OPINIONS FROM OTHERS.
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Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one of the paper only and typewritten by preference... The tight of aboreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for views expressed is accepted.
The Springing of Commercial Vehicles.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1974] Sir,—I must apologize for the slip I made in my contribution on this subject appearing in The Commercial Motor for June 27th, and I am much obliged to Messrs. John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., for calling attention to it. I fully understood that their springs are flat when under working load and was wrong in using the words "half loaded."— Yours faithfully, ENGINEER DESIGNER.
The Clearing-house and the Haulier.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1975] Sir,—I have read with interest the article on "flints for Hauliers" in your issue of July 11th, and, whilst I am reluctant to enter into any protracted correspondence, I feel that I should at least refer to one very important matter which perhaps did not concern the writer of the article.
The point I wish to raise is : "Why cannot these transport clearing-houses make certain of good financial backing before launching out in a precarious manner ?"
You are aware that since the termination of the war quite a. number of men have purchased steam and petrol wagons out of their savings, plus grants from the Government., or on hire-purchase terms, and, following their employment as owner-drivers, these men have little or no capital and cannot afford to wait for months for their earnings as haulage contractors. I will go farther and state that even old-established haulage contractors cannot, at this time, give such extended credit as is demanded by the bulk of these transport clearing-houses, and in consequence must refuse to undertake the work offered by the clearinghouses. .I quite realize that this is a delicate matter, but in the West Riding district alone during my daily routine I have received complaints of this nature from practically every one that has from time to time engaged in this class of work.
know little men to-day who are beingpressed and even put into court for petrol and coal accounts, when they are quite .solvent if they could be paid what they have earned each week, with a regularly straightening up of matters every month.
I do not think for one moment that they have any objection to paying thepercentage demanded by the clearing-houses, and if such an arrangement could be carried out the haulier would never approach the firms who have the traffic to give, but be quite content with rail rates less 5 per cent., which is about the figure at which such consignments are carried. .I wish to emphasize this point, and you may take it that I am writing this letter with first-hand knowledge. If you consider publishing this letter and if you like to ask if my remarks are true, you will, I am sure, be inundated with letters from haulage contractors from all over the country. I. am in possession of letters from one clearinghouse promising to settle these accounts each week with an owner-driver, with one wagon, and he cannot get paid his accounts that are four months old.There, is another matter. The' haulage contraetor hag to rely almost in every instance on the care and accuracy of the clearing-house Staff in furnishing him with the exact weights Of the loads carried. Unless this is done he is a certain loser. .
If these two matters can be straightened out there would be happy combinations and dealings between the haulier and the clearing-house.—Yours faithfully,
Bradford. C. E. HOBSON. c44
Freight Exchanges: Are They USeful?
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1976] Sir,—In your issue of July 4th you 'published a letter from me under the above heading criticising your contributor "The Skotch," and I observe from The Commercial Motor of July 11th that " The Skotch " has turned a complete somersault: For a considerable time past this contributor has decried freight exchanges in and out of season, and in May last I was requested by several haulier friends to write you refuting the statements at that time being made by him. I did so, but for reasons unknown to me you did not publish my letter, and "The Skotch " has continued decrying freight exchanges ever since. My letter was a statement of facts concerning the bona-fide freight exchange, and I deplored the fact that you allowed your columns to be used for the purpose of unwarranted attacks without giving the defence an opportunity of replying. Haulage contractors generally quite well understand the necessity for reputable freight exchanges, and have been familiar with their working for several years. Therefore
The Skotch " is 'somewhat belated in his conversion to the principle of freight exchanges. Hauliers knew years ago much of what he tells them in your issue of 'July 11th, consequently the destructive criticisms of his have been labour in vain, and his remarks have probably projudicCd the usefulness of exchanges with the trading community, i.e., prospective customers of the hauliers.
Ti "The Skotch " had devoted a little time in endeavouring to rid the hauliers of certain " quack " clearing-houses and freight exchanges he v,-culd have served a better purpose. He can take it from me that freight exchanges are the first essential to hauliers engaged regularly on other than local work, and that what hauliers are praying for is simply integrity. In writing thus, I am not overlooking the fact that occasionally one is up against a haulier lacking in the same essential, but, I repeat, no useful purpose is served by saddling the majority with the sins of the few.—Yours faithfully,
WALTER GAMMONS,
(Managing Director, Walter Gammons Ltd.).
Trailer Haulage Economy.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
11977] Sir,—We have read with interest your article on page 658 of the issue of your journal for July llth. There are one or two comments that we should like to make in connection with this.
In the first place, while the existing speed limit for vehicles hauling trailers is 5 miles an hour, the speed recommended by the Departmental Committee on the Taxation. and Regulation of Motor Vehicles is 12 miles per hour, provided that the unladen weight of the trailer does not exceed 2 tons. This is the same speed as has been recommended in the case of a vehicle having a registered unladen weight exceeding 511tons, with a maximum axle weight on any one axle of 8 tons. As it is anticipated that these recommendations will be embodied in forthcoming legislation, it will he seen that the permissible speed of Saurer and trailer will be the same as that of an ordinary 5-tonner. Another point to which we wish to draw your attention is the additional load that can be hauled with a trailer. You state that it enables 50 per cent. to 75 per cent, extra to be taken. In the case of the Sa.urer, this can haul on a trailer additional weight equal to that carried on the lorry, while on the test
made on June • 21st (referred to in the abovementioned article), a total load of 11 tons was carried, divided as to 6 tons on the lorry and 5 torts on the trailer. The increase in total load carried
in this case, from 51 tons to 11 tons, representing an increase of 100 per cent., and it would not'inatter whether the greater proportion of the load were carried on the trailer or on the lorry.—Yours faithfully,
THE &CURER COMMERCIAL VEHICLE Co., LTD.,
London. RALPH E. WIasori, Sales Manager.
The Yorkshire Wagon and the Clarkson Boiler.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1978] Sir,—Your description of the new Yorkshire steam wagon was very interesting, but the writer thinks that the Leyland Co. designed a similar transmission some years ago. In fact, one of that company's wagons, with three-cylinder vertical steam engine (under the driver's seat), gearbox and lire axle,
was running about this district fully 10 years ago. We enclose an illustration, cut from The Commercial Motor of that time, showing a similar wagon. Note the raked steering column and centre pivot steering.
Mr. Clarkson's " Thimble " boiler always struck the writer as being very similar in idea to, although differing, in construction from, the one shown in a second illustration taken from the catalogue of a local works published about 1885. This boiler was used for locomotive work.—Yours faithfully,
Whitchaven. MACHINERY.
Multi-wheeled Vehicles : Research Needed.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MCTOR.
[1979] Sir,—I have followed with much interest the articles which you have published from time to time dealing with the multi-wheel vehicle. I am convinced that you are on the right lines, so much so that I have filed every article on the subject and am waiting with interest any further developments. I believe there is a crying need for investigations which will lead to mitigation of road wear. The roads have reached such an advanced stage of development that -we cannot expect any further great improvements in the immediate future, yet in my district (the West of England) we have stretches of rOad that are extremely trying to our vehicles. Therefore, we must turn to the vehicles which use the roads and ascertain what can be done to limit the amount of road wear and damage done by each. This would appear to be chiefly a matter of pressure per unit area of tyre in contact with the road surface, combined with speed. Unsprung weight also enters into the question to a very considerable degree, and the ideals to be sought are methods of spreading the load over a large number of wheels, and of reducing the unsprung weight per wheel to an absolute minimum. Pneumatic tyres will also, in my opinion, be used almost exclusively in the near future In spite of the fact that there is an urgent need for research in this direction, no organization appears to be conducting experiments which would tend to solve
the problem. The results which have been obtained up to the present are chiefly due to private enterprise, and I consider that it is high time that more progress was made in this direction, and would suggest that the Motor Research Committee would do well to include such investigations in its programme. As the matter is one of national interest, possibly. the National Physical Laboratory might also be induced to carry out experiments.—Yours faithfully,
WILTSHIRE OWNER.
Tractor and Farming Costs.
The Editor, THE C OMIAERCIAL MOTOR.
[1980] Sir,—In The Commercial Motor for July 4th you give publicity to an article on tractor and farming costs, giving various items of information from a book written by Mr. C. S. Orwin. The information given is very interesting indeed, as it is unique to find such details being kept of the work done by an agricultural tractor. On studying the chart, it appears' however, that one important item is omitted from the tables, and that important item is " time." The total cost for the year was 2436 158., and it would be interesting to know how many hours the tractor was working during the year, as one would then be able to calculate the cost per tractor hour.
It may also be of interest to tractor owners to know that we are offering an instrument which can be attached to the tractor and will tell exactly when the tractor is moving and when it is standing still, and we think you will agree that this instrument would be of very great use in compiling costs, and would enable a much better estimate to be given if one were taking on contract work.
As an instance, it will be seen that it cost 21.99 to plough 95 acres, but, of course, it is possible that a considerable amount of time was wasted, and that a larger amount of work could have been done for the same standing charges. We shall be happy to give readers any further information concerning the Servis recorder as applied to tractors.—Yours faithfully,
Coventry. Baataieo (1920), LTD.