PNEUMATIC TYRES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2870, 14 April 1925, Page 3

PNEUMATIC TYRES.

USE ON HEAVY VEHICLES. The ,use of pneumatic tyres on heavy commercial vehicles is steadily growing in favour. The latest example is that of a firm of tailors in Leeds, England, who have found that it is advantageous to utilise road transport over a radius of about one hundred miles. This tailoring factory is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and the whole organisation is on modern lines throughout. It follows, therefore, that in employing motor vehicles of any kind, the firm would take the fullest advantage of anything that could be credited to the use of their own transport. Apart from the speeding up of service, there is the publicity value which is associated with road vehicles, and the maximum use has been made of this. Two 3-ton and two 1-ton vans are employed, and the bodies are specially built with slightly domed roofs. The finish is dark red with distinctive lettering in gold. The machines are kept in spotless condition, no accumulation of mud being allowed to gather on the under parts. Each ear spends one day per week in dock for cleaning and adjustment. Local delivery and station work is carried out by the smaller vans, while the longer journeys (Newcastle in the north, Wrexham in the west, and Birmingham in the south, and the intervening districts), are. undertaken by the heavier vehicles. Skips are used for packing, and these are brought back by the vans on the return journeys. On the long distance trips the average daily journey is 140 miles, and this distance is easily covered, for both the larger vehicles are fitted with pneumatic tyres, which enable a high road speed to be attained without damage to the chassis or body. One of the large vans started its life on solid tyres, but was subsequently converted, as a result of experience gained with the second van. It was soon found that maintenance charges for both body and chassis were considerably lessened following the adoption of pneumatics. Twin wheels are used at the rear, and a set of tyres has been found to give up to 14,000 miles service.