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Sawdust Provides Nation-wide Traffic

29th November 1940
Page 19
Page 19, 29th November 1940 — Sawdust Provides Nation-wide Traffic
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Road Motors Transport Big Loads of a Commodity Which, Once Considered of Little Value, is Now Made Use of in a Wide Variety of Manufacturing Processes. Hardworking E.R.F. Oilers Giving Good Service to a Firm Dealing with Large Quantities of Sawdust

TARE a saw and a piece of wood, set to work, produce the finished article —and you have sawdust left over. For a long time sawdust had no particular use. Then it was employed as a filling. Now it is of first-rate importance in a number of processes, and at least one haulage contractor devotes his entire energies to its transport. This is Mr. F. Reeves, of Newton Heath, Manchester, who, trading as Messrs. Direct Sawdust Supplies, handles an average of 3,600 bags a week.

The sawdust is collected from sawmills as many as 300 miles from Manchester, the journeys touching various places in Scotland, as well as covering most of England. It is then delivered to Wood Treatment, Ltd., of Bosley, near Macclesfield, and is milled by special processes into wood flour of the finest quality. Then the wood flour, which forms the basis of certain moulded products and other high priority goods, is forwarded to manufacturers up and down the country. In this way, Mr. Reeves's two vehicles together cover 160,000 miles annually.

Prior to.joining the army in the Four Years' War, Mr. Reeves gained some experience in road-transport matters ; upon his return to civil life, in 1918, he started up in haulage on his own account, and quickly became interested in sawdust traffic. For a number of years he used machines in the mediumlight class, but in 1936 he decided to invest in an E.R.F. Gardner-engined eight-wheeler.

To many people acquainted with the trade this change 'seemed scarcely a wise move. However, the power of the E.R.F., combined with its strength and the carrying capacity of a 24-ft. platform body, offered immense advantages over machines that were previously used. In fact, it actually did the work of four lighter vehicles Later o,n, an E.R.F. six-wheeler was purchased ; permits are now being awaited for the purchase of a further eight-wheeler and a six-wheeler.

Apart from obvious advantages in other directions, the changeover to the heavier types has brought about a marked reduction in repair costs. In the matter of driving, Mr. Reeves works intermittently with the drivers of the two machines and in this manner,.considerable mileages are amassed. The drivers do their own greasing and cleaning, but the entire maintenance work is left to the E.R.F. organization, which provides excellent facilities for the small operator.

• Where a few vehicles only are available, it is of the utmost importance that stoppages shall be reduced to a minimum, so that there are no unnecessary delays in the delivery of a customer's goods. E.R.F„ Ltd., is laid out to meet such requirements and on one occasion when one of Mr. Reeves's vehicles broke down a man was sent 150 miles to give the necessary attention. He left the maker's headquarters at Sandbach, in the black-out, at ,2 a.m. and had the vehicle moving again by early in the morning. In a recent case of more severe damage, one of the lorries was towed into Sandbach on the Saturday, was repaired over the weekend, and was ready for duty again on the Monday. An interesting point is that operators calling at Sandbach can always inspect the work in progress on their vehicles.

As will be see,i from accompanying illustrations, big loads are carried. The men engaged in loading are specially trained and ensure that each bag is keyed to its neighbour so as to prevent

swaying. The eight-wheeler customarily carries between 12 and 14i tons on a fuel consumption which is equivalent to 12-14 m.p.g. The E.R.F. machines have given every satisfaction in operation and the two additional units to be purchased will, we learn, both be of this make.


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