Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-06-11
HOW TO BUILD
SPLIT-LOG DRAG
office Of Public Roads Of the United
States Issues Bulletin
on R0ad-Building

Agriculture treats Oh tlk Spiit iOS
drag. an implement which numer-
Gus experiments have conc1 usively
shown to be the greatest possible
boon to keep earth roads smooth and
passabIe. Because of its simplicity
its efficiency and it's cheapness,
both in construction and operation
ii is destiuedto come more and
more into general use. With the
drag properly built and its use well
understood the maintenance OF
earth roads becomes simple and
inexpensive matter.
At the present time there are
approximately 1900, 600 miles OF
earth roads in the United States.
Some of the most important of these
roads will eventually be improved
with stone, gravel, and other ma
terials Many others which are
equally important cannot be SO i'm
proved on account Of lack OF funds
or suitable materials, while still
others will not require such treat
nent because of the light traffic
70 which they are hi scted. For
these reasons thu majority of our
roads must be r aintained as earth
roads for many years to come This
must be done by inexpensive meth
DDS and the splitiog drag will be d
powerful aid if economy IS the
criterion dcman ed.
In the construction of this i'm
plement, care should be taken to
make it so light that one man can
lift it with ease, a light drag re-
spending more readily to various
methods of hitching than heavy
one, as we'll IS to the shifting OF
the position of the operator. The
best material for a SPLIT log drag is
dry red cedar log, though red elm
and walnut are excellent, and box
elder, solf maple, or even willow
are superior to oak, hickory or ash.
The log should be between and
10 feet long and from 10 TO IL
inches in diameter at the butt end.
1t should be split carefully as near
the center as possible, and the
heaviest and best slab hosen for
the from In the front slaD 4
inches from the end which is to
drag in the midcle If the road bore
2 inch hole which is to receive
a cross stake. At a distance of %
inches from the other end of the
front slab locate the center for an
other cross stake, the hole for the
middle stake will be on line con-
Meeting and half way between the
two Then place the back slab IN
position and from the end which is
10 drag in the middle of the road
measure 2 inches for the center oil
one cross stake and g inches from
the other end locate the center oil
the opposite stake The hole for the
center stake should be located nall
way bstween the two. All these
holes should be carefully bored
perpe ,dicuiar or at right angles L
the face of the split log.
II these directions are followed /
will be found that when the holes
of the front and back slab ar,
brought opposite each other, on
end of the back will be @ iuche
hearer the center of the road wa
that the front one. That give:
what is known as ''set back. - Tn
stakes, which are 80 inches long
apart When the stakes have bee
firmly wedged int their sockets
brace about ? inches thick and
inches wide may be placed diagonal
iy to them at the ditch end OF tn
drag. A cheated board is place
between the slabs and across tn
stakes for the driver to stard or
by many it is deemed best I
place strip of iron along the low
or face of the front stab for a Gu
ting blade and to prevent the DIRE
from wearing. The drag may
fasteude 10 the doubietree by NEAR
OF a trace chain. The chair shou
be wrapped aroand the left har
or rear stake and passed over II
front slab. Raising the chair
this end of the slab permits Il
earth to drift past the face of Il
drag The other end OF the cha
should be passed through hole
the opposite end of the front sla
and held by a pin passed throue
link.
For ordinary purposes. the hit
should be so made that the u
loaded drag will follow the team
an angle of about as degrees. r
team should be driven with O
horse on either side of the RIG
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