The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-07-27
DRAG EARTH ROADS
CHEAPEST SAYS
GOVERNMENT
Old Fashioned Road Drag,
Says Bureau of Roads, is
Most Useful Maintenance
Implement Yet Devised.

ANNA AM tue HtNAfN'HA MNNN N'NNA -
ponsivo cuntrisancc yet devised for
maintaining earth r09ds, according
90 the experts In the United states
department Of agriculture who are
cooperating with state and county
authorities IN work for better roads.
Properly used, the DRAG gives tho
needed crown 20 the road. smooths
out ruts and other Irregularities,
spreads out puddlvs Of water. there
by aooolcrating the drying OF tho
road, and makes the surface more or
less imperyious TO water By smear
ing over the so-called pores in tho
earthly material Tho cost Of opcr-
alton depends, Of course. upon local
conditions and the t-horoughness with
which the work h. don u Is safe
to say, however, that u Is less eN-
pensiye than any other efficient sya-
TEN Of upkeop.
Farmers Bulletin No. 5s7. Of the
department Of agriculture. discusses
under the title OF The Road Drag
and How II Is Used the best meth
ODDS Of maintaining earth roads In
good condition by this simple de-
vice. In this bulletin, which has Just
been published. the department
points cut that OF more than 2.000. 2
600 miles Of public roads In the
United States only about 100000
miles have beet given n hard srr-
face. II is true, OF course. that a
large part OF the remaining mileage
consists Of roads that are entirely un-
improved, and that on roads OF this
class the drag Is practically useless.
There Is "A much larger mileage.
however, that has been partially inn
proved. and IL Is on roads OF this
charactor-rOads that have been
crowned or drained. but have not a
hard surface-that the use OF the
drag Ia advocated.
In les simplest form, the road drag
consists Of an ordinary log spit IN
half and the two halves connected
like the uprights of a ladder by
means OF cross sticks or runRs set
In. The log Mould be about Z or y
inches In diameter. and from & 10 3
feet In length. II Is better to have
~ Of well-scasoncd. hard. tough
wood. The two scmi-cylindrical
halves OF the log form the runners Of
the drag, m are usually spaced
from 80 Co 80 inches apart Tho
front runner Is always placed with
b apit surface of the wood facing
forward. but the rear runner some
times has It's rounded face In front
h is done In order 10 Increase the
smearing action " tho drag as II
passes over the surface ~ the road.
h two runners are not placed di-
rectiy behind zach other. but are
offset as u Is called. from ~ "a
ls inches. This Ii done because the
drag is drawn over the road at an
angle sufficient 10 maxi the runners
free themselves of the material
which they scrapc. The amount OF
his angle or skew depends. oi
course. upon the condition Of the
road. by offscttinR the runncrs 70 Il
possible 20 make heir ends follow
approximately the same line on th'
road. which they would not do Il
they were set directly behind each
other and the draw drawn at an
ANGLE with the road.
In order 10 provide standing room
for the man. II Is usual to nail twe
boards down upon the q parable
60 the n standing upon thcs,
. skltul driver will bear his weight
In such a way as 20 aid materially
IN the successful operation of th'
drag.
AAMA ~ ufMNn ny n tIWli
which should be about s feet long
This can De fastened by cyeboits 4,
each end of the front runner, or one
end Of the chain can pass through
hole az tho discharge end OF tn
front runner and the other end b.
looped over the ruag at the cuttlni
end Of the runner. II h importan
that tho hitchiag link should be ~
designed that It's position can h
changed readily. IL Is also desirable
Ia provide "A metal cutting edge 70
the front runner. Thin can b mad
from a strip Of iron or steel. aud oh
wagon tires have frequently pfoyeI
satisfactory.
The cost OF such a drag varies fron
81 TO perhaps $40 or $50. This prac
ticaiiy Insignificant outlay will Sc
cure an implement that viii be q
great service TO tho community TO
at least three or four years. Tn
Tact cannot be overlooked, however
that skill in III use OF tho drag
indispensable.
The angle that tho runners max
with the centcr line of the road. ia
skew angle, as Il might be callo,
n an important factor. For exam
pie, " the dragging Il done 10 Ia
crease the crown az the road, th
drag should be sufficiently skcwc
90 diacharse uii material a. rspidl
AZ IL il collected on the q
b other hand. the conditions ina
be such that a u desirable 20 carr
along this material in order 60 "a
posit Il whore there are depression
IN tho roads surface. An INTEL
gent operator Wiil soon learn maj
ways OF controlling The action 81 n
drag The length OF the hitchir
chain. the disposition Of tho OPERA
or's weight, the time when the dral
Gins Is done, al THESE exert a mari
ed influence upon the results.
As 10 the time for dragging, a sal
rule 10 follow Is "a drag the roa
when the material composing q
surface contains sufficient mnirtul
10 ompac readily, but O. not sufl
cienuy Wet for traffic 90 produc
mud.
since the weather plays 80 in
poriant a part In the matter, IL II nj
usually possible 10 arrangc contil
u0us employment for teams on q
road. n Il therefore deNirahl
A