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MODERN EQUIPMENT'
Page 136
Page 137
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for efficient maintenance
A Review of Some of the Items of Equipment that Enable the Proposals Regarding the Fitness of Goods Vehicles to be Observed
TUE proposals contained in the new Road and Rail Traffic Bill concerning the fitness of goods vehicles lay added emphasis on the need for efficient maintenance methods, and it is timely that we should outline various appliances that are available for
the attainment of that end. • Braking efficiency is a point likely to receive close attention by the official inspectors, and it is desirable that operators of fleets of reasonable size should possess means for ascertaining the standard of the brakes. Smaller concerns can, of course. have. the tests made at a service station.
Some types of brake tester are portable and occupy little space when not in use. Like the larger "drive-on " models, -they enable readings of the efficiency of four-wheel brakes to be obtained simultaneously on suitable dials. The vehicle rests upon rollers or steel platforms, the road wheels being revolved against the resistance of the brakes. The operation can quickly he completed, in some cases in as short a period as two minutes.
Should this test show the refacing of the brakes to be necessary, there are several makes of appliance designed to minimize the time and labour involved in this operation.There are machines obtainable which are capable of dealing with every process in removing existing brake and clutch facings and fitting new
DO2
ones. Brake shoes can he ground to a definite radius, so as to ensure a perfect fit in the.. drum. This type of machine cuts off The .head of the old rivet and extracts it, drills the facing, countersinks the holes to a . predetermined
depth, grinds the facings, etc.
There are smaller tools available for carrying out such onerations as • the drilling and riveting of facings, and other devices that assist in the speeding up of the operations of refacing brakes and clutches. •
Then there is another item of test'ing equipment winch, although 'somewhat expensive, would, no doubt, pay for itself within a reasonable period in the hands of a big fleet owner: This appliance . indicates -directly, .without calculation, the b.h.p. delivered to the rear axle, the road speed in m.p-.h., the percentage efficiency of each brake and the petrol consumption at the rate of m.p.g. as well as providing the equivalent of an indoor test hill. Different types are available for use in connection with six-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles.
:Correct wheel and castor alignment is another essential feature, of vehicle safety and of economy of operation, and it may be recorded that there are several manufacturers in a .position to supply efficient, inexpensive equipment for this Put-Pose.
Adequate lubrication is another point ' that merits emphasis, and, with the aid of modern power appliances, this opera• tion can quickly and cleanly be effected. Seriously choked nipples may readily be cleared, for, in some cases, the lubricant is delivered at as great a pressure as 6,000 lb. per sq, in, whilst the use of several guns simultaneously reduces the time necessary for greasing. The appliances can accommodate a considerable quantity of grease, so that a number of , machines can be dealt with without delay. In some instances, theapparatus may be carried on the oneratire's back.
A similar type of equipment is the washing plant, which may be operated by compressed air or by electricity, delivering water at pressures up to about 380 lb. per sq. in. from as many as six guns simultaneously. The stream of Liquid can be varied from almost a mist to a cascade, so that a variety of conditions is met.
The spraying of paints, lacquers, varnishes, fillers, cellulose, etc., is now extensively practised with excellent results, power being supplied by air compressors or by electricity. Spray painting enables a fiat surface to be obtained and Is speedier than the brush method, whilst the amount of power consumed in the operation of the gun is low.
Compressors for supplying air to lubrication equipment, vehicle-washing plant,paint -sprayers and other garage appliances, are marketed by numerous concerns, the names of the best known of these and other manufacturers appearing in a list at the end of this article.
Turning' now to engine maintenance, boring, grinding and honing machines are available in several varieties. The latest type of boring bar has been designed to overcome certain difficulties experienced, in the past, with this class of equipment, these being the need for keeping the cutter-bead blades trued up and of accurate length, and the slight tendency for the bar to whip when the actual cutter is working at the bottom of the cylinder.
Grinders are available that will work on components varying in diameter by 24 ins, or more, giving a fine finish in at minimum of time. Stroking stands for use with grinders are obtainable separately, incorporating automatic oil feeds and giving perfect control of the grinders.
According to modern ideas, the most accurate finish obtainable in a cylinder is afforded by honing, which may be effected to extremely fine limits, by means of several makes of efficient, labour-saving equipment.
The alternative to the grinding of cylinders and the fitting of oversize pistons is the provision of cylinder • liner's, by one of the well-known specialists, the parries of which appear later in this articfe. Cylinder liners are being used to an increased extent, most of them being made of hardened alloys which take a high polish and possess
, great resistance to wear.
Although• either the fitting. of oversize pistons or of liners may effect a considerable improvement in oil consumption and performance, it is often Cu advantage to employ special oil-sealing, rings. On the other hand, some engineers regard this class of equipment as justifiable only when the oil consumption appears to be excessive. While writing of engine lubrication, we may point to the several excellent oil-refining plants on the market. There is a patent ele,Aric oil cleaner available that is capable of dealing with prac; tically any type of oil, the material being washed with warm water containing a special chemical substance, which IS not soluble in oil. It has'been show» that material economies in expenditure on oil can be achieved by the reclaiming process.
The maintenance department for commercial-vehicles is incomplete Without a powerful hoist, either Of the type that raises the whole machine to a convenient working height, oi• one that lifts part of the motor: With the former model, mechanics are afforded ready access to the under parts of the vehicle, which, is supported on platforms mounted on a central ram, or, in case of the largest hoists, on two pillars.
Battery chargers are of particular • value where vehicles are used on nightly trunk services, calling for the use of the headlamps for many hours, and, consequently, imposing a heavy load upon the batteries.
We will conclude with a note upon the subject of tyre maintenance. Ppenmatic tyres are expensive items and merit the greatest, care in their upkeep. Equipment for this class of work includes a "dolly." to facilitate the removal and transport of the wheel, a' spreader to hold the tyre cover open ft%r inspection or repair, vulcanizing and retreading plant, an inflation pump, either foot or power-operated, and a pressure gauge.
Below we give a list of some of the best-known suppliers of the equipment
referred to in this article. It should be mentioned that the large factors carry complete stocks of practically every make of garage equipment.'