risk of rendering the tyres unduly liable to puncture.
Another accessory recently introduced by the same concern is the Cross-Over hose clip, the novel features of which are shown clearly in an accompanying sketch. It is available in four sizes, costing 8d. each, for diameters from 1 in. to 2iins. These clips have a wide range of adjustment ; they exert pressure at every point on the circumference of the hose encircled, and are designed so that practically the full axial force exerted by thetiolt and nut is converted to tension in. the band, without straining the end fittings and-causing frictional resistance to the
rotation of the screw. .