From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Selection, pricing, and testing of hypoid axle oils from various suppliers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 32\3\ Scan213 | |
| Date | 30th October 1931 | |
| ✓1583 X.1583. X.2066. To Roy.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}4/KT.30.10.31. HYPOID AXLE OILS. With reference to your Roy.{Sir Henry Royce}4/MG28.10.31. in which you quote the prices of Whitmores', Wakefields' and Prices' hypoid axle oils and in which you stress the fact that Prices oil is very much less costly than the other two, we would point out that we are not conducting any tests and have not done so for a long time on Prices Oil; in consequence we do not know of any oil made by Prices suitable for the job. We were very badly let down with Prices first hypoid oil and since then we have not tested any more. We would point out that it has taken us nearly a year of careful testing to make sure that Wakefields Gearease is a suitable oil; even in this case we should not have commenced to carry out any tests unless we had a good guarantee that it would be suitable. It would take us a similar time to test out any new oil of Prices. One failure on test must cost us considerably more in replacing scrapped axle gears than we pay for a years supply of hypoid oil. Under the circumstances we think that to stress the question of cost is in this instance unnecessary, especially in view of the fact that the alternative which we are standardising (Wakefields) is half the price of Whitmores. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey} | ||