,050 Miles with a Thames Oiler
Page 65
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10 see for themselves exactly how the new Thames 3-ton oiler
performed, Smith and Landers gineers), carried out a road-test ,050 miles on a standard " up-fromworks " long-wheelbase chassis ying a ballast load of 4 tons 13 cwt.
weight of the chassis and cab and ers was 2 tons 7 cwt. 2 qr., so that gross vehicle weight was 7 tons le route was planned to take in country, towns and main trunk 's carrying, for the most part, y traffic. Throughout the trip the her was fair to bad, showers and winds being experienced its Wales Scotland.
trting from Ormskirk, the route to North Wales, down the west of Wales, through the mountain:ountry of South Wales and across 31oucester. From there it lay gh Birmingham, thence to YorkNewcastle upon Tyne and on to ;ow. The journey back south was Shap to Preston and so hack to kirk.
attempt was made to cover the in the minimum time and the le daily running time was 9f , two drivers sharing duties y. The average speed throughout kn was 24 m.p.h. and fuel conion was at the rate of 18.8 m.p.g. it any restraint on driving.
a on the most difficult climbs the had plenty of power in hand adily responded to extra throttle. roved to Ise a boon in the Welsh sins and in the busy Midlands, t spurt was needed to get out of :vitable queue of "heavies." oved something of a surprise that kge down. to bottom gear was d only once and that was on a ;radient on the Aberglaslyn Pass,
a horse-drawn vehicle was tered. The substantial reserve of engine power was most useful on this occasion.
Throughout the journey _neither• driver eirperiericed any feeling of fatigue, the high-perched seats giving firm support to the body, whilst the excellent visibility reduced eye-strain. It was found, however, that under some road conditions, the steering became slightly heavy, but not sufficiently so to cause weariness.
At all times the brakes did all that was required of them, becoming more efficient with increased mileage. The hydraulic-servo system was severely tested on a declige on the A68 road near Jedburgh, when a cyclist performed a heart-stopping manceuvre from one kerb to another without warning.
A feature which impressed the drivers was the low level of noise in the cab. Although comparatively little night driving was called for, it was found that the headlights were usefully
focused and that, when dipped, the vehicle could be driven safely without any appreciable', drop in, speed. Frequent stops. were made for meals, to take photographs and so on, and at all times the battery was fully capable of starting the engine without fuss. Similar results were obtained even after the truck had been standing overnight in the open.
Except for a routine engine-oil change at Catterick, no attention was called for during the 1,050-mile journey. Oil and water levels remained constant and the ballast load of paving stones remained firmly in position, a tribute to the suspension. system.
At the end of the test, the drivers, who were both " fans " of another popular make of vehicle, reported that the performance of the engine was at all times excellent, and that the brakes and steering matched the power unit in efficiency.