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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1921)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, MAY lo, 1931 FORDSON TRACTOR DEMONSTRATIONS PROVE OF INTEREST P. TO CUT EXPENSES Sales Manager in Portland Gasoline and Tires First Ob jects of Attack. Two Weeks Ago. NO DROP'EXPECTED THEN VARIOUS WASTAGES CITED 0 WD DECLINE IS BIG SURPRISE Mil RKM V R BWaaaaBVaaaaVKaH IIIUIUIIIWIU W I III I IIIW Improvements In Motor Enable It Handle Present Low Grade of Fuel. to One of the moat surprised men in the United States over the sensa tional price reduction in Oakland au tomobiles May 9 was W. H. Masten, assistant general manager of the Oakland factory and bead of the sales organization, according to a message received here last week. When '"Bill" Mastzn, as the organization knows him, was in Portland two weeks ago he said they were going to reduce prices iust as soon as they could, and he guessed it would be the middle of the summer. , He had been m on the big swing around the country and was in Den ver when it happened. But from the beginning of the automobile Indus try things have happened, so to speak, overnight. Oakland had been operating on a price protection guar antee to retail purchasers from Oc tober 1. 1920 "to May 1. 121. But officials of the company reached a point where they, discounted present price of labor, material and the overhead of immediate volume and concluded that improved product and low price would increase sales quickly to a point where a rubstan- tial drop would pay in future sales, according to word from the factory. Automobile factory executives never wait long when they reach a deci sion to put it into effect. So "Bill' got it at Denver before he expected. Oakland's new price, is only $175 higher than early in 1917. Roberta Back Front Factory. R. K. Roberts, general manager of the Northwest Oakland company Oakland distributors for Oregon and Western Washington, who has only , just returned from the Oakland fac tory at Pontiac, Mich., reported when in Portland last week that the changes now being made in manu facture of the Oakland are of as much importance as the reduction in price. One of the most serious things the factory has had to contend with has been to get real efficiency out of present low-grade fuel, he said. He was advised by Chief Engineer Ham ilton that only six years ago no one would have believed that the fuel used today could be burned in an automobile; that it is actually less volatile than coal oil was in 1915, and nobody dreamed then that coal oil could be burned In a motor. Motor knocks directly traceable to combustion of present fuel was one of the most serious subjects under discussion at last winter's meeting of the Society of Automobile engineers. These knocks, by common admission of engineers from all factories, had the earmarks of either piston pin, bearing or cylinder knocks, but in 90 cases out of 100 they were tracea ble to poor combustion. I,o TV-Grade Fuel Problem. When Hamilton returned to the factory he set to work to eliminate any tendency for such a knock in Oakland motors. The engineering de partment first started to check up the Journey of the fuel from the car buretor to the cylinders. Portions of the Intake manifold on a test .tour were cut out and glass windows in stalled; the motor was started, and then photographs of the fuel were taken. These photographs showed that whole drops, aggregating from 70 to 75 per' cent of the raw fuel, were passing out of the carburetor, running along the wall of the Intake manifold and passing bodily into the cylinders. The next step was the measuring of the weight of the explosion In the cylinders. Indicators for this pur pose were Installed on each cylinder so that they would be checked almost simultaneously. The resnlt showed that No. 1 had 213 pounds. No. 2 196 pounds. No. 3 233 pounds. No. 4 401 pounds. No. 6 407 pounds and No. ( 132 pounds. In short, although an equal volume of gas in cubic inches was being supplied to all cylinders, yet No. 6 cylinder was being starved, likewise Nos. 1, 2 and 3. while cyl inders 4 and 5 were being over charged, causing uneven torque and contributing directly to combustion knocks. The results of these investigations brought about the adoption of the re atomizer, produced by the Oakland company, as standard equipment. The reatomizer is of the Venturi type, placed between the intake manifold and carburetor, and serves to break I up the entering fuel into smaller par ticles, renaering more complete va poruauon ana accompusning a more even distribution of fuel to all cyl inders. Valve Springs Strengthened. The next problem was to keep all six cylinders hitting regularly, for whenever there Is a miss oil sucks up Into the combustion chamber, the piug iouis ana caroon begins to ac cumulate. One of the greatest con' trlbutors to this trouble was the ten. dency of valves to stick up or stay open. Alter considerable experlnien tation along this line a longer and Heavier guage vaive spring was adopted, which had considerably stronger tension. -The stronger spring action compelled the valves to close and open positively with the cam movement and eliminated any chance for missing. To further assist the vaporization or ruel. which in past years tad been done by a hot spot, a stove was in stalled, coupled around the exhaust pipe and leading directly to the air intake of the carburetor. The added heat was found to have an -excellent effect on the mixture. Moreover, a damper was provided for letting In cold air in warm weather. , -JilV.Y I - - a.m. i I. u... .. 1 JU-,s3s.i-. rW ; ' " rv v.-r. pi V. 3 4: ,ai -V . W A - - A4' r. i 14 Above Plowing with a Fordran and a Oliver plow an the Portnomaa dal ry farm, on the Foster road Just out aide the city limit. The Fordson will make two crops per year posslbl e on this farm, according to the peetntlona of Mr. Helnman, the owner. Below Demo n rat Ion of stum p-pnlllng irith a Fordaon on Paddick Ilros. farm near the city. The ata br shown In the picture waa broken eff by the tractor three feet aader ground.. Fill! DEALERS UNITE SIX AUTHORIZED AGEXCIES IX CITY TAKE AtTIOX. XEZ PJSRCE COrXTY BOXDS VP Commissioners to Consider Sale at Meeting May 16. LEWISTON, Idaho. May 7. The commissioners of Nes Perce county have taken a recess until May 16. when they will settle the disposition of the 1400.000 good roads bonds au thorized by the county. Considerable discussion has developed in regard tu the matter, and It is understood that the question at issue is whether the whole or part of the total authoriza tion shall be sold for immediate 'pur poses. Important highway construction in this county is -now held up pending Uie sale of the bonds, and there Is a strong feeling that action should be taken soon. Plans for urgent high way work include the erection of bridges at Arrow and Myrtle. Pennsylvania has 13.701 motor ve hicle dealers. In 1919 there were SC35. Henceforth Entire Tractor Business Will Be Handled at Uni versal Exchange. With the purpose In view of ren dering the maximum of service to Fordson tractor owners, the six au thorized Ford dealers of Portland at a recent meeting decided to combine their complete tractor business under one head, and this now has been done, with offices for the tractor organization at the Universal -Car exchange, at the corner of Grand avenue and East Yamhill street. M V. Myers, who la manager of the Universal Car exchange, which is the Ford used-car organization in which all six of the authorized dealers are nterested, is also In charge of the Fordson tractor business. Eight salesmen now are covering the territory, and daily tractor dem onstrations were held during the last week. The new arrangement. ust completed, provides for . three regular service men with the organi zation, who wll make three calls each month on Fordson tractor own ers, making necessary adjustments to tractors and giving owners assist ance in properly keeping up their machines. There also will be two emergency service men, who will be ready to answer trouble calls from Fordson owners at a moment's notice 'It is Interesting know that within a radius of two miles of the corner of Fifty-seventh street and Slouch road In Portland, here almost within the city limits, there are 20 Fordson tractors at work," said Mr. Myers, In commenting on plans for the sale of tractors throughout this territory. "These machines are be- ng used for plowing, discing, har rowing, stump pulling, grading, chop ping feed, filling silos and many other purposes in connection with farm and road work. "Of course, farming is only one angle of the Fordson possibilities. Recently we sold tractors to two Portland contracting firms for con struction work, and one tractor no Is busy In Laurelhurst digging base ments. Another is employed to fill In dirt on the big Vancouver avenue sewer Job. Every day new jobs are coming up which require transport able power as well as stationary, and the Fordson is quickly adapted to the Job." 1 . PRAYER TO STOP SPEEDIXG Edward S. Jordan Shows Great Speed Little Selling Advantage The following "prayer" to motor car dealers, salesmen, owners and chauffeurs to curb automobile speed ing has been sent abroad by Bdward S Jordan, head of the Jordan Motor Car company: ' ihe Dodge never has been known as a sPeed demon, yet Ms25-mlle pace kept up all day eliminates speeders one by one. The Cadillac doesn't ad vertiaa its speed, yet trail one from Detroit to Cleveland if you can. "Every good car. especially . those designed for modern usage, has re serve power In its light weight and body designed for economy. , "Will we ever forget what hap pened ten years ago when the little Bnlck led all cars over the hill In high? Nicely balanced and light In weight, that model made Play of its work. "It we are to be successful in the future we must keep in mind we are no longer selling cars to novices seeking to enjoy new speed thrills. Since it is possible to lunch in New York, hop into an airplane and take tea in Boston, there isn't much of a thrill left in breaking speed laws that are becoming stricter because of speed talk. "There Isn't a motor car built today from Fords to Pierce-Arrows that won't run faster than anyone cares to drive on a public road. We must real ize that the common-sense public Is demanding less speed on the already eongested highways and insisting on more dependable cars for general service." .'. Inserting the Tube. , Wl!en inserting a new inner tube or replacing the old one which has been repaired,- the inside of the casing should first be wiped out with a damp cloth to remove any aand or grit that may be present. A single sharp pointed grain of sand between the casing and the tube is very likely to force its way through the tube, causing the puncture. This is the real cause of many a mysterious puncture. ' SUPER-SIX IN FUST II HUDSOX CLOSE TO RECORD IX DASH TO OAKLAND. Seattle Physician Drives to San Francisco Bay From Here in 3 0 Hours and 30 Minutes. - A Hudson super-six driven by Dr. F. W. Rinkenberger. a Seattle physi cian, last week achieved the remark able feat of going from Portland to Oakland, Cal., much of the way over roads deep with mud from the long continued rains, in 30 hours, only 2 hours and S minutes less than the automobile record between this city and San Francisco bay. The record of 28 hours 27 minutes stands for the run between Sausallto, on the bay west of Oakland, and Port land, which is several miles shorter than to Oakland. Dr. Rinkenberger in hla run, however, waa delayed 16 minutes waiting for a ferry at Val lejo, whereas no ferrying !s required on the other route. - The remarkable part of the run Is' that it was made when the highway Big Saving Possible In Proper Car burctlon, Good Valves and Ef ficient Ignition; Tricks Count. BY H. A. TARANTOUa Vember Society of Automotive Engineer Every car owner Jiltes to keep his expenses as low as he reasonaoiy can. and it is really surprising to wnat a smalt figure the costs can be cut by consistent saving. This is as it should be, for motoring in America is distinctly a democratic sport an we want to keep it so. Therefore any suggestions for keeping down th expense bills are quite in keeping with what we may call our national motoring ideals. In the present ar ticle we purpose trying to tell the car owner how he can cut off some thing from his fuel bill Let us begin by saying mat tne bills for' gasoline and tires are th two big items in the outlay for keep ing the car running. Tney ar tne the obvious first points of attack in any attempt to cut aown expenses. Further, it is the duty of all car own eri to made their fuel go as far as possible, because our supply of pe troleum Is barely enougn tor our ae mands now, with still heavier con sumption in prospect. - Carburetor Leaks Found, The first place to begin the cam paign to cut down fuel consumption is at tne carburetor. Here occur moai of the leaks that Increase fuel con sumption. The average American car owner drives with a mixture nearly twice as rich as is necessary, In other words, almost half the gas oline that he uses is wasted. The modern engine will run on a mix ture ranging from 1 parts air to one of gasoline to one containing only eight Darts air to one Of gas. But the engine will do its best work when the mixture is made as lean as pos sible. While it burns the heavier mixture. It does not operate with the snap and vim that It displays on tne leaner fuel. Practically all modern carburetors have an attachment for Increasing and decreasing the amount of air Injected into the mixture. It Is very simple matter to experiment with this adjustment, nrsi raining the mixture as lean as possible and gradually turning back until exactly the right proportions of gas to air have been found for satisfactory op erattoto. In addition to the benefits of greater economy with the leaner mixture, this condition also cuts down carbon deposits. It may seem to the Individual car owner that it is a very smalt mat ter whether or not he uses too rich a mixture, but it Is the aggregate- of this wastage that counts. The In dlvidual's waste must be multiplied by nearly 6.000.000 to get the total amount of motor fuel that is prac tlcally thrown away. If all this po tentially useful fuel were turned into actual service, instead of having our fuel supply an alarmingly tight fit for our needs we would have a hand some surplus to take care of the rap, Idly growing numbers of motor ve hicles. However.' the carburetor Is not tne end of the search for possible fuel leaks. After the carburetor has been properly adjusted to supply the lean est mixture consonant with good op eration, the whole fuel system ought to be gone over from engine to tank. Foreign matter partially obstructing the Dines, or lodged in the strainers, or In the fuel tank, helps to cut down the efficiency of the whole system. A rigid search for leaks in pipes ana manifolds should be instituted. Small leaks are peculiarly liable to escape ur a at In rks nnrflr(nn nitsf ttrttknttr n n f idea on Mr. Rinkenberger's part of I notice In warm weather, when the going after a record. He waa travel- gafol ne Is lighter than In winter and ellng to Oakland to visit hla brother, I J,"' !y evpratt8 att?LVl.V it .. ., -...j . . . 1 the air. Obviously actual leakage of who also owns a Hudson car, and he was stepping on 'er to get through with the least possible delay, Before leaving Portland for Oak land Dr. Rinkenberger drove to Port land from Seattle In less than eight hours, which is excellent time consld ering the condition of the highway to the north. He stopped here, just long enough to eat and take on gasoline and oil and then was on his way. When the car was driven Into service station in San Francisco it was found to be In perfect condition except, of course, for being covered with mud. The physician paid no at tentlon to his car en route save to put in gas and on. This is Dr. Rlnken berger s second Hudson. Warms Gasoline for Primer, A new automobile accessory sends warmed gasoline to the primer, ready for ignition, when, a starting pedal is y 1 oocu. Insurance for automobiles was first written in England in 1898. LOCAL SALES-MANAGER POINTS OUT REASON WHY STEPHENS WON KECENT ECONOMY RUN IN CALIFORNIA. . N . h " i rj- v, . - r . - 'y J . - IN - c 2C n 4 CD. McPHAIL AND fl.E OF NEW SALIENT SIX MODELS. Word was received last week by the Automotive Sales company, local distributors for the Stephens six. that a Stephens had won the annual economy contest from Los Angeles to Yosemite valley, which is one of the big events of the year In California. This makes the third year In which the Stephens has won this race, one of the salient sixes having been first in 1918 and again in 1919. According 10 a telegram received from Los Angeles by the Automotive Sales company, the record of the winner waa 44.41 ton-miles per gallon, or approx imately 29 miles per gallon for the Stephens. The fuel system of the Stephens is the secret of its economy, ac cording to C. D. McPhail, sales manager here, who is shown in the above photo pointing his index finger at said secret. The Stephens has a close high-mounted carburetor, which is claimed to feed perfectly vaporised preheated gas evenly Into the cylinders. the air. Obviously actual leakage the fuel is one of the best possible ways to increase consumption. Wanted Power Annoying. An actual physical leakage of the fuel is only a little worse than power leaks of various sorts. Wasted power Inevitably means additional fuel to make good the deficiency. Carbon deposits in the cylinders are a pro lific source of wasted power. And here is a. place where one original waste breeds further wastage. When the fuel mixture is too rich, heavy carbon deposits are formed in the cylinders and these cut down the power output almost a geometrical progression. Therefore keep the en gine free from carbon by having it cleaned out periodically and help along . the good cause by getting proper carburetor adjustment in the first place. Another source . of great power waste is the valve system. The valves must seat properly if full power Is to be obtained from the fuel. The only way to secure proper valve seat ing Is to have the parts ground in at intervals of say two or three months, or when there appears to be need of the operation. . At the present time we are not getting the same zippy grades of mo tor fuel that we once did, and with this heavier stuff it is vitally nec essary that a' certain amount of heat should be applied to the fuel. There are many ways of doing this, heated manifolds, hot spots, etc.. and every car needs some such equipment. Many of the new cars are so equipped by their builders, but If not owners should add the equipment. Ignition Must Be Good. Good carburetlon Is the beginning of the battle, but as we mentioned before. It is not all. The ignition must also be good or there will be prodigious wastage of power. The battery must be kept fully charged, the connections at the plugs, the ig nition unit and the coll must be kept clean and tight to insure a good hot spark in the combustion chamber. The points cited, cover the major points of fuel waste, -but there are other indirect power wastes that have effect on fuel consumption. If the lubrication of the car is not properly carried out friction results, and fric tion requires power to overcome it, which is Just another way of saying that it wastes power. A slipping clutch wastes an enormous amount of power. Drugging brakes waste power and wheels tnat are out of alignment also consume power that could be turned to useful purposes. So it follows that the car which eally consumes only its minimum allotment of fuel is the car which Is properly looked after throughout all its mechanical being. In conclusion let us warn the car owner against wasting gasoline in his garage. Many owners have a habit of washing small parts in gas- line, wnereas Kerosene would be better for purpose and its costs less. Many cars will run with entire effi ciency on a mixture of one gallon of erosene to say four gallons of gas oline. If the engine Is fitted with Isll That engine noise you can't explain EVERY iound is music to your ear when th r engine runs smoothly ana sweetly. But how often a harsh, grating noise, a bird-like squeak or even heavy pounding apoils your trip! Can you explain this engine noise as it jar on your ear? Poor lubrication causes 90 of engine trouble. Under the terrific heat of tho engine 200 to 1000 F. ordinary oil breaks down and forms great quantities of sediment. Why have such worries? Sediment is reduced 86 when you use Veedol, the lubricant that resists heat. See the two bottles at the right. With Veedol in the engine, most serious engine troubles are prevented. Have your engine flushed out. rut in Veedol. Leading dealers have it in stock. Ask for a upply today. TIDE WATER OIL Sales Corporation 11 Broad way, N York City Pacific Division Office, 1110 Clean Spreckels Bldg San Frandaeo. Cal. Warehouse, 8 Front St Portland, Ore. it Y-UL aaram aWaal thamwi mOmmi fmmgi IfUr Km wi tt naanf n attachment permitting it to take heated air from around the manifold to mix with the fuel vapor it will readily assimilate this mixture of kerosene and gasoline, thus saving one-fifth of the consumption of the lighter fuel, if all oar owners adopted this Idea It would add half a billion gallons of motor fuel to our annual supply. HIGHWAY SOW IX GOOD SHAPE Road to California Xeeds Marking, However, Says Driver. with dry bran or sawdust and they will be found to he pnrfertlv clean and may be painted with fireproof jiajntihiiirjckled Further testimony of the excellent condition of the Faclfio highway to California is given by John W. Miller, president of the Coast Fir Lumber company, and Jack Stiver, who' re turned from a trip to Fresno last week. The two men drove down in an Overland with Mr. Miller at the wheel, the local lumberman going to Fresno to attend the 18th annual coventlon of the Paclfio coast retail lumbermen. The worst road of the entire trip. they stated, was found between Canby and Aurora, where for tour and one half miles they struggled over rough road and through mud. Two miles of crushed rock were encountered In the Siskiyous, while in the vicinity of Red Bluff in California was some ough road. It Is encouraging to know that the contract has been let for paving the Canby-Aurora stretch, however, and that paving is to begin also in a short time on both of the other bad stretches. The men made the trip each way in three days, the longest single stretch being from Dunsmuir to Portland, which was covered In one day. Lack of road signs In Oregon were deplored by the motorists, who urged that Oregon take steps to provide igns along the Zlnes of California. So well are the California roads signed that it would be almost im possible for a driver to get lost even if he wanted to. Stiver declared, while in Oregon it is no great dif ficulty to get on the wrong road. Near Medford. be said, they, got off on the wrong road and lost consider- ble time. At a number of places where signs were on hand they had fallen down or got out ot position e said, and he cited one place where detour" sign had been so turned that it pointed straight up In the lr. One of the greatest needs In Oregon at present, both men declared. is more and better road signs. STOCK MOTORCYCLE SPEEDY Over 100 Miles Per Hour Made by Burns at Los Angeles. For the first time in the history of motorcycling a stock machine has ac complished better than 100 miles per hour In competition, inis remaraa bin nerformance was made by Albert "Shrimp" Burns, the diminutive Oak land, Cal., pilot, who won the iB-miie event against a field of eight valve racing machines at Beverly Hills speedway. Burns covered the dis tance In 8 minutes 4S 1-5 seconds. He also won the mlss-and-out race, dis tance 18 miles, time 7 minutes. 51 4-6 seconds, average 104.91 miles per hour. In this event Burns estab lished the fastest time ever made oa the Beverly Hills speedway in com petition. In a 23-mile event Burns spilled In the 11th lap while leading the field. Hia average in this race up to tne time of his accident was 106 miles per hour. His accident necessitated his going to the hospital, but he returned to the track after having splinters re moved, entered the 15-mile event and established a record for a stock motor in competition. Official reports' credit Burns and bis Indian with the most spectacular dis play of speed and riding ability ever displayed In' California. Rust Bemover. Make a solution of one part sul phuric acid to ten parts water and dip in It the parts from which It Is de sired to remove rust. Next dip them in a bath of hot limewater and keep them in it until they hsve become so hot that they dry Immediately on be irr taken out. Then run the parts The Only Full-Sized Wail Tent That is Truly Portable J 00" i TE1M1T THE LONG BULKY WOODEN Ridge Pole A THING OF THE PAST YOU CAN STAND UPRIGHT IN YOUR WENZEL POLELESS WALL TENT 'After a long; touring- trip or a hard day's fishing or tramping through the woods when you come in tired, wet and weary, wouldn't it be fine to have a large, roomy WALL TENT where you can relax, have room to move around and enjoy a comfortable retreat from the elements, instead of a little old "Pup Tent" or some other low-down shelter contrivance? A WENZEL POLELESS TENT gives you all the ad vantages of "Home, Sweet Home." TAKE ONE ALONG ON YOUR NEXT CAMPING TRIP For Sale hr Meier Fraak. to, Portland, and Pacific Coast Sporting Dealers. infill m wir ur ytt a a ; Bag GAG, H. WENZEL TEST t DUCK CO. St Louis, Mo. Tire Insoles ARE ABSOLUTELY PCNCTtBE-PROOr. Lees air pressure required In tires. Cat rides easier; ateers easier. Protects tire and tube and sreatly lensthm lit of both. Let na tell you more about them HARPER HALL, Retreading" and Vulranirlnfr Works, 464 ItlKNSIOt ST., PORTLAND, OR. Sleep in Your Auto WHEN CAMPING. Have the back of your front seat hinged so you can use it for a bed. $10.00 aad np, .' .- ' J. g.Aaro Deal Co., 706 V, Wma. ar. AUTO ACCESSORIES AND PARTS ALLEN & HEBARD CO. 64-66 Broadway N Fhone Broadway 3223 Automotive Equipment holesale and BeUU Distributors fKcrrrvoii TIRES STORAGE BATTERIES AUTHORIZED SERVICE STATION M. D. BAKER CO. Distributor! Tenth and Davis Streets SPEEDOMETERS and "BIG TEN NECESSITIES" They're More Than Accessor it Official Service Genuine Tarts Product Service Station, Broadway at Flanders New Light Six. Mitchell, Seven-Passenger Jordan. MITCHELL, LEWIS & STAVER CO. Broadway at Everett