Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-16

bringing his meat, while said boy is
patching a tire.
The driver of a commercial car is
usually a man not conversant with au-
tomobiles, although this condition will
be greatly improved each year. A con-
siderable skill is required in handling a
loaded vehicle so that excessive shocks
are not thrown upon the driving gear.
either when the car is started or when
a change of gears is necessary This
means that the method of connecting
the engine with the road wheels must
be such as will pick up its load very
easily. A clutch which cannot be en-
gagged quickly, or, better still, a good
type of friction transmission, where
nothing is positive. With the friction
transmission. no matter how the driver
bungles, it is almost impossible to Sc
cure an engagement quickly enough or
positive enough to do any material
damage. At the same time, a good
friction transmission does the work
well and is very cheaply replaced.
The spring suspension of a CONNER
cial car should be carefully considered.
OF course the springs must be strong
enough to carry their load, but many
of these springs have little elasticity.
You use solid rubber tires, which take
up but little of the numerous small
road shocks; and remember that usu-
ally it is not friction which causes a
necessary replacement of a part but
the continued shocks, or in reality light
blows, to which this particular piece
has been repeatedly subjected.
The truck has a more stable situation
i'm the commercial class today than the
lighter cars. Therefore let us consider
in detail the motor delivery wagon.
Take the large grocer, his motor de-
livery starts with load of 500 or per-
haps 1000 pounds. The purchases of
each family usually contained in sep
arate box or basket, He requires a car
large enough, so that each box or bas-
ket may be arranged in the most con-
venient manner for distribution. The
time required for delivery of these
goods will be materially influenced by
the design of the car If the body
is low and so arranged that each
package can be got at from the seat
in minimum -of time, and so that the
drivers may easily get in andout of
the machine, much time and labor are
saved each week. It's no particular
advantage to compel this driver to
climb over a 4S-inch wheel every time
he moves. About one minute is lost
every time the driver is compelled TO
go in front of the car to crank the
engine, half an hour for thirty stops.
Have the engine so it will crank from
the seat and save time.
This car goes out loaded and comes
back empty. If the spring arrange
ment is suitable for the load, how much
elasticity is there when light? Some
makers have provided for this by the
use of an auxiliary spring, a spring
having no effect until the load is great
enough to bring the working springs
down on the auxiliary when the latter
takes up the load Again, as soon as
the packages have been removed, the
regular springs relax sufficiently so that
the auxiliary is again idle This is
very good proposition, because there is
always about the same spring elasticity
whether the wagon be loaded or empty
On this car a medium sized wheel will
give the best satisfaction, something
about forty inches. This will be large
enough so that it won't drop in every
little depression, and at the same time
small enough so that the center of
gravity can be kept low. About 11a-
inch solid rubber tire is the most suit
able. The wheel base will have to be
100 inches or more, on account of bulk
of the packages carried, as this will
give a good long body, with sufficient
room.
Now, if we equip this car with an
opposed engine of about 20-hOrsepoWer,
and provide a friction transmission of
such size that the maximum speed is
about eighteen miles an hour, and ar
range the engine so that 1t can be
started from the seat we will have a
successful wagon for this special pur
pose, assuming that the parts are all
properly designed and of sufficient
strength.
This same wagon would give good
service for a laundry or other similar
purpose, where a car was required to
meet like conditions. Assume that a
dye house or clothes cleaner should
want a power wagon, and buy one of
these, would he be satisfied? He car
ries load which probably never eX-
ceeds 100 pounds. What object is there
in his having thousand-pOund vehi-
Gle? The initial cost is greater than
necessary the upkeep will be too high,
his fuel bills win be excessive. 1t will
make unnecessary cost all along the
line. The wheel base is too long. the
body not suitable; there is too much
weight. He wotsta be like a man using
dray to haul a bushel of potatoes to
market.
This clothes cleaner requires a light
machine, because ii takes little power
to drive it, and his charges for gasoline
and oil will be kept as low as possible
His load is light and doesn't require
much space. Therefore the body of his
car may be short and compact With
the short body the wheel base may be
reduced; 70 to so inches viii be enough.
and this means a car easily handled
and readily turned around in a narrow
street. It costs money, i'm gasoline and
oil. for every pound you move. Get
your car large enough and heavy
enough to do your particular work, but
don't carry excess weight continually.
1t is a well known fact that one mo-
tor delivery will do the work of two
teams, and the initial cost need not be
much greater than the value of THIS
horse outfit. harness, wagons, etc, but
the cost of upkeep may be much great
er-or much less. If your car is prop