ANY COMPLAINTS P
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PART 1
By P. A. C. BROCKINGTON, A.M.I.Mech.E OPERATORS usually hold firm views about the good and bad points of commercial vehicles, though they are not always ready to put them on record. When they are, their opinions--based on practical experience—carry some weight. And who could be better fitted to express views on what they consider to be the design faults of standard types of goods vehicles than members of the West Midlands Maintenance Advisory Committee? In this, the first two articles on the subject, four leading member operators in the Birmingham and Coventry areas, and two drivers, specify some shortcomings and make constructive suggestions.
Thirty vehicles of mixed capacities and types comprise the vehicle fleet of A. Neely Ltd., Bordesley Green, the majority being 3-, 4and 5-ton vans. The remainder includes a 20-ton artic, six 7-ton and 8-ton drop-sided lorries, and three 30-cwt. vans, and the traffic is equally mixed, with a preponderance of contract work mainly eonsisting of trunking runs to London Airport. It also includes an associated collection-and-delivery service, some parcels and meat traffic and runs to London docks.
According to Mr. A. C. W. Neely the reliability and life of accessories compare very unfavourably with those of the major components of vehicles, such as
the engine and gearbox. Mr. Neely considers that a forward-control vehicle in the 5-ton category could be produced that offered the easy entry of a normal-control vehicle whilst retaining its inherently good manceuvrability. He would welcome the availability of an automatic gearbox at a " reasonable" price (because it would limit peak epen, and reduce transmission shock) given that power loss and its unfavourable effect on fuel consumption could be eliminated. The use of more powerful engines is generally recommended in the interests of consumption as well as long life.
Mr. Neely would prefer a five-speed, overdrive gearbox in place of a four-speed box and two-speed axle if it were not for the difficulty and time lag of changing from crawler gear to second gear, which encourages the driver to slip the clutch in second gear for starting and to neglect bottom gear entirely. He points out that the time lag when changing from fourth gear to overdrive would be acceptable and advocates re-arrangement of gear positions accordingly.
In agreement with other operators, Mr. Neely emphasizes that a high top gear is necessary to give low engine r.p.m. and reduced wear and tear on the motorway. but that this advantage could be offset by continuous speeding at around 60 m.p.h. A solution to the problem could be provided, he observes, by the fitting of a top-gear governor that limited maximum speed to, say, 45 m.p.h. but did not limit engine ep.m. in the lower gears, or, therefore, the acceleration and hill-climbing potential of the vehicle.
In general, Mr. Neely believes commercial vehicles lag behini cars in the provision of features that reduce or eliminate th, necessity for routine greasing and oiling.
A reliable type of self-adjusting brake could be produced he considers, and also an improved type of adjusting mechanisn that was not corroded by winter salt. Handbrakes are describe( by Mr. Neely as "very bad" and he advocates a dual. system one of which would be power-assisted. It is deplorable, in hi view, that hydraulic-brake systems are not fitted with a fluid level gauge; alternatively, the master cylinder reservoir shoul( be made of plastics to facilitate checking of the fluid level (an( to discourage finger dipping) and should be mounted in at accessible place where it can be easily seen.
Mr. Neely points to the danger of mounting an instrumen where it cannot be read by the driver without taking his eye off the road and advocates the use of large warning lights it conjunction with coloured instrument dials that indicat, " normal ' and "critical," readings. He would welcome at instrument panel in the form of a detachable binnacle and point to the difficulties created by double-skin panelling in the repai of conventionally-mounted instruments. Better accommodatiot for tools, documents and so on, would be regarded as a goo( selling point, and it is considered that a fog light should hi offered as an optional extra, the difficulty of fitting a fog ugh to a flat-fronted vehicle being of related interest.
All the Neely vans are of coachbuilt construction produce( by a local bodybuilder to the specification of the operators The cost of the bodies is a little higher than the cost of makers bodies, hut their use obviates the rusting troubles that an normal in makers' pressed-steel bodies after two or three years and they are easier to repair. Rubber mudguards are employe( and Mr. Neely wonders why more rubber and plastics materia1. are not used in standard bodies.
Mr. T. W. Baker is in charge of the maintenance of the 39 vehicle fleet of T. Raker and Sorts (Transport) Ltd., Dudley Worcs. (his brother, Mr. F. W. Baker is a member of the Main tenance Advisory Committee) and his chief concern is the con sistently reliable operation of arties and rigids on countrywich meral traffic which includes trunking runs to London, mainly trrying parts for the motor industry. The fleet comprises 12id 16-ton articulated outfits, 7-,8and 9-ton lorries and 5-ton ins.
In common with all the operators interviewed, Mr. Baker is try critical of electrical units, notably starters and generators, hich he cites as an example of putting a quart into a pint pot. :)th types of unit frequently fail after two months. whereas e axial-type starters and larger generators that were fitted to tgines some years ago ran reliably for more than 12 months. Because of frequent fan belt failure, a spare belt is carried all trunking drivers. The difficulty of replacing a belt, and e time required, exacerbate the inconvenience of failure. In r. Baker's view the relatively low capacity of modern radiators nders them too susceptible to blockage. He would favour the e of a thermostatically-controrlzd fan, but has doubts regardg the extra complication-they present. A road-speed responsive ivernor would he welcomed for motorway use.
ab Fittings Cab fittings that Mr. Baker criticizes include grouped instruents. whiCh he considers should be located separately to cilitate .observation and easy replacement. Oil-pressure arniniz lights have been replaced by larger, mtire powerful ;hts of the type normally used in the flasher circuit which nnot be ignored by the driver. Mr. Baker would like to
e a more adequate warning light in the generator circuit and 1 lights placed in a prominent position adjacent to the gauges. A little more metal at the pipe joints of silencers and strap owning in place of bracket mounting would, Mr. Baker conlers, give. a valuable increase in useful life. Corrosion of 'draulic brake pipes has been experienced in wintry weather, spite regular cleaning With a steam jenny, and improved rrosion resistance would be welcomed.
Representing a variation on a common theme, Mr. Baker ks how much longer operators will have to put up with .ndhrakes, designed as parking brakes, that are incapable in erase service conditions of providing the efficiency of 25 per nt demanded by M.o.T. examiners. Air brakes are a must r artics (to avoid application lag) but can be " vicious " when ▪ vehicle is lightly loaded, particularly application of the
mt brakes. On average, front-brake liners wear twice as ;t as rear liners. More stable braking is obtained with fourteel-in-line trailers compared with the solid-axle type. An proved suspension system would, it is considered, give better aking and t-educe tyre wear Dw e r Without Speed
Ten of the 20-vehicle fleet operated by V. J. Pike Ltd., Siskin -hie, Coventry, are eight-wheelers, equipped with bulk-grain dies, whilst the remainder comprise five 12-ton artics and an nal number of 6-7-ton platform lorries. Traffic varies from z long-distance collection of flour and fertilizer in the larger hicks from ports in the north, south, east and west of the untry. and distribution locally in smaller vehicles, to the rriage of cased tractors and castings, bagged grain and heavy uiprnent.
Mr. V. ,1, Pike also approves of "power without speed " d would welcome an m.p.h. governor limiting maximum zed to around 50 m.p.h. Disc brakes have got to come, Mr. Pike insists, their non-fade propertiesand ease of pad replacement being their most valuable assets. An extra vacuum unit is fitted to all the Pike vehicles with vacuum brakes (about 50. per cent) and brake efficiency has greatly benefited, particularlyin the case of one make. Moreover, the extra braking power provided has not increased wear on the facings or drums. Improved brakes should be fitted to artics, stresses Mr. Pike, but how, he asks, could-this be done? He does not believe there is any certain cure for jack-knifing. Mr. Pike prefers vacuum brakes to air brakes, partly because there are no pipes to fracture, and he
considers that direct-air-brake systems should be equipped with an auxiliary system as a safety measure.
Much less starter and generator trouble is experienced with the bigger Pike vehicles than with the smaller types. Wiring and junction boxes could be improved, Mr. Pike believes, and the non-availability at garages and makers' depots of replacement bulbs for new types of lighting equipment is severely criticized.
Transport and dispatch manager of Foseco (F.S.) Ltd., Tamworth, Staffs, Mr. A. H. Marks, is faced with the difficult job of co-ordinating the operation of 10 C-licensed 6-7-ton lorries, and two 15-cwt. vans (all of which are of the same make) with traffic contracted to hauliers. • Additives and chemicals for the iron and steel industries are dispatched jobbing founders in all parts of the country as. well as the largest steel makers, and company vehicles frequentlY undertake panic deliveries of urgently required consigiiments. UP to 50 drops may be made on a run.
As a means of obviating radiator freezing troubles, routine plumbing and starting difficulties, Mr. Marieswould welcome the development of air-cooled engines, despite ,their noisy operation. Printed-circuit instrument wiring would, he Crinsiders, be a boon to comthereial-vehicle operators and should be combined with individually-mounted, cOnveniently-placed instruments with improved warning-light Systems. • A lot of trouble has been experienced with starters and generators: starter failures generally being in the form' of bent spindles; in Mr. Maries' opinion, generators should be abbot four times their existing size and solenoids should be located in a shielded position to avoid winter corrosion by salt. The latter comment also applies to.the hydraulic slave cylinders of the clutch and the wheel brakes. Sharp bends in hydraulic brake lines to conform to chassis contours should be avoided. To give a better view of the kerb in wet weather, the left Windscreen
wiper should be mounted at the base of the screen.
The views of two Foseco drivers, Mr. J. Levick and Mr. W. Harvey, confirm many of the observations made at managerial or executive level; and it is pertinent that both drivers have had experience at the wheel of heavier vehicles. Their recom mendations include the fitting of road-speed governors to larger, more powerful vehicles, of cabs with space behind the driver to reduce the danger of a shifting load in an accident; of a heavy, flexible bumper under the tailboards of bigger vehicles (to take the shock of cars running into,the back); of a swivel ling, fully-adjustable seat; of full-view, long-range mirrors; at extended inflation connections for the inner rear tyres; of a more convenient gear-change-lever position: of additional rear lights that can be seen close-up as well as at a distance when the tailboard is down (holes in the tailboard normally conceal the lights from a short-distance viewer); of a standardized level for rear lights within a foot of a given datum: of an improved warning light for flasher indicators and the oil-pressure system; of a warning light to show non-operation of side and tail lights. Both drivers and a third driver, Mr. D. Nickells, are critical of full-forward-control vehicles because of the vulnerability of the cab occupants in the event of a head-on collision,