AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

GOODS-TRANSPORT STORIES in brief

5th May 1933, Page 122
5th May 1933
Page 122
Page 123
Page 124
Page 125
Page 122, 5th May 1933 — GOODS-TRANSPORT STORIES in brief
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords :

ji Series of Short Histories that Proves in a Convincing Manner the Value of Road Motors in a Variety of Trades and Under Different Conditions of Operation

Ten Leylands on Timber Transport.

ALTHOUGH not large when cornpared with some of the haulage combines operating to-day, the concern of '..:;hris. Miller, Ltd., is typical of the nany businesses which have been built tp.with the help of Leyland vehicles. Phe concern started 07 years ago when 7.11iris. Miller and his young wife drove into Preston with their effects and set lp in Marsh Lane, Preston, as cartage. ?iontraetors. Since that date the business has been carried on and handed lown from father to son under the 3ame style and in the same place. Then, as now, the haulage of timber was the main occupation, although more general types of haulage, such as textiles, produce, materials for the road and building trades are also handled.

In 1920 Mr. Miller ordered his first Leyland, a 4-tonner, a vehicle which is the pride of the fleet and, with probably 250,000 miles to its credit, is

till carrying its full loads daily. The Beet consists of 10 Leylands, with 2apacities ranging from 4 tons to 6 tons, tour trailers with pneumatic tyres and three with solids, and it is quite an impressive sight to see these vehicles and their trailers drawing into the ri.arage with their large loads of felled timber.

By reason of Mr. Miller's inborn knowledge and experience of the movement of timber, the handling of loads which would present great difficulties to the average haulier are taken by this :,.oncern as all in a day's work. It is Mr. Miller's proud boast that he has never yet refused a job on account of its magnitude, and has handled with his isual equipment the movement of bulky boilers and transformers weighing as much as 45 tons.

With regard to maintenance, no set times are adopted for overhauls, and it is not improbable that the lengthy periods which elapse between overhauls are largely due to the pride the drivers take in their Leyland vehicles. Oiling, ;Teasing and cleaning are punctiliously Dind regularly carried out

A Fleet of Albions on Meat Transport.

FOR over 60 years J. Ward and Sons, Ltd., Birnam Road, London, N.4, has been engaged as a meat contractor at Smithfield Market. The business was started by Mr. J. Ward, and is at present being carried on by his three sons. Prior to 1912 the company employed over 100 horsed vehicles, and in that year it purchased its first motor vehicles, i.e., Albion 3-tonners. Since then motors have gradually displaced horses, and the company now owns a fleet of 65 machines.

The annual mileage is in the neighbourhood of 1,300,000. Regular daily meat collection and delivery services to all towns on the south coast from Hastings to Bournemouth are run. In addition, it has regular sontracts for the collection of fresh meat from slaughter-houses in various districts as far afield as Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Meat deliveries commence from the market as early as 6 a.m., and intuit is available for sale in the retail shops by the time they are open. • In addition, there are regular collections over a wide area in the West country, and for this Albion 6-ton insulated vans are used. These machines make three journeys each week as far as Devonshire.

At present the company has a large number of the forward-control design, and these machines have a turning circle of 40 44 ft., whilst giving big body spaces, and for rnanceuvring in the congested streets around Smithfield Market they have been found ideal. The company's fleet consists of 30-cwt., 2-ton, 2-ton, 4-ton, 5-ton and 6-ton Albions, three R.A.F. Leylands, and a few light Morris and Bedford vehicles.

At Birnatn Road there is a large garage with well-eouipped workshops, where complete overhauls are carried out in addition, the company builds its own insulated bodies. Recently it has been using the Alfol system of iusulation, which has proved satisfactory and, incidentally, gives a saving of 10-12 cwt. in body weight. Up-to-date spraying and washing plants are installed, and all bodies are thoroughly cleansed daily.

The Economical Transport of Coal by SentinelTractor.

THE problem of conveying coal to the mill or factory froth the railway siding is of such general importance that the accompanying picture of • a steam tractor and tipping trailers which the Sentinel Waggon Works, Ltd., Shrewsbury, has recently• delivered to the Buckton Vale -Print Works of the Calico Printers Association is of outstanding interest.

'The Sentinel tractor is of the singlegeared-.type mounted on giant pneumatics and capable of a fine turn of speed with one trailer, whilst at the lower speeds it is capable of hauling two trailers loaded with a total of 12 tons, on a fairly stiff gradient.

On a mile-and-a-half haul this combination is able to deal with 120 tons per day with two trailers, although it may be necessary, as in this case, in order to avoid terminal and other delays, to have three Sentinel trailers in operation.

At the 'Buckton Vale Print Works the whole operation can be carried through without the necessity of any man-handling of the trailers, with the possible exception of pulling the trailer drawbar into correct position when coupling up to the tractor.

The trailers are designed to tip only to one side, so that the working parts are reduced to a minimum and the body can be more rigidly constructed. The tipping •is effected by hydraulic .power from the tractor generated by a special injector which forces water through a flexible metallic pipe to actuate the ram In the hydraulic cylinder built into the trailer chassis.

The actual operation of discharging the load, from the time of arrival to the departure of the empty trailers, can be carried out in three minutes. In the case under consideration the trailers are mounted on solid tyres as they run on a private road throughout the trip.

Carrying Cardboard by A.E.C.s.

FOR the distribution of its Fiberite Packing, Essex Board, and dozens of different kinds of cardboard, the Thames Board Mills, Ltd., employs two operators of A.E.C. vehicles—Samuel Rogers (incorporating the Rapid Transport Co.), Barking, Essex, and Mr. George White, Grays, Essex.

The former has, at its Barking premises, a warehouse with a 'capacity of 3,000 tons for the storage and distribu tion of Thames Board Mills products.' Four A.E.C. Mammoth vehicles are in regular commiwion, also being em'played in the transport of newsprint for Associated Newspapers, Ltd. The cardboard contract has been retained for upwards of five years, and that for newsprint for 10 years. Altogether, the A.E.C. lorries travel 150,004 miles per year between the Thames Board Mills at Purfleet and the warehouse at Bark

ing. In the case of the. newsprint contract, they assist in transporting sonic 750 miles. of paper daily.

George White controls his fleet virtually single-handed. • Beginning after the war with one vehicle for carrying meat from London to retail butchers' shops in the Grays and Tilbury area, he has gradually expanded with A.E.C.

vehicles. His latest purchase is a Majestic oil-engined 6-tonner.

Cardboard transport necessitates several runs daily throughout the year between Purfleet and London. Other runs are made between the metropolitan area and the Southend-on-Sea district, for W. H. Nathan and Co., Ltd., and Peter Keevil and Sons, Ltd.

A Haulier's Satisfaction from Bedfords.

IT was in 1919 that Mr. C. A. Steeples, of Birmingham, commenced in the haulage business, his original purchase being a 1-tormer, his first work being the transport of a ton a week to London. From the outset he worked the Birmingham-London route, and

tradfially built up a fleet, until a year or so ago he had eight 5-tonners. It was then apparent to Mr. Steeples that the industry was undergoing a drastic change,. and that the modern lighter type si of vehicle were likely to be a serions competitor to the heavier products.

After much thought, and realizing that he could not lag behind the times. . be disposed of his 5-tanners and re-placed them with 2-tonners. He tells us that the change was not a success and, in a year of running, he finished up all square—with neither profit nor loss. Whatever profit was made on haulage work was, he adds, swallowed up by the cost of repairs.

He was thus led to make another experiment by purchasing a Bedford • vehicle, and he was so satisfied with its performance that ha bought another, and, before long, had built up a fleet of a dozen machines.

It is 16 months since Mr. Steeples purchased his first Bedford, which has now done 70,000 miles. The other nine 2-tanners have all run between 40,000 and 50,000 miles; a :10-cwt. van and a light delivery vehicle are also included in the fleet." Mr. Steeples has some valuable contracts and, thanks to the good service obtained from the Bedfords, his operations are expanding.

liolcans on Cattle and Milk Transport.

lurESSRS.. A. POWELL AND SON, 2_11_Lhatilage contractors, Brack, near Preston, are operators of Vulcan vehicles, having two years ago purchased a 30-35-cwt. cattle truck of this make.This vehicle collects cattle from outlying farms and often has to traverse bad roads, which have shown the Vulcan to be .a sturdy • product.

The mileage covered to date is 57,000, and the excellent performance of the vehicle induced Messrs. Powell and Son to purchase, in November last, another Vulcan. Requiring a larger machine, they decided upon the 45-cwt. forward

control-type. This lorry is daily engaged on the conveyance of milk to Manchester. It sets out each morning at about 7 to collect milk at various farms in the. district, and then proceeds to its destination and returns with substant;a1 loads of general goods. The weekly dist.atice averages 700 miles, and the total mileage up to the present is nearly 18,000.

The firm are particularly pleased with the economical -petrol and oil consumptions, and their enthusiasm for Vulcan vehicles is. due to the reliability, low running costs and the sound service facilities of the manufacturer.

D50

Artnitrong-Saurer Oilers on Long-distance Work.

AMONC4 the first long-distance general haulage centfactors iii London to realize the advantages of oilengined vehicles -was Redburn's Transport, Ltd., Enfield Highway, Middlesex. It is now 18 months since this company acquired its first Artristrong-Saurers, and its fleet has now grown to :32 vehicles. Of this number 10 are of the Dauntless type for use with trailers, whilst there are four Dominant six wheelers. The majority of the remainder are nil-engined conversions.

The company's garage and headquarters are situated at Green Street, in Enfield Highway, and are well equipped with modern plant. There is a travelling -gantry capable of lifting 20 tons, a useful asset where loaded

trailer attachments have to be changed. The company.'s city office is at Tower House, 40, Trinity Square, E.C.3.

The company's vehicles are engaged on .general haulage, regular services being maintained between London, Liverpool and Manchester, London and the Midlands, and London, the Tyne and Tees-side, apart from other towns and districts when the need arises. Ihe schedule of services is closely adhered to, so that deliveries can be guaranteed even of comparatively small quantities of goods.

Provincial offices have been set up at Birmingham and Warrington, among other places, and from these centres. contracts for the haulage of goods from the Midlands and Northern districts to London are negotiated.

So far as maintenance is concerned, the fleet is efficiently serviced by a staff of skilled mechanics who work in shifts. incidentally, the engine oil is changed every 1,000 miles. Strict attention is given to tyres and no vehicle leaves the garage without pressures being tested. Not only is it concerned with its o-wii and outside maintenance work, but same creditable constructional work and conversions have been carried out on the company's premises.

A number of vehicles is allotted definitely to the job of collections in London, with a view to centralizing the loads and their destinations at head quarters. Here, every day, the loads are transferred to the vehicles serving definite routes and destinations. It is estimated that during the course of a week goods to the extent of 2,000 tons are carried on these long-distance services.

The activities of Redburn's Transport, Ltd., spread in a good many other directions. The company has a fleet of 2,500-gallon tankers and special, machines for the haulage of heavy machinery, indivisible loads and cables.

A Ford Fleet for Selling and Servicing Cash Registers.

AN excellent example of the value of modern motor vehicles to a concern selling a specialized product, which, in most cases, has to be delivered direct to the buyer and subsequently serviced, is provided by the experiences of the National Cash Register Co. The road motor enters, at most stages, into the operations of this successful company, from the preliminary demonstration to interested " prospects " to facilitating the work of the service department when the machine is in use.

A fleet of six Ford light delivery vans is maintained at the London headquarters in Tottenham Court Road, whilst fleets of similar vehicles are. also . provided at each provincial centre. A . demonstration van, having the Ford :30-cwt. chassis 115 a basis, also is employed.

Retailers and other users in inaccessible distrikA,s are reached with the

demonstration vehicle. It is fitted out as a mobile showroom, carrying a representative selection of machines of all types. This van has proved highly successful in promoting sales. It has been in constant use for over two years, and has covered more than 40,000 miles without experiencing serious mechanical trouble. It operates over all kinds of roads, and often in districts well off the beaten track.

With the aid of the vans, operating from London headquarters and provincial depots, practically all parts of the country are covered by the company's delivery and service organization. The delivery units also prove highly valuable for use by the sales force when the services of the larger demoastration vans are not required. Not the least of the advantages of smart vans to a business of this character is their advertising value. The vans have standard bodies and are fitted with roller shutters instead of folding doors at the rear, so as to facilitate loading and unloading. This type of vehicle is used because its speed and capacity are right for Most of the

demonstrating, delivery and service work. 'Naturally, reliability is another big factor, and the company exhaustively tested its London fleet before equipping the provincial depots with similar vehicles.

The smart appearance of thevehicles, which appeals to the progressive class of business houses forming the bulk of the company's customers, is considered an asset, whilst the fully enclosed driver's cab is a substntitial advantage when the vans are used by the sales force.

Commers Giving Good Allround Service.'

TN March, 1932, T. S. Townshend and 1_ Sons, Ltd., Albion Flour Mills, Worcester. purchased a G6 Commer, which, in its first eight months' running, covered over 20,000 miles ; it averages, on the basis of a five-day week, 125 miles per day. The vehicle carries 13 tons per day and its fuel consumption has proved to average a gallon for every 7 miles, whilst the return for oil has worked out at 1,200

The Compeer Centaur lorry .operated by Mr. F. G. DaVie, a general carrier, of Leicester, was decarbonized and tuned up in November last, after running.30,500 miles since it was purchased in May, 1932. It has DOW covered about 40,000 miles with the minimum trouble, and has maintained a regular daily service between Leicester and London. The average fuel consumption is equivalent to 16.5 m.p.g. The satis

faction obtained from this Commer has resulted in the purchase of another machine of the same make.

Laths on Difficult Forestry Operations.

TT1HE TIMBER AND GENERAL 1. HAULAGE CO., 5, Lower Marsh, London, S.E.1, commenced business two years ago with one machine for the haulage of home-grown timber. Mr. Brown, the manager, has been interested' in the timber business all his life. He was attracted to the haulage side, and no doubt his personal knowledge and acquaintance with the English timber merchant has contributed to the coraPanY's rapid development.

The concern now possesses six' complete timber-haulage outfits, and experiences no difficulty in getting work at reasonable rates. Its services have been appreciated by the home-grown timber trade, by reason of the facilities given. Latil forestry outfits are used exclusively, being, in Mr. Brown's opinion, the most suitable outfit to tackle timber haulage in all its difficult circumstances. In the case of a recent task, a tree weighing over 10 tons had to be transported from a field to the mill of Messrs. W. and J. Hutchinson of Mansfield, Notts, who congratulated the company on the fact that the tree was removed front its place in the meadow expeditiously and with a minimum of damage.


comments powered by Disqus