Opinions from Others.
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The Editor invites correi pondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one side of the paper only, and type-written by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and to responsibility for the views expressed is accepted.
'Grip" or "Band' Tires. .
The Editor, " TIIR COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
[882] Sir :—In reference to the correspondence which has been taking place on this subject, we should like to say that our experience is entirely in favour of grip tires, provided they are grooved like the De Nevers. When we say that our experience is in their favour, we speak of the effect of the tires upon the mechanism of the car. We have had some unsatisfactory grip tires, which have had but a very short life, but, seeing that some manufacturers are prepared to guarantee their grip tires for 10,000 miles, we are satisfied to have those tires which carry such a guarantee. The banded tire, we believe, wears longer, but, in its last stages of wear, you might just as welll, be running on steel tires, and this type of tire is, in our experience, very rough on the car's mechanism. Furthermore, we have had them come off the 'rims after: a few months' use, and one manufacturer of this type of tire, when our customers complained of their short life, calmly told them that their guarantee was for stationary vehicles only!
may add,.. on this tire question, that one of our custOmers is getting very excellent results with Lynton wheels, which, though much more expensive in first cost than either the grip or band tires, certainly have many 'paper" advantages. We are watching the behaviour of these very closely, and are at present feeling very strongly inclined to recommend them.—Yours faithfully,
STURMEY MOTORS, LTD.
Coventry.
Users' Experiences: Notes upon Another Two Weeks' Working.
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
18831 Sir :—Another week of worry and anxiety loth for myself and the boys; the elements, surely, are in league with the railway companies in trying to worry us to death.
We started the week with a white frost, xvhich caused us to waltz about the roads in a heart-breaking manner ; it then thawed and froze again, the road becoming a solid sheet of ice. One of the wagons turned completely round in descending a hill, iind had to continue running backwards to the bottom ; two more, after it severe struggle with the ice for 15 miles, ran into a dense fog, and did the remaining five miles in 3.1 hours, having to stay out all night and return the following day. Both wagons suffered from the frost : one auxiliary-pump water-cylinder was cracked, but I know someone who is prepared to try welding this, and I will let you know the result._ I intended trying a pair of ." Spurner " non-skids, but owing to the wagons getting behind with their work had no opportunity of fitting same. Can anyone give me any experience of their effectiveness? I came across a nonskid device consisting of three or four ropes made up as a belt and guided by a pulley to run over the wagon rear wheels : I wonder if the gentleman will be good enough to unbosom himself as to his experience with them during the past fortnight, more especially as to their durability. I always imagined that rubber tires solved the problem of skidding on ice, but feel a bit dubious since I saw a motorcar this week " skithering " down a hill all ways, and finally land against a wall minus a front wheel.
Casualty list this week Auxiliary-pump water-cylinder cracked, and customer's display hoard at the hack cf wagon splinterel The first might have been avoided 1.y disconnecting Water pipe from tank and removing de
livery valves. Builders should fit cocks on water tanks for all water pipes, so that the latter may be drained in frosty weather without emptying the tank. The second was practically unavoidable in the absence of some efficient non-skid device for descending hills in frosty weather, or until the local authorities feel it their duty to sand the worst hills in the district during such weather.
One of the boys was stopped and cautioned for only having one headlight on (on the off-side). How reads the law, Mr. Editor, on this matter?—[The driver was correct so far as the Motorcar Acts go. Is there any county by-law? See, also, page 488, on which some details concerning lighting by-laws are given.—ED.1
I have knocked off trailer work, for the present, and know of one man who is sorry that he has not followed my example. He sent a wagon and trailer out this week, on a too-mile journey, and, if the driver's statement is correct, the wagon was loaded with seven tons and the trailer with five tons of groceries. When last heard of, the driver had left his trailer in a field is miles outward bound. Whilst experiences of my own make .me "wondrous kind " in passing judgment on others, I feel this is an example of foolishness which " kills the pig " and brings motor transport into disrepute. I hear a gcod deal about i [-ton loads passing in winter over heavy roads, and I think, Mr. Editor' .a few words from you on the iniquity of such overloading might save a lot of undue depreciation.
Here's the log sheet for the week ended the 3oth January : earnings, .;36; mileage, 600; tonnage, 103; percentage of work done, 86;. coke used, 6 tons to cwt.; oil (gearing), to gallons; oil (cylinders), 4 gallons.
This week (ended the 6th February), wagon A spent Monday night on the road, ice-bound. She then went to a new job, when, owing to a blunder on the part of our customer, she took two hours to collect a piece of machinery which should have been dropped on the wagon in as many minutes; and, alas, three and a half hours to deliver the same. We were supplied with a special bogie for delivering : part of it was missing, so naturally A% c could not use it!
The above case is one of many in which motor-wagon carriers suffer severe loss with apparently no possibility of compensation. I have had a threat printed on the hack of my delivery notes that undue delays will he charged for, hut it only remains a threat. Has anyone "dared tube a Daniel" in this respect, I wonder? Wagon A was unable to collect her back-load, owing to this delay, and had '10 do this in the morning, upsetting the rest of her week's work.
Wagon B took three hours to go six miles, owing to frost, and later in the week was delayed five hours in delivering a load owing to the consignor not informing the consignee that we were to reach him on his holiday afternoon. This meant the loss of another day's work, and although .I did ask for compensation in this case I vas politely refused it, and as a matter of policy it was not expedient to press the matter further. So I went out with the boys on Saturday, to try and make up for lost time during the week, leaving my clerk to book the orders for Monday. This he did with such zeal that today I have been kept busy trying to pacify customers en account of being unable to fulfil his rash promises.
I am glad to say that Messrs. Leyland Motors have made an excellent job of the pump water-cylinder cracked last week by frost. I understand they use a special acetylene burner for the process, and I can only say that, now, the weld is the strengest part about the cylinder ; they inform me that they have been kept very busy repairing petrol-engine cylinder water-jackets lately, I referred last week to a display board we are showing on our wagons. This is a subject which receives very little consideration on the part of. the public and motorwagon owners. A neatly-painted tail-board on a motor wagon is an advertisement of exceptional value, not only to those whose goods are being carried, but also to the owner of the wagon. Surely, if omnibus companies find advertisements a valuable source of income, it is time we bestirred ourselves on the subject, for, whereas a bus will only run between fixed points, carriers are sending their vehicles in all directions. I also find illustrations of my wagons, showing the various kinds of loads we carry, are very cheap and effective advertisements, which are very much appreciated by our customers, as well as being useful to send out when quoting people who are not acquainted with our methods. This last idea might be developed to great advantage, not only by carriers, but also by private owners for advertising their goods.
have experienced some trouble with water-gauge glasses breaking recently. Our fittings ace of the " Klinger " type, and I would be interested to know the experience of " Sentinel " owners with their circular glasses; they certainly should be inure easily fitted. Can anyone enlighten me on the subject?
Our log sheet for the week : earnings, L.}, ; mileage, 700 ; tonnage, 105; percentage of work done, 8o; coke
used, 8 tons to cwt.; oil (gearing), 8 gallons; (cylinder), 3 gallons... -Yours, etc.,
MOTOR WAGON CARRIER."
Two Cylinders or Four?
The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
[884] Sir :—I notice, in your issue of January 2151, letter 846 from " Jobmaster's Clerk." A two-cylinder two-stroke engine is, as he says, an ideal engine for motorcab work. Our " Duplex " petrol motor, which works on a two-stroke system, is not only " reported" to have run at very high speeds, but has actually been tested by tachometer up to t,soo revolutions, and the speed verified by independent engineers! The design has been considerably improved since it was last exhibited, and it has been possible to balance all the moving parts so that there is practically no vibration even at the highest speeds. Our two-cylinder engine gives the same even turning moment on the shaft as a four-cylinder engine on the Otto cycle, because it receives the same number of impulses per revolution. Its flexibility is very marked, and it will run steadily from very slow speeds up to over ',o° revolutions per minute, and it picks up very quickly. It is, therefore, peculiarly adapted to town or other congested traffic, where such paints have their effect.
The most important question far motorcab proprietors is naturally the cost of up-keep, and it is obvious that, as the " Duplex engine has exactly half the number of parts which are found in an Otto cycle engine (including the " Knight " engine), it will be a very economical engine to maintain. Most of the parts are castings, and replacements are very cheap. We had intended exhibiting the latest design of four-cylinder " Duplex" engine at the Olympia Cornmercial Motor Show, but, as this has been cancelled, we now propose to show it at Cordingley's Exhibition in March, when we shall be pleased to explain its details to all who are interested in cheap engines for cab and other commercial purposes. — Yours truly,
THE BRITISH DUPLEX MOTOR ENGINE SYND., LTD.
T. W. CARTER, Secretary.
Concerning Motorcabs.
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
18851 Sir :—Having been " on the road" recently (during which, by the way, I covered over ',too miles in nine days on one of the new toh.p. four-cylinder De Dion's, includitt'er London to Edinburgh and back without a hitch), Ihave only just had time to read your issue of the 31st ultimo, in which I find a letter written by " Kent Correspondent," In this letter, he states that the records. of the past year's hill climbs . . (etc.) have proved the single-cylinder and four-cylinder vehicles much more efficient than the two-cylinder vehicles. Your correspondent apparently overlooks the fact that hill climbs were less numerous in too.% owing to the action of the Automobile Club, than in 1907, but during the latter year the ioh.p. two-cylinder De Dion proved itself more efficient than nearly every four-cylinder car against which it competed. The following are some of its successes :— May I ith—Yorkshire A.C. (at Mcltham), ist in class B. June 29th—Bristol and (iloucestershire A.C. (at Birdlip Hill), ist in class B.
July 2oth—Coventry Motor Club, ist in class 11. July nth—Crystal Palace A.C. (at Star Hill, Riverhead), ist in class I and ist in general handicap.
July nth—Hertfordshire A.C. (at Aston Hill), ist in its class, and also tat in general handicap. Sept. 12th—Cardiff Motor Club (at Thornhill, Caerphilly), tit in class I.
The majority of the above were emered and driven by private owners, and there are doubtless ninny other successes which did not come under our notice.
We have a long list of successes on single-cylinder De Dion cars, and I must therefore agree with " Kent Correspondent " that the single-cylinder is more efficient than either the two or four, hut I still maintain that, at any rate, Si) far as the De Dion cars are concerned, the twocylinder car was more efficient than any with four cylinders.
In the next letter in the same issue, written by Mr. S. F. Edge, one reads that he is not at all sure that singlecylinder cabs will not eventually be the money-making type, and I incline towards the same opinion, and that we are not alone in this opinion is proved by the Societ6 des Auto-Taxi de Dion-Bouton of Paris, which company has been formed for the purpose of running taxicabs on the Paris streets, all of which are of the single-cylinder type, and already a number of these are in use and giving every satisfaction. I agree that a four-cylinder motor will probably travel faster and create rather less vibration,
but I believe the single-cylinder cab will prove itself to be most economical, require less attention, and, owing to its greater reliability and ease of finding out small faults, will require less attention at the workshops. After all, cab companies, like other companies, are in business to make money, and if they find, as I believe they will, the single-cylinder engine will pay them, and the four-cylin der engine will not, the final result is obvious, because, although people may like to travel in a four-cylinder cab on account of its speed and comfort, they will not be prepared to pay the additional fares, which I think will have to be charged to make them pay the cab company. After all, the single-cylinder engine is far and away ahead of any horse-drawn vehicle—Yours truly, DE DION-BOUTON (1907), LTD., J. W. STOCKS, Managing Director. to, Great Marlborough Street, W.
Chassis Price.
The Editor," THE COMMERCIAL Morox."
[886] Sir :—With reference to Messrs. Dennis Brothers' letter complaining of an alleged misleading advertisement of Messrs. Commercial Cars, Ltd., I find, on Imking through the " Commer Car " catalogue, that they give chassis price first, and approximate prices for bodies and tires separately afterwards. This, to my mind, is the most satisfactory way of dealing with the question.
I know several firms who quote a low chassis price including tires, and then fit a cheap tire, the subsequent rapid wear of the tire doing the trade generally a great deal of harm, and creating prejudice in users' minds. With regard to bodies, also, I am of the opinion they should always be included in the weight to be carried on a chassis. An instance came under my notice, a few weeks ago, where a man bought a chassis to carry one ton, and had a body built for it weighing 15:;cwt. He then complained that the springs were weak.—Yours faithfully, Pettcv SKeurtec. Manchester,
The Editor, " TUE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
[8871 Sir entirely agree with Messrs. Dennis
Brothers, that chassis price should include the tire:: in our own practice, it includes tools as well, h-cause these are connected with the machinery of the car, and have nothing to do with the hotly. It is true that some firms list chassis without tires, doubtless because the tire question is a vexed one, and tire prices vary so enormously, so that they prefer to leave the choice of tires to the cus
tomer. We do not, however, think this is altogether fair, although, on the face of it, it may appear to be so.
It is certainly very misleading to the new enquirer, who, seeing a specific price quoted for a chassis, learns that he must expend another £40, i:so or more on the tires before it is fit to put on the road. We also think that the tires which are included in the standard specification, and thus quoted for, should be mentioned by name, because some chassis are quoted with tires which are very
much under the mark, and the purchaser finds that, if he requires guaranteed tires, a considerable extra charge is made. ',his, again, is unfair to the customer.
In our own practice, we adopt as standard, tires which are guaranteed for nine months' use, or io,000 miles' running. Our chassis price includes these, and it is so stated in our specification.—Yours faithfully, STURMEY MOTORS, LIMITED.
Coventry.
The Editor," THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
[888] Sir :—We have read, with interest, the letter in your issue of the nth instant with reference to what is included in " chassis price." In our opinion, it is of the utmost importance that a prospective purchaser should understand clearly what is included in the price he is paying, and what useful load his vehicle will carry. We have always quoted chassis prices to include tires, and think that a chassis should not be quoted without tires unless it be very clearly stated that they are not included.
In the vast majority of cases, a purchaser buys a chassis coutplete with the tires from the manufacturers, so that the complete price is the one that he requires, and which should be brought to his notice.
Secondly, as regards loads, our practice is, when quot ing for chassis only, to give the gross load which the chassis will carry, as it is impossible to quote a net load unless the type of body to be used is known. When quoting for a complete vehicle, we give the net load which it will carry, and, in our catalogue, we list a variety of bodies and give the net loads in all cases. We think it would be a good thing if this practice were universally adopted by manufacturers of commercial vehicles.---We ere, Dear Sir, yours faithfully,
Jotee T. TilORNITROFT AND CO., LTD.,
W. H. BUXTON, Manager.
2, Albemarle Street, W.
"Polack Never Tires."
The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."
18891 Sir :—We have been both amused and gratified to observe the laboured humour in the letters which have been addressed to you in consequence of our advertisement reading "Polack Never Tires." The fact that readers of your esteemed journal have been puzzled indicates that the advertisement in question has attracted no small amount of notice, and these gentlemen will not, therefore, -be surprised to hear that, as our object has been achieved, we are quite satisfied. One of the reasons why we believe in the value of advertising is that it sets people talking about our goods, and familiarises them with our name, which, as both are good and will stand investigation, aids business.-Yours faithfully,
THE POLACK TYRE AND RUBBER CO., LTD.
F. Poem. Managing Director. 31-34, Basinghall Street, E.C.