Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-19
The Wide Tire.

| In many parts of the prairie states
gravel or similar material for surfacing
the roads is not readily available ana
the question that confronts these sec
lions at present is how to have The
best roads from the material at hand.
One very important factor IN the
production and maintenance OF good
| roads Is the use of the wide tire The
advantage of the wide tire In rolling
down the surface OF the ROAD ana
avoiding the formation of ruts is quite
generally recognized. There IS SUN
some misrepresentation. however. as TO
the draft of the wide-tired wagon, as
compared with those having the old
fashioned narrow tire.
The belief that increasing the width
of tire increase the draft doubtless n
rises from the fact that as rule the
increase In width OF tire is accompan-
led by a decrease I'm the diameter OF
the wheel. The former. as shown by
many trials decreases the draft the
latter very rapidly increases IT. The
radius of the wheel constitutes the
lever arm thru which the power or the
horse acts to move the load. AS TINS
lever is shortened the advantage oil
the horse is decreased In other
words a greater amount of power must
be applied to move the load.
The Missouri experiment station has
conducted numerous trials with wheels
Of different heights and the Same
width of tire The following are some
OF the conclusions reached;
"For the same load wagons with
wheels of standard height drew lighter
than those with lower wheels. Inc
difference In favor of the standard
wheels was greater on road surfaces
in bad condition than on good road
surfaces. Low wheels cut deeper ruts
than those Of standard height. me
vibration OF the tongue is greater In
wagons with low wheels. For most
purposes wagons with low wheels are
more convenient than those of stand
ard height Wagons with broad tires
and wheels OF standard height OF cum
and wheels OF standard height are
cumbersome and require much room IN
turning. Diminishing the height OF
wheel to from thirty to thirty-sx in
ches in front, and forty to forty-four
inches in the rear, did not increase the
creased the convenience of loading and
unloading the ordinary farm freight.
Diminishing the height Of wheels be-
low thirty inches front and forty in
ches rear, increased the draft in great
er proportion than it gained in con-
venience.
"On good roads, increasing the
length of 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 cultivat-
ed ground. and bad roads, wagons with
the rear axle longer than the front one
drew heavier than one having both
axles of the same length Wagons
with the rear axle longer than front
one require wider gateways and more
careful drivers, and are on the whole
very inconyenient and not to be rec
commended for farm use. The best
form Of farm wagon is one with axles
Of equal length, broad tires and wheels
thirty to thirty-six inches high in front
and forty to forty four inches behind"
AS to the effect Of the width Of tire
where the diameter of the wheel re-
mains the same the Seattle Post notes
a trial where 40 per cent more power
was required to draw a load on a wag-
on having one and one-half inch tires
than on q wagon having three inch
tires. Tests at the Missouri station
were very decidedly in favor Of the
wide tire under practically all condit-
ions.
In this connection it may be noted
that many European countries have
laws regulating the width of tires. In
Germany four inch tires are required
for heavy loads. In France the tires
must be from three . ten inches ac-
cording to the load, ans. the front axle
must be shorter than the rear axle to
prevent Cracking" In Austria wag-
ons carrying two and a quarter tons
must have tires at least four and
third inches wide and every load over
four and a half tons must be carried
on tires six and one-fourth inches in
width. Switzerland has similar regu-
lations.