OCR Text |
Show STEL FLlGES FOB lie TRUCK Truck have lonj been employed by t ho -farmers and growers for both long" and short haul work ami have been found indispensable. But when the use of the motor truck in the orchard was tried out, the difficulty of operating the machi.io in the soft earth soon presented pre-sented itself. ith farmers about decided to give, up attempting- to use trucks in the orchards or-chards and groves, word conies from California 1 o the Randall-Dodd Auto company, distributors . for Republic , trucks, of an" unexpected and entirely ' satisfactory assistant in the harvesting of future crops. This new device, used j in connection with a two-ton Republic, internal ju ar drive truck, makes the work of gasoline-driven vehicles in the soft gro.ind of the orchard "possible. It is a steed flange whic'ii fastens to the felloes, or outer side, of the wheels of the track, enabling it to move over the soft ground just as readily as it does the smooth, level road. Moreover, the device dres not interfere in the least with the operation of the vehicle on the hard -surfaced roads the truck riding solely on itt own rubber tires. When run from the hard street to the orchard, the tires press into the soft ground just as readily as does the wide-wheeled' wide-wheeled' tractor. Provision also has ! been made for added traction, which ; the truck naturally needs when work- j in upon the soft ground. This is ob- ; taincd by a series of cleats which have j been fastened diagonally to the steel ilanges on the two rear wheels. Tu giving this new flange-wheel attachment at-tachment a thorough trvout, a two-ton Republic truck, with trailer attached, plowed Us- way over the soft ground of a California orange grove to the loading point, llere forty-five boxes of oranges were piled aboard the truck and trailer, and. at sixty pounds to the box, it will be seen that the gross weight of the loud was about 8700 pounds, to which was aikltd the weight of three workmen. work-men. Loaded in this manner the Republic Re-public aii (I its trailer wound their way around the trees, turning corners as shaip as is possible with a team of horses and without injuring the trees iu the least. The fruit was conveyed front the prove, past the house and far up the lane to the asphalt road, thence along ft boulevard directly to the packing pack-ing house ami without a stop. |