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Good Maintem Adds Two Ye to Vehicle Li

29th May 1959, Page 50
29th May 1959
Page 50
Page 52
Page 53
Page 50, 29th May 1959 — Good Maintem Adds Two Ye to Vehicle Li
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Rootes, Karrier, Motor Oil, Commer

says P. A. C. Brockington, A.M.I.Mech.E.

Protection of Vehicle Components from Fly Ash on Tipping Sites, a Difficult Problem Encountered by Leicester Cleansing Department

THE introduction of a preventive maintenance scheme by Leicester Cleansing Department, some three years ago, has shown such marked improvement in the serviceability of vehicles that it has enabled the department's replacement policy to be based on a life of 10 years. This represents an extension of more than two years.

A system of controlled tipping has been employed for a number of years and of the 87 vehicles run by the department 45 are engaged in refuse collection from householders' premises and direct delivery to the tips. The vehicles are frequently driven relatively long distances over .rough or loose surfaces at the tips, and site conditions generally are particularly severe.

Some of the most difficult maintenance problems are associated with the necessity, to distribute intermediate layers of power-5tation fly ash in order to "bed down" the refuse. This fly ash, which breaks down to fine dust, is dispersed over the ground and into the atmosphere, and naturally represents •great danger to vehicle power units, brake assemblies and other working parts.

Karriers for Refuse Collection

The entire colleetion.fieet is made up of Karrier vehicles, 26 of which are CK3 10-cu.-yd. petrol-engined collectors. Of the remainder, 15 are Gamecock vehicles of 12-cu.-yd. capacity powered by the Rootes two-stroke oil engine, and nine are Bantams fitted with Baico extensions to accommodate a 10-cu.-yd. body and conventional salvage-vehicle cabs. These are also equipped with Commer oil engines.

Conventional side-loading steel bodies are employed except on the Bantams, which are fitted with Specially built light-alloy 10-cu.-yd. bodies designed by the department. Their use over 12 months gives promise of valuable economies.. Compared with a fuel-consumption rate of 6-8 m.p.g., returned by thepetrol engines of the CK3 vehicles, the oil-engines of the Bantams average 15-18 m.p.g. . .

The bodies are steelbraced, and judging by 12 months' hard" usage they will require less maintenance during the life of the vehicle than the steel bodies. The corrosion resistance. of the light alloy is a particularly important factor in this greater durability. Fitted with the light-alloy body,. theBantam collector has an unladen weight of 24 tons, whereas the unladen weight of the CK3 is 3 tons 4 cwt. and of the Gamecock vehicles, 4 tons. .

Whilst the saving in fuel that may be attributed to the light-alloy body, as distinct from the economy provided by the oil engine, cannot be accurately assessed, the substantial gain provided by the bodies in terms of licence charges is readily apparent. In a vehicle life of 10 years, the saving on licences will more than offset the extra cost of £195.

Block-relay Collection

Collections are organized on the block-relay system, in which teams of six men jointly operate two vehicles, in a typical day's run the vehicle taking refuse to the tips normally returns to the collection area before the second vehicle is completely filled. Thus the work of the loaders is virtually continuous. The drivers help with loading when they are not handling their vehicles. Each team is in the charge of a ganger, and all the teams are supervised by district inspectors.

Three tips are currently available within the city. boundary. The distance travelled by the vehicles on -a delivery run is normally around five.rniles, and on average' they return to the collection area within 10 minutes. Generally, the collection routine can be continued at a steady tempo, but special provision has to be made -for "stragglers." This is the term. given' to premises having long access drives, or remote from the main operating area. Methods of dealing with " stragglers " have now

rubbish and debris left in premises after removals and so on.

Clean paper and cartons, which may easily be separated from the bulk of the refuse -on the premises, are loaded into a separate 30-cu.-ft. hook-on &ontainer behind the collection vehicle. Paper is also salvaged from refuse on the tips, and the total load is transferred in a Dennis Paxit and a Karrier CK3 to a baling depot. Last year the tonnage salvaged was in' excess of 2,000. Other materials salvaged at the tip include dean textiles and metals, removal from the refuse being restricted to materials that can easily be located. About 30 per cent, of the householders contribute to the department's bin scheme in the form of a yearly rate charge of 5s. 6d. B.S.S. bins of 21-cu.-ft capacity are supplied on loan to householders and are renewed when necessary without charge -if deterioration is the result of fair wear and tear.

The provision of standard bins in good condition eases • the work of the collectors and substantially reduces the average collection time. Many of the bins owned by householders are dilapidated and in some cases the refuse is even deposited in cardboard cartons, which frequently makes it difficult for the loader to prevent spillage when he is transferring refuse to the vehicle. The use of standard bins is, therefore, additionally advantageous to the improvement of hygiene.

In addition to the baling depot the department's premises include three sub-depots at which vehicles are garaged and vehicle washing facilities are provided.

Other equipment employed for salvage operations and general work includes 16 Karrier Bantam 7-cu.-yd. vehicles powered by petrol engines, two Conamer 7-tonners with two-stroke units, four Commer 5-cwt. vans and a Dennis Paxit, as well as the vehicle of this type mentioned earlier.

Street cleaning is performed by five Karrier-Yorkshire sweeper-collectors, six gully emptiers based on Superpoise chassis and two water tankers of the same make. Of these, three sweepers and three gully-emptiers are powered by oil engines, and the remainder by petrol units.

Plant machines comprise an. Allis Chalmers tractor shovel with a scraper, two Weatherilt 1-cu.-yd. mechanical shovels, two Chaseside 1-cu.-yd. shovels, and a Brush 8-cwt, battery-electric platform truck.

Three-monthly Examination

Every vehicle is returned to the Jarvis Street workshops for a thorough examination, an oil change and any necessary repairs at intervals of three months. The daily mileage covered by the collection vehicles 'averages about 30, but this is not taken as a yardstick of the work done. Each vehicle normally averages about 170 working hours in the month, which would be equivalent to some 4,500 miles, if it were engaged on normal road deliveries. In three months the engine will operate for some 500 hours. The maximum daily mileage covered by any vehicle in the fleet rarely exceeds 60.

Vehicles are also docked every month for oiling and greasing in a special lubrication shop. At the same time

a test on steering gear and brakes is carried out by the garage foreman at the .depot and on the road. Spare

vehicles are garaged at the Jarvis Street depot for use in the rare event of a breakdown. The preventive maintenance scheme has, however, practically eliminated the use of tow ropes.

Engines are decarbonized every 12 months, but there is no set schedule for major overhauls, which are carried out at the discretion of the engineer. Relatively few of the engines require reconditioning during the life of the vehicle and if a major overhaul is necessary the entire job, with the exception of crankshaft grinding, is completed in the workshops. Three spare petrol engines, overhauled in the ri18 workshops, are ready--in the stores for replacing worn service units.

The garage is equipped with one full-length pit and four shorter pits, and the lubrication shop has a Tecalemit battery and a central-ram hydraulic hoist. Other shops at the main depot include a machine shop, blacksmith's shop, coachbuilding department and paint shop. These facilities enable practically every type of repair to chassis and bodywork to be undertaken as well as the fabrication of platform bodies for the vehicles. Each shop is Under the supervision of its own foreman..

Workshop staff includes 10 mechanics, three coachbuilders, a welder and a sheet-metal worker and two painters, who are responsible for the maintenance of plant at the municipal baths and laundry, in addition to road vehicles, site machines and depot equipment.

The stores carry 'a full range of fast-moving parts and components required in normal overhaul work which cannot readily be provided by local distributors. A pro gressivo system of stores replacements is employed and the stores is run by a storekeeper and assistant storeman.

A large pegboard in the machine shop provides a "Transport Maintenance Schedule covering the 52 weeks of the year. The numbers of the vehicles are arranged vertically in a column on the left, and pegs opposite the numbers indicate the time that will elapse before an examination is required, or whether it is overdue. The current week of the year is given in the form of a number by a replaceable card indicator.

Frequent Oil Changes

Changing of lubricating oil every three months is considered essential in spite of the low mileage covered in the period, because of the sludge formed by continuous cold running. The rapid formation of sludge and carbon deposits in the cylinders is considered to be one of the most serious hazards of operating collection vehicles. Lubricating oil of S.A.E. 30 viscosity is employed for all the road-vehicle engines, and the number of grades has been reduced to two, one for petrol engines and one for the oilers, which are used throughout the year.

Oil engines have been safeguarded against fly ash by replacing the standard oil-bath filter by a Vokes oil-bath box type, which gives a much larger filtering area and increases the period between changes of the filtering medium, as well as reducing the amount of oil sludge. In the case of one vehicle the ingress of dust originally caused repeated clutch slip (on average a new plate was fitted every fortnight!), and eventually this trouble was cured in the workshop by a relatively simple modification.

Because the fine particles of fly ash are globularin

form their penetration to the facing area of the brakes, in effect, introduces a series of small rollers between the drums and the facing material, and consequently causes a serious loss of efficiency. This was also a persistent cause of trouble until all the brakes of the collection

vehicles had been modified. These modifications were evolved in the maintenance shop, as was a change which was made to the distributor-type injection pumps of the oil engines. In this case the modification has cured starting troubles which were frequently experienced during the winter months.

Every new vehicle is equipped with the same make of tyre, the profile of which is particularly advantageous in the case of vehicles which, of necessity, are driven long distances close to the kerb. The walls of these tyres are formed in such a way that a ring of extra rubber is provided on the outside of the carcass, and this acts as a kerbing strip, which is of particular importance on account of the narrow roads and rough kerbs of new housing estates.

Before this make was employed many covers had to be discarded after only four months' wear. It is now Common for a tyre to continue in service for 12 months or more before replacement.

There is also a high incidence of tyre damage on the tipping sites, cuts by broken glass being a regular feature. Most of the damage is directly attributed to wheel spin in loose ground when the tyre is in contact with glass frag. ments, sharp-edged stones or pieces of metal with jagged contours. The use of tyres giving a good grip of the surface is, therefore, advantageous.

Regarding possible developments in the future it is envisaged that bulk vehicles may be used for transporting refuse to tips outside the area from transfer points inside the city boundary. The period that tips will be available in the city is limited.

It is considered that dustless collection is the ideal method of handling refuse, but will inevitably be more costly than the conventional method. Universal contribution to the bin scheme would, it is pointed out, facilitate the introduction of dustless collection.

Leicester has the distinction of supplying the new president of the Institute of Public Cleansing—Mr. Colin Clegg, superintendent of the cleansing department.


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