Marked Economy jr Oiler Conversion
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Dodge 5-tonner with Meadows Oil Engine Performs Well on Building Haulage Despite Overload. 17.8 m.p.g. Averaged on Day's Work of 144.5 Miles By Laurence J. Cotton, M.I.R.T.E. ALTHOUGH the first cost of replacing a petrol engine by a proprietary oil engine in an existing chassis may appear to be high, the reduction in fuel bills must be appreciable if the number of conversions now seen on the road is any criterion. I participated in a day's work of one of these conversions, a Dodge model 105 13-ft. 9-in. wheelbase 5-tonner equipped with a Meadows 4DC.330 oil engine, and carrying a 6-ton load it had ample power on a 42-mile haul and afforded a fuel return of over 18 m.p.g. on the outward run and 19 m.p.g. when running light.
I can make no precise comparison with petrol operation, but I understand that the lorry was returning an average of 12 m.p.g. on the same type of route and carrying a similar load before conversion. Assuming that the vehicle runs 150 miles a day, about £4 10s. a week in fuel cost would be saved and the cost of conversion, making no allowance for residual value of the petrol engine, would be recovered in just over two years.
The vehicle under observation is operated by H. Cornick and Sons, Ltd., Southampton, on general haulage, but is mostly used for carrying 5-6-ton loads of breeze blocks from a local manufacti plant to building sites in Hamp2 After 30,000 miles' work with standard petrol engine the lorry returned through Munn and Ui wood, Ltd., the Southampton d butors, to G. E. Neville and Ltd., Mansfield, Notts, for replacement of the former p unit by a Meadows engine. petrol engine was retained by operators as a spare.
The oil engine was downrate 73 b.h.p. output at 2,200 r.p.m., to 180 lb.-ft. torque and a stan casting from a conversion kit fitted to marry up with the D four-speed gearbox. The eh required no alteration, but brai were made to locate the en complete with exhauster, on Metalastik bonded-rubber sand units at the front, and to suppor rear on the bobbin-type mount Modifications were required connections to the radiator and cer, and to accommodate a vac reservoir and gauge. The oil er is somewhat wider than the fo power unit, consequently the bc had to be widened by 3 in. to the fuel-injection pump and n folds.
A 24-volt starter, dynamo battery are normally supplied ir conversion kit and, the open specified a complete change volt equipment, which included ng a new control panel, fuel-tank ge and changing all 12-volt lightunits. Apart from fitting a Borg Beck 1I-in, single-dry-plate ch, which is the normal Unit for 5-tormer, no other work was e.
'he operators showed me the aice for the job, which cost 3 6s. 6d., of which 1528 repreted the engine and kit, £45 labour . £10 Gs. 6d. additional electrical ipment. Their -view was that the versioii was going to pay handtely. The vehicle had been driven r 6,000 miles on oil fuel when I k it out for a one-day fuel test. ix weeks the oil consumption had n negligible and there were no erse reports.
Smooth Pulling k 6-ton load of breeze blocks was ected at Southampton for [very to a housing site near avon. This was a normal run r fairly level ground and included rage traffic in Southampton, isbury and Amesbury. I noticed
✓ smoothly and well the engine led its load at 12 m.p.h. in top r.
Othough the maximum governed ed was set to 34 m.p.h., with the S to 1 final-drive ratio the driver It the Dodge at 30-32 m.p.h. on mall throttle opening for most of journey until meeting a gradient .r the building site, which required .d and second gears for 3 mm. .1. driver said that this was a torn-gear climb before the oil,
:inc was fitted. • added 181 pints of fuel to bring tank to overflow point, which, r a journey of 42 miles, corresids to 18.4 m.p.g. The average ed worked out to 24.2 .m.p.h.
Water Temperatures With a day temperature of 74° F., radiator header-tank water kept, -ly constant at 146° F. with the 30 load, but was 12-15° F. lower en running light.
part from town work, the return the depot was made throughout top gear, but only one pint less I was required to replenish the k. This provided a consumption equal to 19.2 m.p.g., which gives average of 18.8 m.p.g. for the mile run. In level or slightly lulating areas, with nominal load, fuel consumption of the Dodge i conversion with four-speed gearmight be further improved by a her final ratio, an overdrive gear
• .or two-speed axle.
ks the morning's work had pros•sed smoothly and without severely taxing the lorry, I agreed to an 8-ton load of breeze blocks being carried for the second run, which was to the disabled ex-servicemen's village, Enham Alamein. Although rated as a 5-tonner, and fitted with the normal springs and tyres, the Dodge was driven with its 8-ton load
across a rough unmade track in the works area without the wings fouling the wheels.
There was no reasonably level ground to enable acceleration when carrying 6 tons and 8 tons• to be compared, but the affect of the additional 2 tons was soon evident. Steering was barely affected, but any moderate gradient required all the power that the engine could give and rather more use of the intermediate gears was necessary than in the morning's work.
Between Stockbridge and Andover, steep hills followed in rapid succession and the indirect gears were required on many of the descents to
avoid overworking the braking system. It was noticeable that although some of the gradients were severe; the engine torque was such that there were few occasions when low gear was required. The lowspeed torque provided good pulling down to about 5 m.p.h. in second gear. Despite this severe work the radiator water temperature kept low and 161° F. was the maximum recorded.
It would have been preferable, for hill climbing, for the Dodge fivespeed gearbox to have been fitted, because the spacing between direct drive and second and third ratios would be closer than in a four-speed box.
A long detour at Andover to avoid road repairs took further toll of fuel and 18.1 pints were used in 31 miles, including shunting on the site. This corresponds to 13.6 m.p.g. The average speed was 18.2 m.p.h.
The return to Southampton was made as rapidly as the lorry could be driven, and by avoiding the Andover detour, 29.5 miles were covered in • 65 min., equal to 27.2 m.p.h. The fuel return was 21.8 mpg.
17.8 m.p.g for the Day
Taken over the entire day's work, 8 gallons 1 pint of fuel were used in 144.5 miles, from which is derived an average of 17.8 m.p.g. The conversion seems to show an improvement in fuel consumption of at least 50 per cent. over a petrol engine, but further economy might be achieved by increasing the number of gear ratios.
Without knowing the cost of installing another gearbox or final drive it is not possible to say at what stage in the life of a vehicle the additional expense might be justified. An operator of a similar vehicle in Nottinghamshire has had an Eaton two-speed axle fitted, together with the conversion engine, and carrying a 71-ton load outwards and returning light, obtains an average consumption rate of 21 m.p.g.