The Motor Drivers News.
Page 21
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Hints on Lubrication of Steam Wagons.
" Yorkshireman " writes :—Replying to the letter of T. I). (Ipswich) I should recommend No. 4, gearing oil, which can be got from most oil merchants. I should, also, advise T. Ii. not to he extravagant, when tilling the bath, as too much is as bad as too little, from an economic point of view. Alter supplying the bath, a packing of asbestos string should be laid round its joints, and all screws and bolts should have packing adjusted before fastening the cover. All glands should be kept well packed, and dust proof, as, when this is not attended to, grit is carried into the bath, and this causes the brasses to wear more quickly. A driver who knows what work his engine has to do should be able to gauge, easily, the quantity of oil required each morning. Halt a gallon should be quite enough per day,
providing there are no leakages. All baths should be: cleaned out, once every week at least, with paraffin waste and old oil should be put through a refiner. All piston and valve spindle glands should be well packed, to prevent water from being carried into the bath by the piston rods. I hope these points will be of assistance. We, drivers, should always be willing to work our motors as economically as possible, and I hope others benefit from the " Drivers News."
" A.G." (Bucks) sends this letter :—" In your issue of the 27th December, ' T.D.' (Ipswich) asks foe any information as to the best oil for use in his steam wagon, and he states that he cannot keep it from getting out under the covers of the engine bed. I do not think that it depends altogether upon what sort of oil is used, but that it depends more on what quantity you put in the casing. I have used a good many kinds of oil, but, at present, have not had any trouble in keeping it in its proper place. I always make a joint between the engine bed, and the covers, with a piece of asbestos tape, or tar string, and I have known drivers who have told me that they put enough oil in the case at one time to run the wagon for a week, which I think is not a wise plan, especially in the class of a steam wagon fitted with round guide bars and slippers, because the guide bars are full of oil, and unless you have the glands of the piston-rods screwed up very tight, it forces a lot of oil out, which, of course, is wasted. By having the glands screwed up too tight, it causes the engine to run stiffly, and, to my mind, it must lose power. On my wagon I have fitted a tap on the outside of the engine bed, on a level with the bottom of the balance weights on the crankshaft, and when it will run out of this tap I am sure of haying enough oil in for a day's run. I always open the tap after I come into the depot and put the required, amount of oil in for the next day; the reason for this is, that if you leave the job until the morning the oil is cold in the bath and will not run out of the tap. If F.D.' tries this dodge I think it will do away with his trouble. I find, since adopting this plan, that I use a gallon of oil less per week than before."
Steam-Wagon and Tractor Drivers.
" S.C." (London) sends this contribution for inclusion in this page :—" The advisability of running a steam wagon, or tractor, on the score of economy, is being considered by so many possible users at the present time that for those Who are thinking of adopting them, I offer a few remarks in the hope of casting some light upon the matter.
The number of companies in the engineering world who have taken up the manufacture of steam and petrol vehicles, and the skill which has been brought to bear on the different details of their construction, should do away with all doubts, and fears, with regard to the possibility of being able to purchase a good wagon, capable of doing all the work specified by its purchaser. The most important thing is to obtain a good driver, and, once found, to keep him ; nothing is more unsatisfactory than, constantly, to change men. A new man has to learn the roads, besides the whims, and fancies, of the wagon, under his care, both of which are only gained from experience at the owner's expense.
Some proprietors I have known could never keep a good man if they had one : they worry him by cutting down the coal and oil, and expect him to make long journeys every day of the week, and generally overload the vehicle. The man, also, is out late, night after night, finally, ending by becoming careless and having an accident, or a summons,
for exceeding the speed limit. Others, again, will make out that something has gone wrong, and use this as an excuse for having a day in the shed. On a Saturday, which is usually a shed day, the man who has, probably had a hard week will feel inclined to leave over any repairs or adjustments he ought to do, hoping that they will last andher
week, or two, before the wagon breaks down. his procrastination is often aggravated by not having a suitable place into which to run the wagon, when it is not in use, as a man will not undertake many repairs if a wagon is left standing out in a yard. It is most important that the boiler should be washed out at regular intervals, and this job is best left to the stoker, as the driver, usually, has all he can do on a Saturday, and should he have any time to spare, it is well used in looking over the parts hidden from sight, so that he can satisfy himself that everything is in order. A good man, frequently, loses heart in his work, through being supplied with inferior fuel and oil ; and, in all probability, the amount of waste is cut down until it is impossible to clean the engine properly ; the result being that it gets into a filthy state. The man, then, very often, gets careless, and, instead of giving the machine a wipe over at any time that he has a few moments to spare, he takes no interest in his work. The cleaning of the various parts of a chassis is, also, valuable inasmuch as it sometimes brings to light the fact that certain bolts are loose, or, perhaps, have lost their nuts.
The effect of using inferior qualities of oil is quite as harmful as employing bad coal, although the result is not apparent at the time. Cheap lubricants play havoc with the most vital parts of the engine, especially with the cylinders and slide valves, as, directly a piston has started to cut or to score the cylinders, depreciation rapidly takes place, and the cylinders have to be turned, or lapped out, to bring them to -their proper condition once more. Oil, and packing, have been offered to me, at different times, neither of which were better than paraffin and tarred rope; the uninitiated who used this class of material would, very soon, find it necessary to have the piston and valve rod of his vehicle skimmed up in the lathe.
A great amount of oil can be wasted by a careless driver, a careless man will drop it about his engine, and overfill the lubricators, and, probably, forget to wipe up the surplus oil. Wicks, when fitted to lubricators., should, always, be lifted out of the oil, when the vehicle is at rest after the day's work. To minimise waste as much as possible, the lubricator on a cylinder should be of the pattern which allows of the oil being regulated to any required quantity. Road wheels, and axles, should he fitted with screw-down greasecups ; these require watching, as the tops sometimes unscrew and fall in the road.
Many owners will say " what are the necessary qualifications for a good driver, where is he to be obtained, and what wages does he expect?"
I was asked once to suggest something to minimise certain repair bills. I told the wagon owner to obtain the service,p of a good driver, and he immediately asked me where he could find one. I ascertained the amount that he was prepared to pay and found the sum was 25s. a week. According to my views, the qualifications of a good driver are good health, resourcefulness, temperate habits, civility, a certain amount of mechanical knowledge, and he should not be afraid of hard work and long hours. Besides actual road experience, a driver must be capable of undertaking the ordinary repairs necessary to maintain his wagon in an efficient condition, and quick at road dodges, to enable him to bring a vehicle home in the event of anything happening when on a journey.
The above is the class of man that is required; there are plenty of embryo drivers about, and if only the makers of vehicles would obtain their services, and give them the necessary training, good drivers could always be secured. The question of payment is another item to be considered, and my opinion is that the bonus system should be adopted. A man receives a standing weekly wage, according to the district, and nature of the journeys, end, in addition, a certain percentage of the profits, to be paid every half year. This would be an incentive to a man to keep his wagon on the road by having it in good condition, and doing his best to economise in coal, and oil.