The Pensacola journal., 1919-07-20
Army TRUCKS
LONG TRIP WILL
CROSSCOUNTRY

The epoch making transcontinentaI
| Trip Oh Two complete motor transport
| corps companies of war strength. con
sisting of AZ army trucks, which start
| eo from Washington on July z is re-
ceiving an enthusiastic welcome at all
points along the Lincoln highway
I which will be followed over almost
| the entire journey. The trucks are
| scheduled to arrive in San Francisco
september /. Detailed road maps of
each state to be traversed and national
| highway maps We're supplied by the
national touring bureau of the B. F.
| Goodrich Rubber Co.
This first Atlantic to Pacific military
trip will be significant illustration
| or the tremendous possibilities of high
| way transportation. Furthermore it
| viii demonstrate the practicability of
| long distance freight haulage and the
| urgent necessity of linking up inter-
| state highway routes and presenting
| the people with unified system of
| national roads
The army truck train comprises the
| toiiowing: five passenger cars, thirty
| i've trucks, all of army types, two
| ambulances, six motorcycles two tank
| trucks. two kitchen trailers, two water
| tank trucks, one engineer shop truck
| and one searchlight truck. Technical
personnel from the motor transport
corps, engineer corps, medical corps
field artillery and air service are max
ing the journey.
According to Brigadier General
Charles p. Drake, chief of the motor
transport corps. the purpose of the
long trip will be fourfold: To pro-
vide service and performance tests
Of various types of army motor equip
IN ha {y,
connection with the technical training
of the personnel of the M. T. c and to
provide an opportunity for extensive
study in terrain observation. To dem
onstrate the practicability of long dis
tance commercial motor truck trans
portation and to point out the neces-
sity of governmental appropriation and
to assist in the continuous improve
ment of all through connecting routes
in the United States. And to provide
an opportunity for procuring recruits
for the motor transport service.
Extensive study in terrain is being
carried on by officers of engineering
corps and air service who have been
assigned to make the trip, and much
data of great value to vocational
schools established by the motor trans
port corps in the training Of the COM
missioned an enlisted personnel will
be secured. Daily reports will be sent
in to the war department of the indi-
vidual performance of each vehicle, and
also engineering reports relative to
the condition of the highway, nature
and strength of bridges, locations OF
grades and recommendations for i'm
provements.
The convoy is under command OF |
Colonel A. Owen Eeaman of the gen.
eraI staff who will have charge as |
far as Salt Lake City, Utah, at which |
point General Drake will take per- |
sonal command.
Service stations and branches OF the !
Goodrich company, whose equipment is |
on a number of the passenger cars
and trucks of the army motor train,
will render expert tire service along |
the route from coast to coast, where
the occasion demands.
In order to determine just at what |
point of wear a solid tire should be |
removed. The Commercial Vehicle has
asked several of it's subscribers who
own and operate large fleets of trucks
TO give their experience in this re-
gard. AS a means of obtaining defi-
mite information on this subject, these
three questions were asked:
L. How do you determine when to
remove a worn tire?
q If a tire is kept in place until
it is worn down almost to the top
of the edge of the steel base, have you
found that greater vibration has re-
suited and consequently greater re-
pairs?
3. What experience have you had
with tire companies in adjusting mile
age on solid tires which they claim
still have more mileage in them?
These three questions were put to
Nat MaIIouf of the Motor Haulage Co..
New York City, which operates fleet
of forty-seven Pierce Arrow 5-tonners
He answered the first question by
stating that the Goodrich De Luxe
tires used on practically all or his
trucks except those which were de-
livered with other makes of tires are
removed when they have worn down
evenly to line across the tire drawn
at a point i inch above the edge of
the steel tire base, as shown in the
on this page. The depth
of the rubber of the tire when worn
down to the point when IL is removed
Is measured from the top of the edge
of the steel base instead or from
the line of joining of the resilient
rubber and the hard rubber base be-
cause the measurement taken from the
top of the rim can be maoe more
easily.
Mr.. Mallouf used 3oxo IoooriSn DO
Luxe tires on the front wheels OF MS
trucks and 40x6 duals on the rear
wheels. Mr.. Mallouf keeps such tire
in nIace until it has worn down TO
tine inch above the top of the steel
hase rim so that approximately two
thirds of the rubber in the original
heights of the tire has been worn away,
leaving one-third at the bottom when
The tire is removed. The actual per-
cantages are 81 per cent. of the height
left i'm place and 73 per cent worn