RUNNING, UPKEEP AND OVERHAUL.
Page 65
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A Difficulty with a Sideentrance Bus.
ONE of our correspondents, who signs himself "Lancaster," appears to have had an unpleasant experience while driving a bus along a road with a stone wall on the left side. For some reason be had to drive so near to a ditch, 14 ins, deep, that his rear wheels slipped into it, leaving a space of only 1 in. between the body and the wall.
As the axle was SO near to the ground it was impossible to get even the smallest jack under this part. Jacks were, however, placed under the frame, which was raised until the wheel was slightly higher than the road. While in this position planks were placed under the wheel, but crossways to the road, and bricks, etc., were placed under them. The wheel which stood on the road was lifted and a sheet of tin placed under it. Both planks and tin were well greased, the rear brakes were locked on, and a towing rope fix.-'d to the frame as low down as possible, the other end being attached 'to the
• towing vehicle, which was, as nearly as possible, crosswise to the road.
By this means the bus was dragged on to the road without any damage being done either to body or chassis. Our correspondettt does not say whether he took the precaution to lash the axle to the frame when the jacks were used under the frame, but we suppose this precaution was taken, otherwise a very severe strain is brought to bear on the top leaf of the spring. No mention is made of how the passengers, if there were cry in the bus at the time, escaped, but the incident shows the necessity for an emergency door.
, Stripped Rear-axle Nuts.
THE subject of stripped rear-axle
nuts appears to be still of interest to Our readers, so we are open to further suggestions, both for means whereby stripped axles and nuts can be dealt with, also for improved designs whereby such occurrences may be prevented.
One of the most practical suggestions we have received is that from " of Islington, N. So practical appears -the suggestion that we think it well worth the while of designers to give it careful consideration, with a view to embodying the plan in future models.
Various means have been suggested in this page for dealing with the stripped thread on the end of the axle sleeve by fixing up a chaser in such a way that the damaged thread can be brought up to a good thread again, but. of course, the diameter will have been reduced in this process. The original nut can easily have its thread revived by chasing in a lathe, but again the diameter will be slightly enlarged.
The plan suggested is to turn the original nut down so that its thickness is sufficiently reduced to allow it to be compressed after it has been split, as shown. An outer ring with six setscrews is then placed over the nut, and the screws tightened so that the nut grips the thread on the axle so tightly that no further trouble may be expected. One of the setscrews should be pointed and a dimple made in the nut, so that the nut can be screwed up by means of the outer ring. By tightening all the screws several times a great pressure can be brought to bear on the thread of the axle, so great that it will not be able to strip its thread again.
Trouble with the Gear-change of Peerless Lorries.,
WE hear from " R.H.H.," of Llan wenarth Citra, South Wales, that after a considerable amount of work with a Peerless, the front ends of the three selector rods will, through wear, make it difficult to get through the gate to change gear, owing to the centre selector moving forward. It appeared at first that either the pawl was worn or that the pawl spring had become weak. Close
examination, however, showed him that this was not the case, so he removed the brass box which forms the housing of the rods, and removed about -06 in. from the face which bears on a cross-member, thus allowing the pawls to bed
in. deeper into the notch which is provided for them on the selector. In carrying out such a repair care must be taken that the metal is removed evenly so that the housing is not set at an angle. Judgment is as to the amount to be Our correspondent assures us that the plan will in all cases cure this annoying trouble.
Steam Roller Design Criticized.
THE driver of a steam roller, " AIL,"
of Tainworth, finds fault with the design of the roller he drives, in the matter of the steering worm being placed above the wormwheel.points out that the wormwheel, altough working in a bath of oil, seldom makes a complete revolution. Even when it does move sufficiently far to bring up with it oil to lubricate the part in contact with the worm, its movement is so slow that most of the oil has time to run off before that part of the wheel comes uppermost. The result of this very poor designing is that the steering is stiff.
Our correspondent, who is at present engaged in tar-spraying, tells us that his machine has to move fairly fast for steam roller, and he has to steer accurately, this, with a dry worm, not being an easy matter. To overcome the difficulty he has arranged a bunch of worsted so fixed that it ean retain any oil that be introduces with his feeder. Before be used the worsted, oil poured on the worm would run off before he had time to get back on to the foot-plate.
Another part with which he finds fault, so far as the design is concerned, is the plunger of the feed pump. This is entirely unprotected and, having to be well lubricated, catches any dust that may be flying about. Around this plunger he has wound a bunch of worsted, so arranged that it cannot move with the plunger, but so that it eau retain oil and keep away dust.