The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-03-31
The Question Of Tire.


Editor Herald:-The catalogues Of
wagon makers quote l inches as the
standard width of a two-horse wagon
tire, and in note say that the price of
a wagon is $3.50 for every inch over
> that So that wagon with a AZ inch
tire will cost $3.50 more than one with
tires Of a standard width.
The absorbing question to the pur-
chaser Is, which is the cheapest tire ?
Ihe broad will easily be seen to be the
cheaper on little reflection. First, the
rims are much wider and stronger than
the narrow wheels, the tire much thick
er and there is less apt of breakage of
the wheel so that set of wheels last
much longer. Then again, today, the
10Th OF March, no man with narrow
tires can easily haul out his manure.
the tire cuts deep in plowed land or
sod. On wheat or oats the farmer dares
not drive for his narrow tires cut the
field like pillow, whilst the farmer
with the broad tire is today hauling
over any or all of his fields. His wheat
Is not plOwed up but rather helped by
the passage of the wheel, and in three
days he will pay for his broad wheels,
whilst his neighbor is deploring his in
ability to work; another instance of
blaming fate for lack of thought.
On the road, too, the broad tire is the
cheapest. On dry dirt road the same
force pulls with the A tire ,, iS2 lbs. to
the , inch tires 2,O00-that is that
with every five loads the broad tire
farmer can haul as much as his neigh
Dor with the narrow tire can haul in
six loads. This will soon save the cost
Of tires. On dirt roads in good condi-
ton a two-hOrse team pulling wagon
with three inch tires can haul |, 1850 lbs,
whilst with inch tires the same
horses found 2,lS0 lbs. full load. This
holds good too for roads when muddy.
The ability to haul loads on farm
IN all conditions of wet is sufficient to
make the broad tire much cheaper.
The further consideration that on all
roads the broad tires allow team to
pull a load with half the strength is
good saving to the farmer, and when
one considers farther that the broad
tire acts as road roller and makes all
travelling more pleasant, it is hard to
see how our people have become so adj
dicted to the narrow tire habit.
Col. NJ. Meigs, U. ). G. E., in a re-
cent pamphlet on the subject, says that
the use Of a broad tire is compuls DRY
in all civilized countries. For the
next three weeks any one travelling
over the red roads Of Prince Edward
or portion of Farmvlles streets Will
see the large ruts cut by narrow tires.
No team can pull so truly in the track
Of the one preceding but that the
wheels will cut on the side of the ruts
so that the work Is that Of constantly
pulling up hill. Then, too, between
the horse tracks and the wheel tracks
a ridge is raised. These bumps are
knocked over into the wheel tracks
and I'm addition to the constant pull
On the side Of the rut you have the
jar and jolt over bump after bknp that
wrenches the vehicle, strains the horse,
destroys the drivers temper and pos
sibly drives him to profanity. Had
single wagons inch tires, two-horse
wagons A., aud three and four-horse
wagons 6 inch tires, and cart for two
)xen 1 inch tire, ruts would not occur,
and by the time our roads were nearly
Try they would be a pleasure to drive
IN, whilst now any one can see that
hey are not. In this matter the peo-
pie have the remedy in their own
hands. Get the broad tire when you
,uya wagon, it will pay for itself many
ines in one year. For general pur-
POSES get a paratively high wheel
or a wheel is a lever, and one knows
/ long lever is generally the best to
Ise. Let our people now calculate the
lumber Of days Of work lost this winter
BECAUSE ofnability to haul on the farm
md study also the beauties Of the fine
rop Of ruts produced by narrow tires,
md like the writer, forthwith deter
nine to become one Of Col. Megs'
l ..lI......I ..nn..I. w Al LII