The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-04-05
WIDE TIRES MAKE EASIER
HAULING

good roads have urged the use of
wide tires on wagons as a means
of reducing the needless wear Of
road surfaces. For as many years,
the average farmer has shown little
inclination To adopt such tires. He,
pays taxes for the maintenance of
roads and claims that they should
be kept in good enough condition
for him To use any width of tire he
prefers. He objects TO being taxed
for something which he must pam
per To the extent Of foregoing what
he regards as one Of his inalienablc
rights to the slightest degree. His
point Of view is so buttressed by
firm convictions that ii is difficult
to persuade him to change il. The
most convincing argument in his
case is usually one that presents
prospect of financial advantage,
and there is good argument for
wide tires based on their saving
To the farmer. I'm fact, il is a better
argument for such tires than their
service in projecting roads. IL is
based OH facts ascertained by ex-
periments made by the U. S. Office
of Public Roads and Rural Engineer
ing under the direction of +. b.
M.ls al Of A.. tSiA of
rural engineering.
An earth road was plowed up,
graded, and then rolled with a 10
ton roller weighing $50 pounds per
inch of width Of the rim of the
wheels. A wagon was then loaded
until the total weight on the wheels
was 5000 pounds, and the pull in
pounds required TO haul il along
the road was measured. The wagon
was equipped with ~, 2, 3, I, 5,
and 6 inch tires and the weight
of the loaded wagon was 1888, 625,
III. 3i3. go and 2OS pounds per
inch width Of tire for these diff
ferent widths. II will be noticed
that with ~ and 2 inch tires the
wheels produced greater loads on
the road. per inch of width of tire,
than did the road roller used in
constructing the road, so that it is
self-eyident that such tires will
cut into a new road somewhat and
are therefore undesirable. After
each test and before the beginning
of the next, the road was replowed
graded and again rolled, so as to
have the conditions at the begin
ming of each test as uniform as
possible with an earth road. The
tests selected for comparison were
those in which moisture and
weather conditions We're identical.
The results of these tests show
that il takes a pull of about 81
pounds per ton of gross load when
~ inch tires are used, 81 pounds
with , inch tires, II pounds with
3 inch. 60 pounds with 1 inch and
&c posnds with inch. With o
inch tires the pull increases some
what above that with 5 inch tires,
indicating that for such wagon
and load there is no advantage in
increasing the width of tire above
3 inches. From these figures, it
will be seen that horse must exert
itself about % per cent more to pull
the same load with ~ inch tires
than with inch tires and over 10
per cent more with inch tires
than with 3 inch tires. Any such .
needless strain on the
strength of horses, avoidable by
wide for narrow tires,
is a waste of the farmers assets,
which he will be quick to see when
pointed out.
The width of tires recommended
by the Department of Agriculture
IS as follows: one-horse wagon,
1000 pounds loaded, 2
inches; light two-horse wagon,
$500 pounds loaded, PA
inches; medium two-horse wagon,
$500 pounds loaded, 3
inches; standard tw0-horse wagon,
$500 pounds, inches;
leavy twO-horse wagon, weighing
300 pounds loaded, 5 inches.
With such tires, not only will the
armer work his horses TO the best
but he will also reduce
he amount of money that must be
pent to keep the roads in a con-
Iition for easy use. He will be
amer in every way. He can haul
Ieavier loads with the same team,
e can haul the same load with less
xertiOn than with narrow tires,
Il