The Springdale news., 1913-02-14
SPLIT.LOG DRAG
Instructions for Making This Use
 fuI Article


 with a great variety of devices for road dragging, but has found the tWo-slab log or plank drag with lib- eral "set back" the most satisfact- ory Double drags for working both sides of the roadway simultan- eously have been tried with only limited success. The reason for this lies in the fact that both sides of an earth road are never exactly alike. This causes the two parts of the drag to work uneyenly and to interfere with each other. IL is also impossible for one man to op- crate both parts successfully, as will be shown later on.
 Two mistakes are commonly made in constructing drag The first lies in making 1t too heavy. IL should be so light that one man can easily lift it. Besides, light drag responds more readily to vari- ous methods of hitehing and to the shifting of the position and weight of the operator both of which are essential considerations. A drag can be made heavier at any time by proper weighting
 The other mistake is in the use Of squared tlmbers, instead of those with sharp edges, whereby the cutting effect of sharp edges is lost and the drag is permitted 10 glide over instead of to equalize the ir- regularities in the surface of the road. These mistakes are due part ly to badly drawn illustrations and plans of drags which have oaeasion- ally appeared in newspapers and partly to the erroneous idea that it Is necessary that large amount Of earth shall be moved at one time.
 A dry red cedar log is the best material for drag. Red elm and walnut when thoroughly dried are excellent, and box elder, soft map le. or even willow are preferable to oak, hickory, or ash
 The log should be or $ feet long and from=Io to f2 inches in diane CT, and carefully split down the middle Tie heaviest and best slab should be selected for the front At point on this front slab 1 inches from the end that is to be al the middle of tie road lo= eate the center of the hole to re eeise a cross stake and 22 inches from the other end of the front slab locate the center for another cross stake The hole for the mid de stake will lie on line connect ing and halfway between the two. The back slab should HOW be plac- ed ill position behind the other From the end which is to be at the middle of the read measure % inch e.s for the center of the cross stake. and 6 inches from the other end locate the center of the out tide stake Find the center of the mid de hole as before When these holes are brought opposite each other, one end of the back slab will lie 6 inches nearer the center of the roadway than the front one, giving what is known as set back. The holes should be 2 inches in di- ameter Care must be taken to hold the auger plumb in boring these holes in order that the stakes shall fit properly. The hole to re- ceive the forward end of the chain should be bored at the same time.
 The .wo slabs should be held 90 inches apart by the stakes Straight grained timber should be selected for the stakes. so that each stake shall fit snugly into the 2-ineh hole when the two slabs are in the taper gradually toward the ends There should be no should CT at the point where the stakes enter the slab The stakes should be fastened in place by wedges on ly
 When the stakes have been plae- ed in position and tightly wedged, a brace inches thick and 1 inch es wide should be placed diagonal ly to them at the ditch end The brace should be dropped on the front slab, so that it's lower edge shall lie within an inch of the ground, while the other end should rest in the angle between the slab and the end stake.
 A strip of iron about 3 12 feet long, 3 or 1 inches wide and l4 of an inch thick may be used for the blade. This should be attach ed to the front slab, so that it will be one-half inch below the lower edge of the slab at the ditch end. while the end of the iron toward the middle of the road should be flush with the edge of the slab.