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Opinions from Others.

27th May 1909, Page 15
27th May 1909
Page 15
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Page 15, 27th May 1909 — Opinions from Others.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters one side of the bajter only, and type-written by preference. The right of abreviation is reserved, and no

for the views expressed is accepted.

Decarboniser" for Petrol Engines.

The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

[958] Sir :a—We have read Mr. Duekham's letter in your issue of the 13th instant with a great deal of interest, but we fear that his experience of the decarboniser referred to may give the public a wrong impression in regard to this class of goods in general. We do not know to what preparation he is referring which proved unsatisfactory, but it is quite certain he cannot be referring to a liquid carbon solvent or remover which we supply. This is used in a very simple manner. The compression space in the cylinder is filled with the solution and allowed to remain an hour or thereabouts, when the contents may be removed with an oil gun, passed from cylinder to cylinder, and then " burnt out" by running the engine for a while. We have never known this to fail, although, with engines which have been neglected and allowed to get into a very had state, it is desirable to pass a scraper into the cylinders and to break up the incrustation where it can be reached, and, after the first " burning out," to repeat the process. The use of " Casso " saves a great deal of time and labour, and enables the user to always keep his engine in the best of trim.-Yours faithfully,

THE BRITISH-AMERICAN COMPANY.

Coventry.

Users Experiences (No. XV).

The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

7959] Sir :--" THE CommxnuaL Moron" certainly deserves the hearty support of all users of heavy motor vehicles for the spirited defence of the industry as contained in your recent articles on the Road Conference. The dignity and influence of that conference has been sadly impaired by the sweeping attacks which have been made on motor wagons by speakers such as Mr. Grefitorex, who apparently possesses more than his fair share, of ignorance on the subject of motor-wagon users' practice. I would remind Mr. Greatorex that " slinging mud at motor-wagon users is quite as useless and silly as the practice gentlemen of his profession sometimes indulge in of placing mud on the road to make the surface hind. The actual facts as regards the legal carrying capacity of the type of wagon we use is that we can carry a platform load of .7i tons 1.0cwt.-12cwt. and come under the likton back axle-weight; this has been tested several times by borough surveyors. Our practice, however, is to carry 3-4 tons, and to leave a safe margin. With regard to the speed at which motor wagons usually travel, I certainly think a reasonable latitude should be allowed in this respect, and that the present stringency with which the law is administered calls for amendment; but the statementthat the speed limit is habitually over-reached is not in agreement with fact. A statement that a motor tractor can draw 13 tons is best answered by the fact that I recently received quotations from all the leading tractor makers in the kingdom, and not one of them would guarantee that their vehicle could draw more than (3-8 tons; probably, traction engines were in the speaker's mind, or tractors which for short journeys are used as traction engines.

Dealing more generally with the Conference, there can be no question that the rapid growth of road transport of recent -years has caused an increase in the cost of road maintenance which cannot be dealt with locally. Improved methods of road construction are required, and are gradually being introduced; manufacturers of motor chides are on their part improving their machines; and users of vehicles are learning that to overtax a wagon either by excessive speed or overloading is the surest. road to ruin. There is, however, as the Conference has clearly shown, a great necessity for closer co-operation between the man who makes the road and the man who uses it. At present, the tendency is for road surveyors to regard motor-wagon users as deadly enemies, to be attacked on every possible occasion through the local police. This is foolish: motor-wagon owners should be assisted in every possible way by the road authorities, and should in their turn render assistance to them. Thus, during wet or frosty weather, it might often save a road to use an alternative route, and so preventexcessive damage, and where the surface of the road required attention the weak portion might be avoided. Watering places might be changed from time to time, to avoid injuring the surface by always standing at one spot. A pile of granite chippings, laid beside a steep hill in frosty weather by arrangement, would save a great deal of wear and tear both to the machine and the road surface, and also untold delay, with its attendant temptation to make up time. The proposal that authorities should have the right to prohibit traffic of heavy vehicles on their roads on the breakup of frost would, if carried out, practically solve the question by stamping out heavy road traffic. Taking the pest winter as an example, for the whole three months there was a succession of frost and thaw which eoulo have made it impossible for a motor-wagon carrier to exist, if, at the conclusion of each frost, he had been obliged to cease work for as long as the authorities thought fit. Frost, will remain in roads for weeks after a thaw has set in. Again, imagine the agony of a carrier whose wagon had run, say, 50 miles, suctdemy to Come to a frostbound district and to have to wait some days for permission to proceed. No ! Mr. Editor, this proposal is too impracticable to become law. [Users of horse-drawn vehicles will also object very strongly. How, for example, are coal and food to be delivered in the country With regard to the increased diameter of driving wheels, this no doubt would assist motor-wagon owners as well as the roads, but some consideration must be given to those who are already possessed of vehicles with smaller wheels, and who cannot increase the diameter of the same ; also, it will mean a fresh problem in design for the manufacturers who are now only just under the legal weight. Perhaps the most important point to remember, and one which was not emphasised at the Road Conference, is that both the construction of the roads and that of the heavy vehicles which run upon them is in a stage of rapid development and improvement ; this rate of improvement on both sides is at present greatly retarded by the want of money, The Government have at least recognised this in the ease of road improvements, and have adopted means to assist, but the necessity of assisting motor traffic to develop has not occurred to the road surveyors, whose inclination in some quarters has been to hamper the traffic by insisting on the law's being carried out to the letter, without any regard to the circumstances of the case, in a way which is never applied to other forms of traffic.

Our log sheet for the week is as follows :—Earnings, 1:62; tonnage, 148; mileage, 767; percentage, 100; coke used, 7 tons lOcwt. ; oil (gear) 7 gallons; and oil (cylinder), 3 gallons.—Yours etc., "MOTOR WAGON CARRIER."

The Large..scale Organisation of Road Transport by Motor Wagon.

The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

[960] Sir :—I read with very great interest your Editorial on the above subject, in your issue of the 29th April. and I sincerely trust that this Napoleon of Industry, whoever he may be, will be successful, not only in formulating his scheme, but in working the same. For, undoubtedly, a large and successful undertaking of this sort would give a much-needed example. 1 was also pleased to read that the promoter is a man who has had some experience in motor transport ; and his twelve sears' study and experience of the subject will keep. him from many pitfalls.

I notice you state that he proposes to use rubber-tired

petrol motors of five-ton capacity. Here. I think, he strikes the very first note of success, especially for longdistance work, reasonable loads—say, five tons at the outside—and a speed of ten to twelve miles per hour. The latest, up-to-date petrol motor, fitted with rubber tires as now made by at least one of -the leading firms, enables this to be done with a degree of assurance and economy, and with an absence of noise, that was undreamt of ten years ago : to-day's success is perfectly astounding to students of the motor industry.

Our good old friend, the steam motor wagon. has done, is doing, and will no doubt continue to do good service, and it is eminently suited for some classes and conditions of work ; but, owing to its comparatively-slow running, there is a terribly-increasing tendency to carry heavier loads upon it, in order to help to repay for the heavy wear and tear. the long hours, and -the " out expenses " of the men. With the use of rubber-tired motors, it is possible, both to cover a larger, and consequently a moreuseful area of work, and to do it in a more-reasonable time, thus saving long hours and much overtime by the men, which element has been accountable for a good many failures in the past. In many cases, too, it is much more convenient to use smaller carrying waits.

To illustrate my point. I will quote a ease which came under my notice a short time ago, at a works situated eight miles from a large town, and at which a 51-ton steam lorry was used, making two trips per day from works to town. Now this work could be done with much more comfort and convenieuee to everyone concerned with two 21-ton petrol lorries, making two trips each per day to town. By this arrangement, No. 1 motor gets back from its second journey to town about 3.30 p.m., is unloaded, and put in position in the loading shed, and as the goods are finished —until stopping time—they are packed on the motor and sheeted up ready for morning, and they leave for town first thing the following day, arriving by the time the warehouses open at 8 o'clock. This allows the driver quickly to get his load disposed of, and another collected ; lie then returns to the works about 10.30 a.m. Meantime, as the goods are being finished at the works, they are loaded on No. 2 motor, and No. 2 driver starts for town between 8 and 9 a.m., and is back at the works about 1 p.m., by which time No. 1 has been loaded up and started on its second journey, and returns to the works about 3.30 p.m. No. 2 gets back from its second journey about 6 p.m., whereas, at present, the steam wagon returns to the works too late at night to be unloaded, and, as the loads are from 5 to 6 tons, it takes double the time necessary for loading and unloading a 2,1,--ton lorry, and the result is that the steamer does not get loaded up and off before 8 o'clock, and it is 10 o'clock before it gets to town. It has twice as great a load as the smaller motor, has twice as many calls to make, and takes more than twice as long to deliver its load and collect its return load. This firm does not deliver or collect its goods from one warehouse only, but may have to make as many as six calls on one journey to town, with the result that the driver does not get back to the works from his first journey until nearly 2 p.m., and before lac can get

• unloaded and loaded again it is 3 o'clock. He then races his wagon, and gets to town again about 5 o'clock, with the result that all the warehouses at which he has to call are kept open after hours at considerable annoyance to everybody concerned. There is also much inconvenience at the works end, as a lot of the goods have to be handled twice over, owing to the motor's not being able to stand in the loading shed even for a short time. On the other hand, it will be observed that the time allowed for the smaller motor is from one to one and a half hour each trip, making a total of about five hours each day, or about one half the working day of the other, during which time the goods could be taken direct from the packing tables to the. motors. When the large steamer comes in, it is a case of'' all hands to the pumps," and all work is disorganised until the vehicle is unloaded and loaded again.

I think the foregoing shows very clearly that, in such eases, smaller units would be much better from the users' and warehousemen's points of view. Then, there is the question of roads, bridges, weighing machines, mill yards,

culverts. etc. A five-ton petrol motor, constructed on very substantial and yet judicious lines, need not weigh more than 3 tons 10ewt. unladen, making, with a five-ton load, a gross weight of 8 tons 10ewt. as against the 12-ton gross weight of a steam wagon with a 6-ton load. The saving in weight, together with the use of rubber tires, enables the motors to be used without doing the same amount of damage to the roads, and also enables them to he used on roads and in places that have not such a hard bottom, and the economical use of the heavy steam wagon is much more restricted from these causes than is generally supposed. The writer knows of cases of steam wagons' being refused admittance into mill yards owing to damage caused by them, and many cases of broken weighing machines have occurred; planks or plates have often to be laid down to get the heavy motors over them. Private roads, to and about works, are very often not strong enough for steam wagons, and the cost of making suitable roads for their adoption is prohibitive. Again, rubbertired machines can keep up a regular service through the winter, as they are able to run not only on frosty and slippery roads brit also through snow of considerable depth. The writer witnessed five-ton rubber-tired machines travelling through 14in. of soft snow last winter with perfect case, and on several occasions these machines went out to

the relief of steam wagons and took loads when steel-tired machines could not move.

[What about the Spurrier patent snow-shoe F; Has our correspondent heard of that :`-En.]

It will be seen, therefore, from the above remarks, that the promoter of this large motor-carrying organisation knows what he is doing and that he has a grip of the subject a-hen he proposes to use five-ton rubber-tired petrol

machines. a:team wagons, no doubt, are more useful and economical than petrol on a certain class of haulage work, such as the carting of coal, bricks, stoae, and heavy lowrated goods, but for the better class of carting, such as cotton, cloth, flour and general merchandise, the lighter petrol motors are, without doubt, the coming vehicles, in spite of the recent taxation of this useful spirit.-Yours truly, " OBSERVER.'

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Locations: Coventry

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