MOTORDOM

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1930, Page 4

MOTORDOM

NEWS OF THE ROAD

(By

“Gearbox”)

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE. 1 A WIDE FIELD. 3 The average man when he speaks I or hears of automobiles generally has | in mind a passenger car. Unless he J is a user of trucks, he thinks of commercial vehicles with slight interest. Of course, trucks number only about one-sixth of the approximately 685,000 motor vehicles operated in Australia, but their work, importance and, value to the community are of a decidedly ; greater proportion than 16 per cent. ; of the whole. In the early days of r motoring, passenger vehicles were I frankly pleasure cars; they were bought and sold as such, and not as ■ transportation as they are now. Trucks on the other hand, had to stand—or move—squarely on the basis of utility. They were and are expected to be practical, dependable and always economical. Although the dawn of truck history lies about 20 years behind us, it is almost certain that no truck of 1909 vintage could be found today. If it could be compared with ' the 1930 truck built for the, same

purpose, the progress of the industry would be more strikingly shown than by a comparison of the earliest with the gradual . substitution of giant pneumatic tyres in place of the solid rubber tyres which were standard equipment in the early days. In Australia the growing popularity of the pneumatic tyre for commercial vehicles has developed almost as rapidly as in England, where all small powered trucks are pneumatic shod, whilst almost 100 per cent, of the 3 ton trucks are also equipped with these tyres. To be efficient a motor truck must meet very specific conditions of transportation or delivery. The carrying of milk is one problem; that of'coal another; furniture a third; timber a fourth and so on. Nor is the variety of operating conditions restricted to heavy goods; iceman, florist, grocer, and the draper

demand chassis and bodies that not only meet their actual technical rerequirements, but express the best spirit of their business. Coal and building material in bulk call for use of trucks equipped with dumping bodies, while fragile goods require a smooth shock-absorbing construction comparable to the best used in passenger cars. Tank bodies are necessary for petrol and oil transportation. The delivery trucks used by retail stores in many lines perform a double function. They act not only as vehicles for carrying goods rapidly and economically to a large number of customers on each trip, but are outdoor advertising mediums for their owners. Dealing in wearing apparel, flowers, soft drinks and a vast number of varied products have come to understand that, the pleasing and impressive appearance of their delivery equipment creates a feeling of confidence in their goods wherever such trucks are seen. This principle is being recognised and utilised increasingly in everj r line of business. For the transportation of very small loads at high speeds, especially where

traffic conditions are difficult, the motor cycle with a side-car- compartment attached holds favour amongst many retailers. Its loading space in many cases, may scarcely exceed that of a passenger car, but under certain circumstances the three-wheeled vehicle offers a decided advantage, particularly in economy of speedy and individualised deliveify. There is almost an endless variety of purposes and. requirements to be met in the commercial vehicle field. U.S.A.’S BOWSERS. It is computed that over £200,000,000 is invested in petrol service stations in U.S.A.- —the total number of stations being 320,000. Most of this capital belongs to the various oil and petrol corporations. The number of bowser petrol pumps in operation in that country is officially given as

610,000, or a petrol pump to every 43 automobiles on the road, and the average quantity of petrol used per annum per vehicle is 472 gallons, which represents an annual output per bowser of 20,449 gallons a year; or only 393 gallons a week. On this basis it is little wonder that, much of the capita] invested in petrol sta-tions-in America is earning no profit, and many of the stations are being closed up. There are so many of them that if their , roads were arranged end to end in one long road, stations would be found just a trifle over a. mile apart. In view of the large increase in the number of bowser pumps in Australia during the past year or two, it would appear that considering the comparative small number of automobiles on our roads, that the average annual output per petrol pump must be far less than in America. Based on 240,090,000 gallons of petrol being used by automobiles in the Commonwealth during 1930, the average quantity of petrol used by each motorist will be approximately 350 gallons a year, as against

giant vehicle. for oilfields. . In those days when many impoi ■ tant British'commercial vehicle manu > facturers are paying inci easing at tention to the eultivcition of tiade ii overseas countries, it is at all time: of considerable interest to receive de tails of machines which have been built to undertake unusual duties—duties which have no counterpart ir highly commercialised countries, says “The Commercial Motor” (London) Such a. vehicle was a few weeks age shipped io South America by Dennis Brothers, Ltd., of Guildford, and it is now in the service of the AngloEcuadorian Oilfields, Ltd. When prospecting new areas a. boring drill has to be transferred to the proposed site, in order to sink a. speculating shaft. The apparatus weighs three tons, and, as may well be imagined, the country to be traversed is often extremely difficult, as regards both, gradients and surface consistency. The chassis, which is a Dennis six- , , _ ___Y 11 - 14 4’4-

tonner, has a wheelbase of 14tt. 2m., and is shod with pneumatic tyres, 40 in. by Sin., singles at the front and twins at the rear; apart from giving the chassis and its load more vibrationless riding; this equipment is far more satisfactory than solids for assisting the vehicle to negotiate soft ground. A special power takeoff is arranged from the gear-box so as to actuate a winch situated immediately behind the driver’s cab. The reduction of more than 100 to 1 is effected by spur and worm gearing working - inside an oil-tight casing and running throughout on ball bearings. The winch is situated on the off side of the chassis, and has one bollard projecting outwards beyond the line of the cab and another disposed approximately in the centre of the machine, with the winding, drum between them. When viewed from the

near side the winch revolves in a clock-wise direction, five revolutions —the normal speed per minute —corresponding to about 14ft. of cable. The unit has been designed for a pull of some 7,0001 b. The body is a flat platform, 6ft. lOin. wide, running from immediately behind the winch to the end of the frame. It is provided with a low, hinged chock-rail, and is protected by a large number of stout steel nails, which are securely fixed to the floor, whilst at the rear is a substantial roher, made in three sections, which projects slightly above the level of the floor. A large window at the hack of the cab enables the driver easily to undertake reversing and to keep an eye on the working of the winch, AVhich is, of course, controlled from the driver’s cab. The entire cab, it may be mentioned, is constructed of hard-wood sections, consisting of roof, side-pieces, back seat and heel board, so that it can be dismantled and packed flat for shipment. The'oil-boring drill is mounted, for

working on a platform of approximately the same height as the body of the machine. When it has to be removed, the vehicle is backed up to the platform, and the which is employed to draw the load on board, the work being considerably eased. by the action of the roller. On occasions, it may happen that the body of the vehicle projects above the boring platform, owing to the lie of the land. In cases like this, holes are dug to lower the level of the back wheels to the required height, and the winch is again, .if necessary, brought into operation to help the chassis to extricate itself, the cable being fastened to some fixed object ahead and a turn or two taken around the off-side bollard. It is readily understood that equipment such as that described is likely to prove invaluable in rough conn-, try, as a haulage proposition of practically any kind can confidently be tackled.

PLEASANT TOURING. This is the age of speed—many motorists demand it. Speed limits on principal highways have been raised or removed altogether in some countries, but for the individual, the modern problem of speed is one, which each must decide for himself. Few will deny themselves the occasional thrill, but probably many will find that, life will be pleasanter if they make a. habit of more leisurely motion. The man who goes “all out” when touring misses a great deal of pleasure. The scenery through which you drive, and the fascinating life of the countryside; the opportunity of giving a. hand to the fellow-motorist; the hundred and one occasions of pleasure and happiness than speed for speed’s sake, mileage for the sake of mileage.

AVOIDING UNDUE STRESS. 'Whilst touring car speeds are on the increase, and cars travel quite fast in safety, the owner should not be unmindful of the best method of reducing speed at cross-roads on approaching bends and on other oc-i nasions, for a n enormous amount of I wear and liar can be avoided if tbcj necessary reductions in road speeds are effected by the aid of engine de-1 celeration alone, leaving the brakes! ;. c: p,. •!„.,» retarding effects; and for use m suoden m, urgencies.J.

Considered in the light of design and construction, it might be held that the braking system should be constructed in such a manner that no undue stresses should fall upon any part of the chassis or transmission, however violently the brakes may'be applied; but, as every practical experienced motorist knows, numerous examples of twisted axle-shafts, strained splines and badly worn universal-joints have been due to perpetually harsh treatment on the part of car drivers with regard to brake manipulation. Brake design has improved considerably in recent years, but occasionally one encounters examples of touring cars in which the actual adjustment of the brakes varies with the load carried

in the car, so that if the brakes are regulated to work properly with one or two passengers “up” they may be found to drag when the car is filled to capacity. A car possessing this defect is a source of anxiety, because if adjusted for full load operation the brakes may not come fully into action when the car is light and, on the other hand, additional stresses may be imposed upon the engine and transmission by dragging brakes when the car is fully loaded, should the adjustment be regulated for the maximum braking effect for light loads. TJiis may entail frequent adjustment of the brakes for varying loads; which, though inconvenient, is the only safe plan to follow with an imperfectly designed brake lay-out. EXACTING TESTS. Recently in Victoria, Essex t he Challenger was submitted to some very searching tests for roadability and came through with dying colours. Mr

A. 11. Cheetham left Wangaratta on February 7, at 6.28 a.m. and arrived in Melbourne at 11.10 a.m., covering the distance of 147 miles in four hours 42 minutes. The average speed maintained was 31.2 miles per hour. The petrol used was four gallons seven pints, an average of 30.1 miles per gallon. The highest speedometer registration was 55 miles per hour. This test, as were all others which followed, was carefully observed. Another test, was carried out by Mr J. Montgomery, with a passenger, who left. Hamilton and went to Melbourne via Ballarat—lB2 miles in 4 hours 24

minutes; average speed 41,2 miles per hour. Mr .J. Summers, with a passenger, left Bairnsdale and went to Melbourne via Sale—l76J miles in 4 hours; average speed 44.1 miles per hour. An Essex Roadster, driven by Mr E. Anthony, with a passenger, covered 196 miles from Horsham to Melbourne via Glenorchy in 4 hours 29 minutes, that is a distance of 196 miles at an average speed of 43.9 miles per hour. Mr R. Peachy, with a passenger, "travelled .155 miles from Echtica to Melbourne via Bendigo in 3 hours 44 minutes; average speed 11.5 miles per hour. A three-mile -tand Lest was conducted by Mr Noel Duckett, whom Essex, the Challenger pulled through 3 miles of continuous oosc sand between Rye and Sorrento Back Beach. Messrs S. W. Jenkin md A. B. James broke the MilduraMelhourne road record by 36 minutes,

covering the distance of 378 miles in 8 hours 32 minutes. The previous record was 9 hours 8 minutes. The average speed was 44.8 miles per hour. 199 miles of the road is loose sand. The Melbourne “Herald” conducted tests with Essex the Challenger, setting three new acceleration records and a new flying mile record. 1