AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.

30th September 1909
Page 20
Page 21
Page 20, 30th September 1909 — Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Steam Wagon, Track Pan

TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for any thing else published.

Drivers of commercial motor vehicles and tractors, and -mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, are tnvited to send short contributwas on any subject which is likely to prove of interest te our readers. Workshop tips and smart repairs ; ltmg and successful runs ; interesting photographs alt are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us—no matter how short, or how written, or how worded. lye will "knock it into shape" and prePare sketches, where necessary, before publication. The absence of a sketch does not disqualify .for a prize. When writing vse one side of the paper only and mention your employer's name as a guarantee of home fides. Neither your own iwr your employer's name will be disclosed. Payment will be made immediately after pubirr,rliwz. Address. your htters to i he Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, 7 15, Roseoery Avenue, London, E.C.

To Make Chasers Cheaply.

[590] " A.B.F." (London, SE.; writes I beg to sub mit the following contribution, which describes a cheap and rapid way of making chasers, for your Drivers' and 3,1echanics" page. This is a solution of my own, although it probably has been used before,

" Some time ago I had a certain job to do, which necessitated the use of a 25 outside chaser. There was not one available at the moment, en I decided to make one,

and did so in the following simple way. Procuring a piece of flat mild steel, of suitable width and thickness, I cut a slot, as shown in the sketch [We have had this redrawn.—En.], to take the piece of steel bar from which I was to make the chaser. 1 next drilled and tapped a hole, into the end of the plate, which should hold a suitable setescrew. When I had fixed the steel in position and held it firmly with the set-screw, a thirteen-sixtyfourths hole was drilled at a point which was carefully marked off on the surface this was tapped out with ordinary hand in. taps. When I slacked back the set-screw, I removed the bar, which had thus simply been made into a chaser with the proper number of threads. With the exception of the necessary backing off for clearance and the subsequent hardening, there was nothing more to do ; the whole job was completed in less than half-an-hour:' Advice to Steam-wagon Drivers.

The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 10s. prise this week.

[5911 " T,D," (Keighley) sends a long letter containing hints which he hopes will be of interest to his fellowreaders :—" I send you a few tips, which, if followed by drivers of steam wagons, might. I think, tend to abolish

some of the prejudice with which such machines are regarded by some sections of the public.

" During my ten years' experience, I have had to use all kinds of fue]. Coke, I find, varies very considerably

in steaming qualities. I always instruct my fireman, when we are using inferior fuel, to replenish the fire with small quantities, but often. Some fuel fuses on to the firebars and so stops the -draught, although there may not actually be a tot of clinker formed. This, of course, stops the draught quickly. To gat over the difficulty, I use limestone chippings, sprinkling the bars well with them before lighting up. With careful use, a ton of these ehippings will last six months, and I calculate, in that time, will save two sets of firebars and a lot of fuel. When bars solder' in this way, the poker has to be used constantly, and that, of course, plays old Harry' with the consumption_ After clinkering, I again sprinkle some more clippings before refiring. Limestone chippings can he bought for 3s. 6d. per ton, plus carriage. I should advise owners who operate in limestone districts to try this tip.

" I have often noticed drivers who clinker out and draw water at a trough at the same time. In doing this, they are not only short of both steam rind water simultaneously, but they also have a black fire when they are ready to start again, with the result that they have to to for some time while they use the blower to get up pressure. In the meantime, horses come up -to the trough and refuse to drink because they are afraid of the engine's exhaust. Angry words are soon passed between the drivers of the respective vehicles, and I have even seen

a fight over such a happening. I strongly appeal to steam-wagon drivers, if they must clinker at the same time as they want water, to draw away from the water after they have filled up, and to clear the bars, say At. 100 yds. away from the horse-trough.

"Drivers should never put their clinkering tools into the water troughs. I know of one Borough Council which has stopped the use of their troughs by steam-wagon drivers, simply because clinker has been found in the water, after drivers have been cooling the irons in the troughs. I have recently had an interview with one of the water inspectors in one part of Lancashire, and hetold me that the above nuisance. and the obstruction to tramcars by steam-wagons which were watering, were the. principal causes of the Borough Council's refusing the use. of the troughs for this purpose. " Drivers cannot be too careful not -to monopolize air the road. It should not be forgotten that the law compels a driver to pull rip, when requested to do so by the driver of a restive horse or by a police constable. Sometimes it. is the driver that is restive and not the horse. So-me' horse-drivers are given to stopping motor-vehicles through sheer cussedness. 14Iy advice in a case like that is that you must use your own discretion. In some cases, no, doubt, it is best to go steadily on and say nowt.' "One more matter upon which I would like to say a few words, and that is the practice of throwing the engine out of gear when travelling down a hill. I know of a driver in our district who did this, and his brakes subsequently failed to act. The consequence was that he had to run the engine through a wall into a dyke, with, as a result, a broken axle and other disablement. On another occasion, about eight miles from Keighley, a driver was coming down a hill VI miles long at a fast pace, and his brakes fired just as he was trying to dodge a woman on the road, who had a baby in a basinette perambulator with her. He just managed to steer into a gate post at the side of the road, nearly wrecking his engine. When he eventually got home for assistance, he was sacked on the spot, and serve him right too " In conclusion, I would say to my fellow-drivers : when you meet a mate in distress, don't be afraid to lend him a hand. Don't laugh and jeer at him ; you may be in a similar fix yourself some day. Don't laugh at a driver who is in charge of an old worn-out-looking engine ; it may look like a heap of scrap-iron, but some of these old engines are still capable of good work after running for 10 years, Keep your engine clean, as a prospective buyer may be watching you at any point on the road. Some time ago, a gentleman came to me in Colne, Lancashire, and asked me a lot of questions about my wagon, as to running costs, repairs, lubrication, wages, amount of fuel, cost per ton-mile, etc., etc. I was able to give him a lot of information, and he afterwards told me he was about to start a haulage business in Birmingham. I asked him to come with me for a bit on the wagon, and he seemed highly pleased. He took the maker's name and my name and address and promised to write to me. He didn't forget to C put his hand down ' when he left either."

A Driver Who is Pleased with his Sentinel.

:592] " l',1)." (Sutton) sends a photograph of a wagon he is driving, together with the following letter :—" I am a regular reader of THE COMMERCIAL Moron, and I re

cently read an appreciation from an owner of a Sentinel wagon. I should like to say that I agree with him in every way. I have now been driving a new machine of the same make for rather over four months, and, during that time. I have travelled over 2,500 miles and carried over 1,000 tons. We can take 10 tons up all the hills we have to tackle in Surrey with this wagon and trailer."

Tags

Organisations: Borough Council
People: Keighley
Locations: Birmingham, Surrey, London

comments powered by Disqus