The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-06-05
HOW TO BUILD AND USE
THE SPlIT.L06 DRAG.
Department issues Bulletin on this
Simple Road Building Device.

H'F hi'A1o VI tue N'li' i'S uFdR, al iH-
plemcnt which NUMEROUS experiments
have conclBsively shown To be the
greatest possible boon to keep roads
smooth and passable. Because OF its
simplicity, it's efficiency and its cheap.
nesa, both in construction and operation,
il is destined to come more and more
into general use. With tho drag prop
erly built and its use well understood,
the maintenance OF earth roads becomes
a simple and Inexpensive matter.
At the present time there are approx
imately 1000, 900 miles Of Garth roads in
the United States. Some OF the most
important of these roads will eventually
be improved with stone, gravel. and
other materials. Many other which are
equally important cannot be so i'm
proved o. account 81 lack Of funds or
suitable materials, while still others
will o require such treatment because
OF the light traffic to which they are
subjected, For those reasons the ma.
iority Of our roads must be maintained
AZ earth roads for many years to come.
This must be done by inexpensive
methods aud the spIit-log drag will be
a powerful aid if economy is the critic
rion demanded.
In the construction Of this implement,
care should be taken to make il SO light
that oue man can lift 1t with ease, a
light drag responding more readily to
Farious methods Of hitching than =
heavy one, as well as to the shifting Of
the position Of the operator. The best
material for a split-loe drag Is a dry red
cedar log, though red elm and walnut
are excellent. and box elder, soft maple,
or even willow are superior to oak.
hickory, or ash. The log should be be-
tween 7 and 10 feet long and from 10 to
Y inches in diameter at the butt end.
It should be split carefully as near
the center a. possible, and the heaviest
and best slab chosen for the front. In
the front slab / inches from the end
which Is to drag in the middle Of the
road bore a 2-inch hole which is to re.
ceiye a cross stake. At a distance Of
y inches from the other end OF the
front slab, ! cate the center for another
stake The hole for the middle stake
will he on a line connecting and half
way between the two. Then place the
back slab in position and from the end
which is to drag in the middle of the
road measure 90 inches for the center
one cross stake and 6 inches from the
end locate the center of the op-
posite stake. The hole for the center
should be located halfway be-
tween the two. All these holes should
be carefully bored perpendicular or at
right angles to the face Of the split log.
1t these directions are followed it win
be found that when the holder of the
front aud back slabs are brought oppo-
site each other, one end of the back
slab will he rs inches nearer the center
If the roadway than the front one.
That gives what is known AZ set back"
The stakes, which are 30 inches long,
will hold the slabs this distance apart.
When the stakes have been firmly
Hcdged into their sockets, a brace
about J inches thick and 4 inches wide
nay be placed d~iagonaIly to them at the |
Itch end of the drag. A cleated board
8 placed between the slabs and across
he stakes for the driver TO stand on.
by many it Is deemed best to place a
"trip of iron along the lower face Of the {
ront slab for n cutting blade and to |
the drag from wearing. The ,
Irag may he fastened to the doubletree
~ means Of a trace chain. The chain
houId be wrapped around the left-hand >
r rear stake and passed wei the front c
lab. Raising the chain at this end of
he slab permits the earth to drift past =
he face Of the drag. The other end Of c
he chain should be passed through a :
ole in the opposite eEd of the front
aud held by a pin passed through a =
nix.
For ordinary purposes, the hitch b
hould be SO made that the unloaded q
rag will follow the team at an angle Of 7
bout a degrees. The team should be
with one horse on either side OF q
10 right-hand wheel track or rut the b
Ill length Of the portion to be dragged, K
nd made to return in the same manner O.
the other half Of the roadway.
1ch treatment will move the earth ri
wards the center Of the roadway and d,
Use it gradually above the sur
level. n,
The best results have been obtained U
: dragging roads once each way after
heavy rain. In some cases, how
one dragging every three or four I,
aeks has been found sufficient to keep
road in good condition.
When the soil is moist but not sticky
@ drag does its best work. As the 10
ii in a field will bake If ploughed wet, 90
the road will bake II the drag is useG An
it when it is wet. 10 the roadway is do
II of holes or badly rutted, the drag he
ould be used once when the ground Ia IA,
# and slushy. This is particularly ws
plicable before a cold spell in winter,
len it liz possible to so prepare the
that il will freeze smooth.