Eom Drivers kMechanics
Page 48
Page 49
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY is paid for the best communication received, and one penny a line of ten words for anything else published, with an allowance for photographs.
Send us an account of any sPeelal incident of your work or experience. If suitable, we will edit your notes, supply a sketch when required, and pay you for everything published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence, as evidence of good faith. Address to The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C.
An Adjustable Testing-seat.
[1322] " A.H.H." (Lland.aff) writes :—" In those establishments where there is a considerable range of testing done owing to the many different types The seat can be quickly attached to any chassis.
of machines being built or overhauled, it is, of course, necessary to quickly attach some form of temporary seat to the chassis undergoing the road test before finally fitting on the body of the machine. Under these circumstances, difficulty is often experienced by the testers in rigging up the seat from time to time on chassis of various widths.
"To get over my own difficulty in this matter, I have had made a testing-seat which can be readily adjusted to suit chassis of different makes, and I enclose you a sketch [We have had this redrawn.— ED.] showing its construction.
" The seat proper consists of a plank of wood cut off to a suitable length, it should be sawn completely through crossways at a point about 4 ins, from the centre. The side standards are made from in. or 1 in. flooring-board, these being cut off to afford the required height of the seat. The standards are screwed to the plank, as shown in the right-hand figure in the drawing. I then procured four lengths of in. round bar each about 8 ins, longer than the seat overall. The ends of these rods were screwed to receive nuts, and four holes were bored in the side standards at a suitable pitch to allow the rods, when in position, to clear the chassis side-members. For the seat adjustment I cut out two mild-steel plates in. thick, 9 ins, long, the width being the same as that of the plank. Four holes were drilled at each corner of the plates, two at one end being slotted to allow for seat-adjustment. To fix the seat on a chassis I first place it in position and thread the rods over and under the frame sides, then screw them up firmly to the side standards. The plates on the seat itself are then tightened in position, round-headed bolts being used in this case.
"I find the seat most useful, being very readily adaptable to accommodate any sized chassis." D4 A Useful Grinding Attachment for the Lathe.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 10s. prize this week.
[1323] " H.B." (Sandbach) writes :—" In a great number of motor repair shops and garages, an internal grinding machine is an unknown quantity. With the maintenance of a fleet of motor vehicles there are many repairs effected, or parts replaced, which should undoubtedly be ground. In the absence of a grinding machine repairs which, to be in keeping with the present-day standard of efficiency, should be finished by grinding, are merely bored and finished by turning and are fitted up with a comparatively-rough machine finish. Examples of work suitable for grinding are numerous, and comprise such jobs as the preparation of liners and bushes, and the re-grinding of cylinders, all to a fine degree of accuracy. In these cases an efficient grinding appliance would prove an invaluable acquisition, consequently, it is advisable, and almost essential, that an internal grinding attachment be installed. In my opinion, there is not a suitable arrangement, capable of being fitted to the ordinary form of lathe. on the market. Therefore I have designed such a device, and send you a drawing of the equipment in question. This can be attached to any engine lathe of sufficient centre capacity, and the construction of the appliance can be carried out by any ordinary garage superintendent. The grinding attachment
itself is carried tv a slab and stud-shaft, the arm of which is about .14, in. diameter, so as to ensure the necessary rigidity. The slab is attached to the faceplate of the lathe by means of two 1 in. bolts, of which the top one is arranged in a radial slot, to facilitate adjustment for the work in hand. Upon the arm of the stud-shaft is mounted a length of soliddrawn hydraulic tubing, which revolves on two brass bushes forced and sweated into the ends of it, thus leaving an annular space for lubricant. The tube carries a driving pulley on its inner end, the grindmg-stone being attached to the outer end. The driving pulley is secured to the tube by means of two set-screws. It is important that the pulley in question should have a sufficiently oonvex face, in order to eliminate lateral slip of the belt. The outer end of the tube is threaded to receive a thimble, which is screwed .and sweated into position. This thimble is threaded to accommodate a loose flange which holds the grinding stone in place. This completes the grinding equipment. All that now remains to be dealt with is the method of driving. Owing to the eccentric path which the grinding-spindle follows, the use of a floating countershaft is necessitated. The connecting-rod to the latter is shown broken off in the lower illustration, and the arrangement of the floating countershaft is depicted in the upper drawing. As previously mentioned, the feed of the grinding-stone is adjusted by the bolt situated in the radial slot, whilst the travel is supplied by the lathe slide-rest. Assuming that the grinding of a motor cylinder is the work in hand, a suitable peripheral speed at which the stone should be driven is about 5000 ft. per minute, and the class of stone recommended for this kind of work is a " Crystolon" wheel of 50 K grain, It is advisable, in order to obtain a highly polished surface, to lubricate the grinding-stone with a solution of soda water."
Opinions from a Superheated-steam Wagon Driver.
[1324] " F.E.D." (Colchester) writes : -" Having read with interest several letters from different steam-wagon drivers which you have published in your D. and M.' pages, I feel I should like to state my opinions on the running of a 3-ton Garrett wagon fitted with piston-valves and superheater. I have had a considerable amount of experience with different makes of steamers, having been a driver for eight years, and have driven both rubber and steeltired machines. With regard to the present wagon, which I have now driven for three months, 1 must say that it is a very fine machine. I can run 28 miles on 1 cwt. of coal and one tank of water, which I could not do with many other steamers ; of course, the superheater makes 'a deal of difference, and also do the piston valves provided they are kept properly I
lubricated. Now should also like to point out one or two hints that may be of some use to other drivers of wagons which are fitted with a superheater. The chief point is to blow out the heater once every two days ; the funnel and tubes must also be kept dean : each machine is provided with a flexible pipe fitted with a suitable form of handle: with this yen can blow out every ounce of dirt off the front tubes and heater. Whilst driving it is advisable to keep a. regular fire and about 11 in. of water showing in the glass. If these points are observed, it will, in my opinion, be difficult to find a better steamer.
"When running in at night, after the boiler has been filled, before leaving, shut. off the superheater valve until there is about 150 lb. of pressure showing, and in the morning it will 13T! found that there is hardly any condensed water in the heater. The wagon is used for heavy contract. work, and the district around here is very hilly besides having indifferent roads to run on ; notwithstanding this hard wear and tear, the machine runs very satisfactorily indeed, and the tires, which are Polacks, are good for a-nether 5000 miles. • "Before concluding, I should like to reply very briefly to " J.F." (Ca,stleford), letter No. 1299, He considers that. the steering-wheel ought to be placed on the near-side of wagons. If, however, J.F.' was driver of a machine on which the steering-wheel was fitted on the off-side he would soon see which was the better position of the two. Perhaps he does not know that Foden's have built a machine fitted with off-side steering; it is running for the Sun Flour Mills, Bromley-by-Bow. I consider this the proper place for the steering-wheel, as the driver can always turn round and readily see if there is anything overtaking the machine."
A Broken Petrol Pipe. A Route into London.
[13251 " (Parkstone) writes Whilst out driving my machine through Coventry recently the petrol-supply pipe broke off just short of the carburetter float-chamber. A temporary repair with rubber tubing would not have been satisfactory, so I made my way to the nearest repair shop. The man soldered the union nipple on afresh and connected the pipe up again, and after an hour's delay I started off. "When about five miles outside the city the pipe broke again just at the union nipple. I had now, of course, to make a repair somehow, and, having no soldering outfit withme at the time, again to replace the nipple was out of the question. After considering for a few moments I hit upon a simple, but effective, repair to that broken pipe, and send you a sketch [We have had this re-drawn.—En.], thinking it may be of use to other drivers so situated. I merely dropped the union nut over the pipe, burred over the broken edge of the latter, and then wrapped some unravelled string round the end of the pipe to form packing. The union was screwed in position, and I experienced no further trouble, the joint being quite tight against leakage.
Another Lint I should like to give is in regard to an easy way into London for drivers journeying via Basingstoke. I became tired of steering my way through Isleworth, Brentford, Chisvviek, not forgetting to mention King Street, Hammersmith. I therefore looked out for an alternative route and found one as follows :— "Turn off at Staines by the police station and go on to Sunbury. Then take the road to Twickenham, follow the tramlines to Richmond Bridge, and travel by the Upper 'Richmond Road to Putney. After Putney, of course, the particular road must be taken to whichever part of London is required. "This route, I consider, is a great improvement upon the direct. one, and it certainly saves time and no little amount of worry."