Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-11-07

sidered in determining weight One,
if trouble should occur. will it en-
danger the life of the occupants, or
viii il merely deteriorate the quality
of the car? For instance if wheel
breaks, some one is liable to be hurt,
whereas, If the hearings in the parts
supporting the springs are so small
that they will wear readily and rattle
soon, this is feature that will lesson
the quality of the car, but not en-
danger the occupants.
Second how far shall the comfort
of the passengers be. considered?
The first point-safetN-is by far the
more important. The Chalmers steer
/ ing gear could be made considerably
! lighter, as is found in some cars of
about the same size and price, but we
consider it would be cutting too close
to the danger point. our wheels
could be cut down to thinner spoke
sections. and lighter felloes. Here
again, We would fear a percentage of
broken wheels. our aNles could be
lighter considerably, but we would
not want to take the responsibility of
/ the danger which might result from
I breakage.
/ III even with our heavier construc-
/ ton and the very best materials, and
even with most careful inspection,
some piece containing an invisible flaw
still gets into a car sooner or later.
/ how much greater must be the chance
| of trouble where the construction is
/ cut down by the very limit
In some of the Fighter cars, the
t0rQue tube has been eliminated, which
effects a considerable saving in weight
bat throws the entire burden OF the
driving mechanism into the springs
Not only does this cause the car TO
/ be more unstable on the road but a
I broken spring, which is bound to come
now and then regardless OF the cost
I of the car. becomes dangerous. The
! Chalmers Light Six is provided with
a concentric torque tube like that
/ found in many of the most costly cars.
! Its purpose is to hold the rear axle in
/ the proper alignment; TO relieve. the
springs of all work but that of sup
porting the car. Its advantage is ap-
parent through the manner in which
! the car holds the road at various
speeds, and the absence of it is shown
lin most cases by a car dancing and
/ hopping when going over rough roads,
! cobblestones and rutted roads. The
use of a torque tube practically eli
inmates chattering or jumping of the
rear axle. when pulling in heavy sand,
mud or snow.
I Here is good example of how
misleading selling arguments often be-
statesmen, additional weight means a
reduction in the number of miles per
gallon of gasoline. BY eliminating the
! torque tube saving of approximately
/ forty pounds weight would be made.
/ But its elimination would mean an in
crease in the use of fuel. because the
! holding of the rear axle in proper
alignment the smooth, steady rolling
of the car, the absence of that jumpy
action mentioned above, shows by
actual test, a greater number of miles
| per gallon, than with the lighter con-
( struction.
I "In considering the second kind of
/ trouble resulting from too light weight
that which reduces the efficiency and
! quality of a car-there are many things
| TO be considered. Almost invariably
on the excessively light cars the sheet
/ metal used in the body. tenders, dust
4 shield bonnet. etc. is cut to the limit.
The result is a finish which is wavy
and rough; with extremely light ma
terial it is possible to keep the paint
on the bodies and the enamel on the
metal work gives trouble. Another
bad result of too light materials is that
they soon loosen and rattle. Quite
often body bracings or frame mem
bers are so lined that the panels OF