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THE LORRY'S PART Ils )ING CONSTRUCTION.

23rd September 1924
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Page 16, 23rd September 1924 — THE LORRY'S PART Ils )ING CONSTRUCTION.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A concrete mixer mounted on a Reo chassis and driven auxiliary 6 h.p. engine.

BECAUSE the problems connected with building operations in the United States have much in common with similar operations in this country and throughout the Empire, we believe that an outline of the part taken by the lorry in such activities in America will be of interest to our readers. Last year nearly 5,000,000,000 dollars were expended on new buildings constructed throughout the United States—a record both for the volume of work undertaken and for the money expended. Previously, 1922 had been the record year,

i but those n possession of details of building operations claim that hardly more than six American cities have overcome the need for houses that accumulated, while the nation's resources were centred on winning the war.

It is confidently expected, therefore, that the record of 1923 will have been beaten when this year closes. Many hundreds of large companies and individuals interested in building construction throughout the United States have ordered a-dditional motor vehicles to speed up building construction. The list includes lumber companies, hauling contractors, plumbers, roofers, and dealers in sand, gravel, cement, brick, stone, steel, glass, hardware and paint. Indeed, all by an interested in supplying materials for new con-.

struction, from the time the steam shovels begin to excavate the foundations until the last slate is laid on the roof, have been giving orders for new mechanical road rolling stock.

It is safe to say that, were it noli for the motor lorry, the world-wide famine in houses would be much more acute than it is at the present day. Building construction is a prime necessity, both for national and local progress, and in no field of trans portation do motor lorries face more exactmg . operating conditions with so great a measure of success.

The demands imposed on motor lorries engaged in constructional work are for the most part extremely, arduous. Yet these vehicles accomplish with ease work of a difficult nature that. in many cases is beyond the capacity of teams of horses. Vehicles engaged in such tasks are often called upon to operate axle deep in mud, to climb out of deep excavations, to ascend steep ramps and to transport heavy loads of building stone, bricks, sand, gravel, slag, timber and constructional machinery.

Each of the numerous trips motor lorries make between the time that construction is started and the time it is completed adds to or reduces the final cost in proportion to the utility and the cost of operation of the lorries. Haulage contractors are dependent upon the performance of their motor lorries for their profits, whilst contracts are figured on the basis that work, once started, will proceed without interruption.

Building contractors, therefore, require the best andmost reliable cif. motor lorries, for the operation of vehicles becomes a costly proposition if they cannot be depended upon to deliver loads economically and efficiently anywhere at any time. Motor lorries that will do more work at less cost than others enable their owners to handle more contracts and thus augment their profits. The requirements of building contractors are such that the majority of the lorries intended for use by them should be fitted with winches and have powertipping mechanism. They should be capable of

dumping two, three or five tons of sand, gravel, crushed stone, cement or breeze in less than a minute. It should be possible to raise the body and hold it in the tipped position whilst the lorry moves forward or backward. The power for tipping should be derived from the transmission, and it should be capable of being cut off automatically when the body is elevated to its maximum, and again when it assumes the normal position. These factors are important when house construction has to be carried out against time, as is so often the case nowadays.

Winch equipment is also of value in speeding up loading and unloading, and in facilitating the lifting and shifting of bulky materials. Moreover, it has simplified the old problem of wasted time and labour in getting tools and appliances to roofs and top floors of many-storied buildings. Users of vehicles which are employed to transport timber for houses find that rollers fitted on the floors of lorry bodies are of the utmost advantage, for thereby a load of timber can be discharged within one minute of the arrival of the lorry at the unloading point.

The Value of Power-tipping and Winch-equipped Vehicles.

Apart from power-tipping and winch-equipped lorries, every conceivable type of body is utilized by builders in the United States. Platform bodies are used for carrying shingles, window sashes and bernent blocks, whilst stake• bodies are Used for carrying earthenware, pipes for drains, as well as boilers and baths and window frames. Special semi'tankers are also used for carrying and dumping mortar wherever it is needed.

7.: Many building materials, such as bricks, tiles, blates and window frames, are of a most fragile nature, and, therefore, cannot be tipped. For carrying such materials bodies with hinged sides and tailboard have proved their worth, although loading and unloading operations can be facilitated if a winch equipment be carried.

Lorries used by builders are often called upon to ma,nceuvre in restricted areas. For such work vehicles having a short wheelbase are an advantage, for then a considerable amount of wheel-barrow work is eliminated.

Ramps are frequently used so that sand and gravel can be dumped into concrete mixing bins alongside the site on which large edifices are to be constructed. of this material. Lorries loaded with cement back up these ramps and tip their loads into the bins, whence the material is precipitated by gravity into the mixing box.

Ramps are used to a considerable extent in connecs34

tion with building construction in the United States. Generally, these temporary structures are built of timber, although steel is occasionally utilized. By the use of ramps the work can be considerably expedited, but the lorries used under such conditions must be very powerful, as they generally have to ascend the ramps with full loads in reverse gear. Extra reliable steering and braking are also essen

tial, as some ramps have gradients of as much as 1 in 3.

In some instances concrete mixers are actually carried on the lorries themselves. In this connection we may quote the case of a 10-ft. mixer being mounted on a Reo Speed Wagon chassis. This mixer is worked by a 6 h.p. petrol engine instead of by the engine of the lorry itself. The owner of this mobile concrete mixer estimates that he saves 25 per cent, in labour, and an even higher proportion of time, by the use of this installation. The Reo vehicle is driven as close as possible to the point at which work is being done, and an added advantage lies in the fact that this equipment can be speedily transferred to another sphere of operation when necessary, whereas the removal of the ordinary type of concrete mixer would occupy a considerable amount of time.

For building work many portable cranes, mounted on lorry chassis, are used, whilst sometimes cranes are mountedon chain-track chassis for the purpose of facilitating the removal of debris when old buildings are being .demolished. Many American building contractors believe in standardization, for thereby upkeep costs are reduced, whilst employees become far more expert in their work by becoming familiar with one make of vehicle. It is found, too, that standardized fleets are capable of accomplishing more work in the aggregate than when several makes of lorry are employed.

Some builders' lorries in use in America have

accomplished many truly remarkable feats. One heavy-duty White vehicle transported 1,350 tons of steel, 450,000 bricks and 300,000 tiles to the site of a large hotel recently constructed in Tacoma, Washington. Many other units can also claim to have transported huge quantities of building materials in the course of a year.

Motors Help to Build a City in Twelve Months.

One of the most complete examples of the all-round utility of the motor was in connection with the construction of the city of Longview, Washington, which was established within 12 months with the aid of 25 White lorries. These vehicles bore the brunt of the excavation work, dealt with the transportation of materials for sewers, streets, homes, shops and mills, rendered much help in the installation of telephones, gas and water lines, and the furnishing of houses after they had been completed. Moreover, after the completion of the colony, motorbus services were established for the benefit of the inhabitants.

Progressive building contractors believe that securing business is not so much a question of obtaining and supplying the materials as of being equipped and organized to give service. It is probably because due attention has been given to this axiom that the Cleveland Builders' Supply and Brick Co., Cleveland, Ohio, claim to be the largest concern in the world supplying building materials. This company employ 200 lorries, the services of these vehicles being utilized from 14 warehouses, six brick kilns, five tile plants, one cement-block plant and several sand-pits. The area of operations in which these vehicles work stretches for 22 miles along the shore of Lake Erie. In addition, they distribute loads of sand and stone brought in by a fleet of ships during the navigation season.

Although each warehouse, dock and plant has its quota of lorries, the vehicles call at the various loading points as the situation demands. The driver of each of the lorries in this fleet receives overnight his instructions for the next day, and thus much more work is performed than if a certain number of vehicles was definitely located at each loading point. So carefully has the operating radius of each vehicle in every distributing centre been worked out, that the average length of a journey works out at but three miles, individual trips ranging from one to eight miles. Special cards are used bydrivers and superintendents to keep a record whereby the traffic manager can ascertain the daily work performed by each lorry. These cards are filed day by day so that it is a simple matter to determine how many lorries worked on a given day, and what all or any particular one of them accomplished.

From the information thus accumulated it is possible to ascertain how much it costs to deliver various materials, and these facts are extremely valuable when it is necessary to hire additional lorries during busy periods to augment the company's fleet. Lorries are hired on a ton-mile basis, the rate being highest for the first mile and less as the mileage increases. The graduated rate is based on what officials of the company know (from the card his

tories of their own lorries) to be the relative cost of transporting a given load over the first mile and each subsequent mile.

Throughout the widespread area served by the Cleveland Builders' Supply and Brick Co. one price prevails for the transport of any given commodity. Before transportation was as flexible as it is now, it was necessary to ,charge a higher rate for the delivery of materials to outlying points, but, as this retarded building in suburban districts, a singleprice policy has been found to act as a great stimulus to developments in this direction.

As the entire fleet of the Cleveland Builders' Supply and Brick Co. is never assembled under one roof, -inspectors periodically visit the garages in order to keep themselves informed as to the condition of each vehicle. Daily report cards are kept to assist the inspectors in this work. As the majority of the lorries comprising the fleet are of one make, the facilities of the local repair, department of the White Co. are utilized—a striking commentary on the value of service as is now rendered by progressive lorry manufacturers. Of the many lorries eornprising this fleet, 67 are equipped with power-operated tipping gear. The Cleveland Builders' Supply and Brick Co. have delivered 121,000 barrels of cement, 57,000 tons of sand and 55,000 tons of stone and gravel, representing 27,000 5-ton lorry loads, for the construction of three buildings alone, and their vehicles have transported as much as 3,000 tons of sand, sufficient for the construction of 60 six-roomed houses, in one day. To give an idea of the magnitude of the company's business, it can be mentioned that their five common brick plants can turn out 1,000,000 bricks a day, whilst no fewer than 135 different commodities used in building are supplied by this company.

The work of moving 800,000 cubic yards of earth has fallen to the lot of a fleet of eight Autocars at work on the Calaveras Dam. This gigantic engineering operation will, when completed, supply water to the city of San Francisco, and will have a capacity of nearly 50,000,000,000 gallons of water. These eight vehicles are, between them, moving 141 loads of earth daily for a considerable distance.

One of the sensations of the last American census was the rapid growth of the city of Detroit, for n35 during one decade it jumped from the ninth to the fourth largest American city. This growth is to a large extent attributable to the policy of local dealers in building materials in efficiently delivering supplies for new constructional work.

The policy of these contractors has been to locate their yards and warehouses conveniently -with rela

tion to railway and lake-shipping facilities, utilizing motor lorries for effecting local deliveries. One company, for instance, garage a large fleet of lorries in the northern district of the city, sending out the necessary number of units to cover the daily deliveries assigned to yards located in the south, west and east sections of the city respectively The southern yard is two miles distant from headquarters and the northern yard, whilst the west and east yards are each six miles distant. Each of these four yards is located at a railway siding.

The lorries used by this company cover an average daily mileage of 60 miles, and are mainly engaged in deliyering sand, gravel and large packages containing other building materials. Each of the vehicles in this fleet is thoroughly inspected daily.

Many of the lorries in the service of Detroit building contractors • are used for delivering coal during the winter, when the inclement weather causes a temporary cessation of building activity.

The Chicago Fire Brick Co. own six distributing depots in Chicago,

all of which are about 4i miles A White tipper, apart from each other. These

depots are used for supplying all up a ramp to d parts of the city with bricks, sand, gravel, cement, limestone and other materials. Normally, the lorries used by this company make the respective yards from which they haul materials • their headquarters. Occasionally, however, when • deliveries are heavier from one yard and lighter from another, lorries are transferred to save wasted mileage. This is not done more than is regarded as essential. Whenever a lorry is assigned to another yard the services of the lorry are charged to that yard at the current rate ruling amongst haulage contractors. By resorting to this measure the need for hiring outside lorries is to a great extent eliminated, and the result is that the margin of profit shown by each vehicle is increased. The vehicles in this fleet have an average working day of ten hours, during which from eight to twelve trips are made. An average of 45 miles is covered daily.

Building Operations in the Rocky Mountains.

In the cities of the Middle West conditions exist to-day that find their counterpart in many of the less-developed parts of the Empire. All along the foothills on either side of the Rocky Mountains settlements are springing up in areas where very few good roads exist. Despite this handicap, however, hundrecle of lorries are successfully performing arduous • work in hauling lumber, stone, gravel, sand and cement throughout these districts. The conditions governing building in this part of the United States are very different from the shackconstructing days of '49, when the pioneer had to depend almost entirely on locally cut timber for constructing his house. The advent of the motor lorry has changed this state of affairs, and, even in the most remote districts, modern building materials can soon be requisitioned and readily supplied. Cases are reported where lorries have to climb to B36 altitudes of 8,000 ft. with loads of building materials, and in many cases, after a house is built, the owner has to construct a road to connect up with local highways.

The feverish activity with which building construction is undertaken in the United States is exem-. plified in the motto of the J. W. Brannon Sand and Gravel Co., of Denver, Colorado. On the sides of -each of the lorries operated by this company is painted a streak of lightning, together with the words " Lightning Service."

The Brannon Co. operate seven quarries, and these are so scattered round the city's edge that lorries loading at one quarry can save much time after delivery by picking up another load at a different pit. This obviates the necessity for making a long return trip whilst running empty. Each lorry makes from 12 to 15 trips a day, and averages 70 miles daily. The 22 White lorries comprising the Brannon fleet deliver 'enough sand and gravel daily to fill a train of 40-ton wagons a quarter of a mile in length. One unit has delivered as much as 250 cubic yards of gravel, weighing 350 tons, in a day. It is often necessary for this company to build a road before deliveries can be effected at the site chosen for building operations.

The Motor's Part in Developing Garden Cities.

The construction of garden cities has been receiving considerable attention in America. Perhaps the most remarkable of these ventures is that of Coral Gables, near Miami, Florida. Three years ago the 3,000 acres of land of which it is now composed was undeveloped country. To-day house property to the value of over 3,000,000 dollars has been sold, whilst a hotel, a country club, a college, a church and two golf links are about to be constructed. In another five years the sum of 27,000,000 dollars will have been expended on the development of a garden city where no two houses will be alike and every conceivable taste in domestic architecture will be catered for. Lorries are being used almost entirelyby the developing syndicate in building this pearl of the Everglades, whilst no fewer than 26 motor coaches are engaged in bringing prospective buyers of property from such far distant centres as Jacksonville, Tampa and other points within a radius of 250 miles.


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