A Clever Machine.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2953, 27 November 1900, Page 3

A Clever Machine.

A number of people, including the Mayor and most of the wheelwrights of Timaru, assembled at the factory of Grandi and Co. yesterday, to see the West’s tyre-setting machine put to work for the first time. The demonstration was quite successful,

and was most interesting- to witness. The machine consists of two parts, a circular bed on which the wheel is laid, surrounded 'by hydraulic rams which squeeze in the tyres, and a three-throw pump which forces the liquid (lubricating oil) into the jams, the pumps being driven by the gas engine which supplies power for the factory generally. The machine “ sets up” or shortens tires by squeezing, them inwards, when cold, and its operation is simply marvellous at first sight. First a coach wheel with slack tyre was put on the bed, the pumps set going, and

in a trice the tire was tight, the job done, when it seemed that the machine was but getting ready to act. Several old wheels had their tires set up, and then a couple

of heavy dray wheels had the tires put on. They were first put on slack, as the wheels •ware not quite true, the felloes were rammed into their proper places, the wheel re placed on the bed, the rams set to work, and in a few seconds the woodwork was creaking with the compression put upon it, and the tire was immovable. Mr Gramli informs us that an expert can set up two tyres per minute. This tyre-setter is one of the most effective machines imaginable. It has fittings to make it suit any size of Trttj-d wheel, and the compression can fee adjusted' to a nicety. It is so powerful that it could crunch up a heavy dray ’wheel into ruins. The party adjourned to the Melville Hotel after the demonstration, and the Mayor proposed the toast “Success to the Firm .of Grandi and Co.” Mr Grandi gave some interesting information about the machine. It cost a. large j,um of money, but it will be the only one supplied to South Canterbury, and he will fee able to set up tyres for all the wheelwrightß in the district. Some of them feave been sending wfeeels to Christchurch to be lyred, because the machine makes a •much better job of it than the old way -of rewelding, heating and shrinking on. It will make the tyre-maker’s work much easier, as it does not signify if the tyre is made very slack, or that it is not circular. 'The first thing the machine does is to •squeeze out any defect of form; the next ito jam it in on the felloes. It was remarked that the machine will be of immense advantage to farmers and carters ■who find their tyres slack, as they can feave them tightened in ns few minutes as the old plan took hours. It- is a very clever machine, and Grandi and Co. are to be praised for their enterprise m obtaining one.