The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-03-14
FARM AND GARDEN.
WIDE-TIRED WAGONS.
Conditiors Under Which They Can Be
Used to Advantage.

CcnditioCs Under Which They Can Be
Used to Advantage.
A prominent manufacturing concern
has instituted a series of experiments
lately, to find out the conditions under |
which the broad and narrow tired
wheels could be used to advantage. In
the experiment to ascertain the differ
ence in draft between wide and narrow
tire upon grass sod, the figures arrived
at were:
Weight of wagon and load ......... 1880 pounds
Draft to start load with 119-inch
tire. cutting into sod n in deep. 1,250 pounds
Draft to move at dead pull ........ $50 pounds
Draft to start same load on good,
hard roads. Recommendations. $50 pounds
Draft to draw load on good hard
roads ......................... $50 pounds
same sod ......................., 1900 pounds
same sod. ......................... $50 pounds
Draft to start load with 8-inch tire
on hard roads ..................... 200 pounds
Draft to move at a dead-pull on
hard roads. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50 pounds
Draft at dead pull on hard pave
ment. ......... 10 POUNDS
Another experiment was with four
inch and one and one-half inch tires re-
spectively on block pavement, good,
hard, sandy road, good, level, gravel
road, and in each soft and deep mud.
The conclusions arrived at by the
committee were:
l. On hard roads, block pavements
and other permanent and substantial
roads there is no argument, so far as
actual draft is concerned, in favor of
the wide tire, the effect being rather
against the wide tire.
2. In their effect upon hard roads the
wide tires have the advantage, and that
this benefit is not sufficiently appre-
ciated by turnpike and macadam road
companies.
g. In soft mud, slush, and under sim
liar circumstances, under which even
the wide tire cuts in, the advantage is
against the wide tire and in favor of
the narrow.
T. On soft sod and soft ground, where
the wide tire does not cut in and the
narrow does, the advantage is on the
side of the wide tire.
5. In loading team a draft of $50
pounds steadily applied is as much as
should be expected for days work,
and that on soft sod tn may mean,
when dead-pull has to be taken, an
increase in the draft of 1900 pounds.
6. The difference in the latter case
between the regular draft Of $50
pounds and the increase of 1000 pounds
is equivalent to an addition of two
tons $50 pounds to the load.
Z. Or, in other words, the draft of
the load being $50 pounds may be con-
sidered as equivalent to a load of two
tons $50 pounds and the difference
from the steady draft of the load in
fair motion, and that of the same load
started at dead-pull, is equivalent to
doubling the load.
The committee closed their report
with: 1--WE advocate wide tire for
farms, and narrow tire for good roads
and pavements."
Experiments at the Utah expert
ment station demonstrated that
given load on ~ inch tire drew 41.6
per cent. heavier than when on a g.
inch tire, the draft being on fairly
stiff grass sod; on a moist but hard
road the II inch tire drew 1877 per
cent heavier than the 3-inch.
An authority upon the subject of the
effect of wide tire says in New
York state the experiment was made
of using wide tires on a road about
miles long leading to a stone quarry.
The heavy wagons used thereon were
equipped with rear wheels having
tires inches wide, and forward wheels
having tires inches wide, the forward
wheels tracking just inside the rear
wheels. Each wagon was thus trans
formed into a roller covering 20 inches
in width every time it passed along.
Smaller wagons were equipped with
wheels similar in principle. The road.
which formerly rutted necessarily and
deeply, was covered with stone chips,
which these wagons soon rolled into
hard mass. The road now supports
loads of from 5000 to 10000 pounds,
and consequently has hard, compact,
and regular surface. The cost of haul
ing loads over this road in reduced
about 20 per cent"