Keeping Farm Vehicles
Page 41
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Hard at Work
As we stood out in the spacious frontage, looking at the garage, a big Dodge drew up at the pumps. On its door, I read, "F. A. Secrett, Ltd., Milford." This was one of the marketgardener's vehicles, from a fleet of a dozen (Bedford, Austin and Dodge) run by that operator and maintained, fuelled and lubricatedby the Royal Garage. The driver had been to Covent Garden, with produce, leaving his base in the small hours. Then he had" been to Brentford Market and back to Paddington to the G.W.R. goods yard to collect a load of manure. Other vehicles in that fleet do similar work.
In the workshop, emergency repairs were being made to a tractor that had come in off the fields that morning. There was some valve trouble, and while the engine was still hot and the mud still wet on the tyres, the mechanics were getting down to it. The tractor would be back on the field in the afternoon.
Tractor repair and maintenance arc a speciality of the company. Big stocks of spares for Fordson, Ferguson and David Brown machines are held. Servicing is also carried out on other tractors and miscellaneous agricultural plant, such as the Diesel irrigation installation on one of the farms.
Eight tractors are used by F. A. Secrett, Ltd., and six by Mr. H. Poupart, North Weylands Farm, Walton, who also operates four Bedfords, an Albion, a Chevrolet, a Dodge and a Fordson, all looked after by the Royal Garage. Various customers in a smaller way of business have vans, lorries, tractors, etc. An unusual Dennis, with large oval windows heavily barred, was being serviced. It belonged to South London Greyhound Racecourses, Ltd., which has the Burhill Kennels nearby. Shortly afterwards a big Austin—a W.D. mobile-workshop conversion— drew up for petrol. It was another greyhound van, belonging to the same concern, which operates several. The Royal Garage (Hersham), Ltd.. runs a Ford 24 h.p. breakdown tender, and a Morris 8 h.p. service van. The former has been excellently coachpainted in cream and green by the 70year-old staff painter.
The little Morris more than pays its way, and is never off the road for long. It carries spare batteries with extension leads, coils, magnetos, fuel pumps and many stock spares, so that in nearly all cases the obstinate machine can be put quickly to its task again.
Sometimes the van is driven by the foreman and sometimes by the specialist agricultural fitter, who also knows the design and habits of the irrigation system 'previously mentioned.
Not least important in the scheme of things is a periodic inspection-cumservice, available to anyone At a fixed small charge. The modern complete Castrol lubrication bay and hydraulic lift are brought into play, whilst a detailed inspection is carried out and all relevant facts logged. All defects found, or replacements advised, entail a separate estimate, with the time required. Extra work is done only on the customer's instructions. .
Costing Control
Costing is simplified by the overall control exercised by Mr. Mullins, who records all incoming and outgoing stores as well" as men's time, those being the key factors. There is a central double-entry job-card system, all stores being checked out on jobnumber tickets, filed daily. Overhead figures are compiled at three-monthly intervals. Total cost is assessed, simply enough, by the number of hours worked; plus on-costs, materials and stores.
The company is fortunate in being able to farm out machining operations to a concern hard by, and complete overhauls are undertaken with confidence in speedy completion. The garage also undertakes extensive body repairs and repaints. There is a modern washing bay with high-pressure
eq uipment. J.D.M.