WEIGHING VEHICLES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18626, 26 February 1926, Page 10

WEIGHING VEHICLES.

IMPROVED BRIDGES NEEDED,

Mo*t of the products of the Bominir.r as well as our imports, are weighedVt some period over weighbridges: therefore, information about these large weighing 'instruments is of interest not onlv to engineering authorities, but also to "ever-/ 'business man. Most of the --ci"Hbndges in use in the Dominion were designed and installed long before meter traction was invented, and it is not generally realised that these old weighbridges, originally designed for weighing horse vehicles, with an evenlydistributed load, are quite unsuitable for motor lorry traffic. The majorityare too short "to accommodate motor lorries, and a genera!, but quite erroneous, idea has sprung up that it is possible' to weigh such vehicles accurately iiv the expedient of weighing the front wheels and then weighing the rear wheels and accepting the added weightiiipiits as correct. The matter of ascertaining the weight of long vehicles by front and rear wheel weighings was under discussion some years ago in England, and was thoroughly investigated by the Incorporated .Society of inspectors of Weights and Measures and full reports appeared in the Society's journal, the "Monthly Review." The general opinion was that double weighings were unsatisfactory and unreliable. The errors in the resultant weighmerits were attributable to two reasons: (a) The displacement of the point of contact between, the axles and bear-

JIIJS. '(b) The difference in level between the weighbridge platform and the surrounding ground. The subject was mathematically investigated,' and the figures are very illnminating. The amount of error due to the slip in axle bearings on a motor lorry 12ft wheel base and 10 tons gross weight amounted to no less than 741b. The errors due to the difference in level on a motor lorry lift wheel base and 10 tons gross weight were:— Difference in Level. Errors amounting to lin 1061b Sin 2171b Sin 3231b 4in 4321b Sin 5771b According to the height of centre of gravity above axle line. A number of actual testa made with a' test load on various weighbridges, with a view to ascertaining whetherit were possible to arrive at some definite allowance for errors, showed such great discrepancies in the resultant wcighments that it was deemed impossible to arrive at any formula which could be accepted.

OIL AND PETROL. With the ever-increasing popularity of the motor-car, large sums are being expended every year by motorists for supplies of lubricating oil and petrol. Over 50 per cent, of the troubles in the present-day ear can be traced directly to inefficient lubrication, and it is held that the car-owner should have every protection when purchasing supplies. Sometimes a purchaser demands a high-grade lubricant of a well-known brand and grade, which he knows is correct for his engine, and is supplied with a poor-qustlity oil at a high price, after being led to believe by some unscrupulous dealer that he is getting what he asked for. Sometimes a purchaser is at fault by simply asking for "A," "BB," etc". That is not sufficient, as these are merely letters used to designate the various 'grades. The purchaser should make a practice of specifying the brand and grade he requires, and he has every right to be supplied with it. If he is supplied with something else without a proper explanation, that is substitution, and the deception is misrepresentation. JRecently, this matter was the subject of a conference of the Commonwealth Association of Automobile Organisations, and it was decided: — (1) "That tho attention of the authorities be directed to tho practice of certain vendors supplying low-grade petrol and oil as first grade, and that for the protection of motorists, action be taken under the Weights and Measures Act and Sales of Goods Act in each State." (2) "That it- is desirable and essential that the brand of the petrol and oil be displayed on the pumps." This is undoubtedly a move in the right direction. A similar arrangement in New Zealand would ensure a fair deal and bo a boon and a blessing to the motorist.