RUNNING, UPKEEP AND OVERHAUL
Page 73
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Interesting Contributions from Maintenance Engineers, Drivers and Mechanics.
Raising Bogged Vehicles.
FRON( New South Wales we have received some tips relating to raising vehicles that have sunk into soft ground. The writer, " F.M.," of Waverley, N.S.W., refers to some tips on the subject, which appeared in our issue of October 23rd, by "O.F.F.P.," and suggests that the following might be of value to those who have to drive vehicles in places such as building sites where, after standing for a time, a driver may find the wheels embedded so deeply that he is unable to drive away ; this is particularly the case with tipping wagons, as the act of tipping throws extra weight on the rear wheels.
The suggestion he gives us with regard to the use a the tipping gear for the purpose of raising a vehicle is not entirely new, as we have published one like it before, but as it is such a useful plan and so easily put into practice we feel that it will bear repeating.
His drawings make the suggestion so clear that little in the way of description is neceSsary, as all that is needed is to place seine substantial packing under the tail of the body, then set the tipping gear in action, and place some bricks under the wheels when raised.
There is one thing that " and the previons correspondent have forgotten to mention, and that is that the axle must be lashed to the frame by means of rope or chain, otherwise all that will happen is that the top leaf of the springs will he badly strained, as all the weight will be taken by that leaf alone.
The second suggestion made by " F.M." is also a very practical one, and is shown plainly in his sketch, where a stout plank is put near to the .sunken wheel and a chain is secured to the wheel and to the farthest end of the plank. When the wheel revolves it will partly draw the plank under the wheel and partly tend to climb up the Plank.
It is our usual practice to re-draw the sketches sent in by correspondents, but in this instance the sketches sent in are so well exseuted that we publish them exactlyas they arrived.
For Users of 'ripping Vehicles.
THOSE who have had to do with
tipping bodies of the kind where a long vertical screw is employed have noticed that, owing to the great unsupported length of the screw when the body is in the "down 2 position, there is often considerable vibration at its upper end when travelling over rough ground. This is, in some cases, sufficient to cause the screw to hit and damage the back of the cab.
A correspondent, ".T.B.," of Featherstone, Yorks, who presumably drives a lorry of this class, offers a -suggestion that might reasonably be S expected to remedy the trouble. His plan is to fit a spring clip to the cabinto which the screw slides when upright.
A bolt can be fitted either to clamp the screw or to regulate the amount of spring of the clip. A plain spring clip would be preferable to one that might be tightened manually and , forgotten, as this might result in the beEldiiig of the screw. To Stop Fan-belt Slip.
ONE of our correspondents, who is
not an engineer, sends us the following suggestion, which he has not yet tried out. It recalls to our memory another tip which we know will prevent a fan belt from slipping and cause it to keep to the centre of its pulley. Our
correspondent, " of Wolverhamp ton, has noticed that many fan belts have a way of running from side to side of the smaller pulley, so he suggests that if some Fin. wide insulation tape be pressed on to the centre of the belt for its whole length it may stop the wobble, also the slipping. We doubt whether this will cause the belt to keep to the centre of the pulley, but we know that if e. few tarns of. such tape be wound around the centre of the pulley theywill make the belt keep to the centre, and, at the stone time, reduce the slipping.
Belt wobble is usually caused by an insufficient crown on the pulley, which is of more value than flanges, as a belt is always inclined to keep to the largest part of a pulley Unless it starts to slip ; then, of course, the flanges are of value, but not until then.
Why not Windscreen Wipers on Commercials?
IN the early days of the commercial
vehicle the driver was thought to be invulnerable to cold or wet, many of the earlier vehicles having no protection whatever for the driver. It has. however, been gradually recognized that he is a human being and, like others of his species, subject to cold and other ailments if exposed too much to the weather, so he is now provided with a cab and windscreen, but efforts for his comfort stop there, so that often he Las no windscreen wiper.
The result of this is that when he wants protecting most, on a rainy night, he has to abandon the protection offered him by his windscreen by opening it so that he can see where he is driving.
A correspondent, " A.W.," of Dewsbury, calls attention to the fact that windscreen wipers are just as necessary on commercial vehicles as on private cars, and even goes so far as to suggest that, like mirrors, wipers should be made compulsory. He tells us that, so necessary is this accessory to a driver, he has known some to buy and fit wipers themselves. A simple handoperated type would be better than no wiper at all.