Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-12
WAGONS N ROADS.
Noes'iohs That Are Worthy of Careful
Consideration by

Nuestions That Are Worthy of Careful
Consideration by Farmers.
Questions connected with the draft
VI wagons and the resistance of
muddy roads, are worthy of careful
examination by the farmer who draws
hundreds of tons of farm products to
market annually, or an equal amount
OF manure over his land. The retard-
ing influence of soft earth and mud on
Venlclcs, when compared with the ease
Win which they are drawn on a hard
sh1ooth surface, is often much greater
!nan those who merely drive and ride
imagine. The resistance may be meas
uied with considerable accuracy in the
following Place a loaded
wagon on a hard, smooth road which
mas just enough descent for it to run
Gown OF its own weight. Ascertain
With a level what this descent is. Sup
pose for example that it is only one
loot in thirty; this will show that the
friction or resistance of the surface of
the o is only one-thirtieth of the
weight; and if the loaded wagon weighs
a ton, a force equal to one-thirtieth of
a ton, orsiNty-seven pounds, would be
su1flclent to move it on q level road of
equal smoothness. Now apply this
same reasoning to a deep muddy road
ea, where the wagon will not move
uAless the road has a descent of one
foot in five. A force equal to one-fifth
OF a ton, or four hundred pounds,
would be required to move it on a level
road as muddy, or six times as much
as on the smooth and hard surface.
One horse on the good road would
therefore draw as heavy a load as six
horses on the muddy one.
The dynamometer gives rather more
accurate results, Experiments have
been made with this instrument. fur
nishing the following measurements of
forces:
On a new gravel road, not yet hard
ened by use, force equal to one-eighth
OF the weight of the wagon had to be
applied to draw it.. On the best hard
earth road. one-twenty-fifth was found
sufficient. On the best broken stone
road, o%ne-siXtieth; while on a railroad,
a force of one ton would draw two
hundred and eighty tons.
slightly diminished by steel springs on
the wagon, at the same time that COM
fort to the horse and driver was in
creased, as well as safety to the harness
and wagon. The tirmness given to a
road of broken stone by NEAR of a
solid paved foundation, was found to
lessen the resistance about one-third.
The width of wagon wheels involves
some questions which should be we'll
understood. Wheels with broad tire on
a farm wagon would pass over a cloddv
surface and not sink into it, and would.
press the surface of pastures and new
meadows without cutting it. Narrow
wheels would not only cut and spoil
the surface, but require a greater force
Of draught. The mud or soft earth
would close On both sides of the rim,
and load the wheels. Broad wheels
are most useful on tracts of
broken stone and gravel, render
ing them smooth, hard and COM
pact. Prof. Sanborn, of the Mis-
souri, Agricultural College, has made
some tests by means of the dynamom-
eter. with tire an inch and a half wide
compared with a width Of three inches.
The wagon to which these different
widths was attached was drawn over
turf, and while the wide tire required
a draught of only 80 pounds, the mar
row tire with the same load could not
be moved without q force of 439
pounds. The team which could draw
a ton on the narrow wheels would
move a ton and a half on the wide
ones, the surface being of the charac-
ter of turf. Professor Sanborn also
ascertained that on a hard level road
the same team would draw four times
as much as over a soft wet road.
But these different results vary much
| with various conditions. If, for in
| stance, there is an inch of soft mud on
a hard surface beneath, the narrow
tire would cut more easily through the
mud than the wide one, as both would
| reach the hard surface, and the wide
wheel would have to displace twice as
much of the mud. All these and other
conditions must be observed in prac-
tice.
If the great loss which is yearly sus-
tanned by those who have to drive ten
or twenty miles daily, or three to six
thousand miles annually, over bad
roads, were more distinctly understood
by the public generally, a greater in
tercst would undoubtedly be felt in the
Importance of improving public and
private roads as eminently a matter of
economy.-Country Gentleman.