Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1904-12-10


pound load. on gravel road would
have pulled load of 2,472 pounds on
the wide tired wagon. The same power
required to draw narrow tires over
dirt and gravel roads when these were
dry and hard was found sufficient to
draw $3.50 pound load on the wide
tired wagon under the same conditions.
1t was shown that where these roads
We're deep with mud, but partially
dried Mt the surface with a few hours
sun, the same power required to draw
the 1000 pound load over them on the
narrow tires would pull load Of 5000
pounds on the wide tires.
The director Of the station states that
the conditions under which the narrow
tires offer an advantage over the wide
ones are unusual and Of short dura-
tion," and, further that through ma
jorty of days in the year and at times
when tile dirt roads are most used and
when their use Is most imperative the
broad tired wagon will pull materially
also that "a large number of tests on
meadows, pastures, stubble land, corn
ground and plowed ground in every
condition, from dry, hard and firm to
very wet and soft, show without q
single exception IL large difference in
draft In favor Of the broad tires. This
difference ranged from II to 12O per
cent"
Tests of the drafts of wagons were
made with wheels Of different height.
The trials We're made on macadam,
gravel and earth roads, under all CON
ditions, and on meadows, pastures, Gull
tiyat.d fields, stubble land, etc. The
draft was determined by means Of a
Giddings self recording dynamometer.
The net load was in every case the
same, 1000 pounds. Three sets Of
wheels of different height, all with six
inch tires, were used as follows: Stand
ard. front wheel forty-four inches, rear
wheel tifty-five inches: medium. front
wheel thirty-six inches, rear wheel
forty inches; low. front wheel twenty
four inches, rear wheel twenty eight
inches.
The experiment clearly demonstrated
that under almost all conditions OF
road surface the broad tired vehicles
draw the lighter and are Of benefit to
roads. while the narrow tired ones are
constantly destroying the roads.
The authorities of the station have
compiled the result of all their farm
wagon experiments into the following
summary:
For the same load, wagons with
wheels with standard height drew
lighter than wagons with lower wheels.
The difference in favor of stand
ard wheels was greater on road sur
faces in bad condition than on good
road surfaces.
Low wheels cut deeper ruts than
those of standard height.
The vibration of the tongue is greater
in wagons with low wheels.
For most purposes wagons with low
wheels are more convenient than those
with standard height
Wagons with broad tires and wheels
of standard height are cumbersome
and require much room in turning.
Diminishing the height of wheel to
thirty or thirty-siX inches in front and
forty or forty-four inches in the real
did not increase the draft In as grea,
proportion as 1t increased the CON
venience Of loading and unloading the
ordinary farm freight.
Diminishing the height Of wheels be
low thirty inches front and forty inches
rear increased the draft in greater pro
portion than it gained In convenience.
On good roads increasing the length
of tie rear axle so that the front and
rear wheels will run in different tracks
to avoid cutting ruts did not increase
the draft.
On sod. cultivated ground and bat
roads wagons with the rear axle Longer
than the front one drew heavier thar
Une having both axles of the same
length.
Wagons with the rear axle Longer
than the front one require wider gate
ways and are. on the whole, very in
convenient.
The best form of farm wagon is ont
of axles of equal length, broad tires
and wheels thirty TO thirty-six inches
nigh in front and forty to forty-foul