For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN.
Page 21
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A P-RIZE OF TEN B.EILEINOS is awarded each week to the sander of the best letter which we publish on this pave; all others are paid for at the rate of a penny a 1ine, with an allowance for photograiohs, All notes are edited before being published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence, cts■evidence of good faith. Address, D. • 31. and P., "The Commercial Motor," 7-15, Rosebery Avenue, Landon, P.C. I.
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, April 5th, light your lamps at 8.6 in London, 8.44 in Edinburgh, 8.8 in Newcastle, 8.15 in Liverpool, 8.12 in. Birmingham, 8.16 in Bristol, and 8.58 in Dublin.
Suggested Spring Shackle Design.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the los. prize this week.
11,8581 "H.G.0." (Chiswick) writes :—" The accompanying sketch {Which we have had re-drawn.—En.] shows a suggested design of spring shackle which I think makers of wagons would do well to incorporate in their chassis. Shackles and shaekle pins, as they are at present constructed, are anything but satisfactory, and, so far as I can remember, there has been nothing new in spring shackles—if we except the joining of the two plates together by a web—for a very long time, at least, that is my recollection so fax as heavy vehicles are concerned. They generally consist of two plates with couple of bolts pushed through. Bolts very quickly wear out and are replaced: they as quickly wear out again. The reason, to my mind, is fairly obvious : there is not sufficient bearing surface. Grit gets in underneath the bolt, and with a little water rapidly gets to work and in time almost cuts the bolt in two.
"However, everyone is well acquainted with the old type of spring shackle and well aware of its shortcomings, so I will not Ciliate any longer on them, but will plunge straight away into the description of the good points of my design. It needs no description: I am sure the drawing is self-explanatory. Fig. 1 shows the front elevation of one half of the shackle plate. Fig: 2 shows a section through the shackles, pins, springs and spring bracket, while Fig,. 3 is an end view showing the position of grooves for litbricant. Now as to the good points. First of all, there is absolutely no wear on the bolt. This is a real good point. Second, the shackle takes the wear, but as it has a. large wearing surface, three or four times that of the usual bolt; it should last much longer. Third, if the bolt should happen to break, the chassis is not let down, as the other bolt would still keep the shackle in place. Fourth, the whole job is much stiffer than the usual type: it provides real bearing surfaces, and there is no need to rely on the tightness ofethe belts. You will note that the same kind:of shackle bolts as those to which we are accustomed can still be used, but they will not need renewing, as there is no movement between them and the shackles, and consequently no wear. Provision is made for, grease cups of the usual type, and it shopld be noted that the short space which is left between the two halves of the shackle can very conveniently be usedeas a passage way for the grease which thereafter finds its way along grooves in the sides of the hearings of the shackle, and is thence spread over the whole of the bearing surface.
"This shackle cannot,unfortunately, be fitted to existing chassis, as the holes in the springs would be too small, and there would not he sufficient metal in the springs nor in the brackets for them to be enlarged sufficiently to take these shackles. This design is intended more in the way of a suggestion to spring, shackle, and chassis makers."
Another Minter's Tale.
[1,959] " W.G.IT " (London) writes :—" Following my recent letter about driving through a water-splash, the story of another journey when snow was unexpectedly encountered may be of interest. It is a curious fact that there are many times in the winter when, although London itself sees no snow, or barely a sign of it, a journey of a few miles outside the metropolis will bring one into roads thickly covered. with it. Just such an experience happened to me on a recent occasion when I had once more to set out to Bedford.
"I started to prepare in the morning, taking what I
considered to be all necessary precautions against mishaps on the journey: plenty of petrol, several odds and ends and a few spares as I anticipated being away working in Bedford for several days. I started from Loudon about one o'clock in the afternoon, and travelled in good style until I got to Whetstone, where I discovered snow, and it appeared to be rather deep. As it was thawing pretty freely, I was not greatly disturbed, and -continued to forge ahead. However, a little further afield, I discovered it to be freezing, and after a tnne, as the lorry was losing speed; and somewhat rapidly, I cattle to the -conclusion that everything was not as it should be.
"At any rate, I still managed to keep going, and
jogged along until I got to St. Albans, and there I bought a quantity of cheap rope—clothes line, as a matter of fact. Before leaving, that town I put the rope on both wheels. I started by looping it round a, spoke, and winding it in one direction round the rim until I came to my starting point. I then rewound it in the opposite direction so that a series of crosses of rope were formed ail round the tyres. I then seemed the loose end of.the rope to a spoke of the wtreeland, taking a second piece, tied it rouniel•between the twin tyres so as to pull all the other strarids of rope tight. It turned out to be quite a wise pTecautien, as between Luton and Bedford, I went through snow 9, 12, and in some places 18 ins. deep. I met no other lorry-along that stretch of road, and I feel sure that if I had not had the forethought.to purchase the rope and use it in the manner I have described, I should have been much longer in reaching my destination—if I had not bad to wait till the snow had melted away."
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