Show WIDE IDE TIRES HUES A 1 HELP IMMENSE BENEFIT IN KEEPING HIGHWAYS IN GOOD CONDITION I 1 CONCERTED ACTION NEEDED two ton load on wagon with 1 f inch tires will do more damage in cutting up road than twice the load on three inch tire by HOWARD H GROSS the question of good roads throughout tho the country Is of tremendous importance por tanco and tho the people pomplo are every where clamoring for them the groat great majority seem to bo be wandering around in a maze of uncertain uncertainty tr 1 as to what to do tho the solution involves many factors local conditions are subject to a wido variation both as to soil eoll road material amount of gramc etc hence no rule can bo laid down that will apply in all cases tho subject must bo be given intelligent treatment by a capable ca P engineer familiar with the surroundings roun dings there Is however one thing that can bo be done that will bo be of immense benefit to the roads of allo times whether earth stone or gravel and that Is wider tires upon the wagons untold millions of dollars of damage to highways Is done every year by heavy loads upon narrow tiro tire farm wagons these are often f from roin one and v a halt half inches to one and three quarters wide seldom more than two and a quarter A two ton load on it a wagon with one and three quarters inch tires will do more damage in cutting up a toad broad than twice the load upon a three inch tiro tire it if wo we could have uniform I 1 concerted action in any community whereby three to three and a half inch tires would be put upon every farm wagon it would mean much better highways than we now have the narrow tires mean deep ruts and if the rule Is a narrow tire upon wagons the man who goes out upon those highways with a wide vide tire to la badly handicapped honce hence it many any good la Is to come from the wide tiro tire movement it should be generally adhered to it Is a truthful statement that wide tires make maho roads and narrow tires do stroy btroy them an equitable basis would be to license all vehicles doing business upon tho the public highways grading the license tee fee according to the width of the tire and letting tho the amount of money paid in be used to maintain the tha roads this Is just and no one who Is willing to tote fair can object to it in grading the license tea fee it should be in such a manner that it will vill bo be to the interest of the owner to substitute a wide tire for his narrow one I 1 when this Is suggested it will bo be ot at once cald that thai it to Is impractical and that it cannot le be done it is surprising how many objections can be found against tho the doing of anything that a person does docs not want to do about three years ago the city of chicago passed an ordinance providing for wide tires upon vehicles using the streets for traffic A tremendous howl bowl was wag made by nil all teaming interests and they brought in the wagon makers to state that the changing of these wheels meant an expenditure of millions upon millions lons of dollars and it would take several years in order to have the change made large manufacturers rs of wagons said the wagon stock was gotten out for the narrow tiro tire wagons and it would take tit al least two years before any general chango change could be mode made at that time the writer took a hand in the campaign with others and pulI lAed in the chicago papers illustrations of how this change could be made see cut herewith the city council stood firm the orai ordinance nance was passed and the users usera of narrow tims were arrested and nned in a very short abort time wide tires began to appear upon the streets and now tho the we use Is general and the solution ban been mainly as indicated namely substituting wide tires for narrow ones upon the same wheels any local blacksmith or wagon maker can make tho the change indicated and the expense ought to range between and 1200 for a wagon the question la Is how shall this be brought about tho the welter would suggest a state law lav licensing all the vehicles the same ha as the automobile to Is now licensed and let it apply upon everything that goes upon the road gradi graduating tating it with a view of making the vehicles that do the most damage pay the largest tax without giving an entire schedule the following will illustrate what the writer has haa in mind that after a given date no vehicle shall bo be used upon the highways un tin loss losa it carries a license on a two horse farm wagon with a tiro tire of 1 inches or less the annual license fee to bo be a year over 1 inches and under 24 inches year over inches and under 3 inches per year three inches or over per year the money collected to be credited to tho the road district and bo be used for road repair work there la is another advantage to be rather than malse make them wa worse arse dynamometer tests havo have ben made showing the amount of power required to move a given load over various sur surfaces facea with tires of different widths ninny many persons will bo be surprised to know in the large majority of cases a load can be moved with less power with vehicles having wide tires rather than narrow ones there may be another and easier way to accomplish the end desired than the imposing of a license tax upon vehicles that would be to credit the owner ri a certain amount each year on hla his annual road tax bill upon furnishing proof that all lite his vehicles used upon the highways conformed to the wide tire requirements suppose the owner has a road tax of say 1200 and lie he has two wagons used upon tho the highways credit him per year upon each wagon for four years in this way the tax abated will more than pay the cost of changing tho the wagon thus his interest would be lelent to induce the owner to m make ake the change public sentiment would also change rapidly in support of the wide tire movement and in a year or two a man would bo be ashamed to be seen on the street with one of these road destroying ying wagons referring to the illustration above A wide tire can be placed upon an old wheel without any filling as shown in the illustration just let the tire project a halt half inch on each 7 A 4 41 ta r ci 14 14 14 44 14 7 81 tit caw 3 TRE TIRE ws SPACED 4 rs AY GB ED AND Qc Fews 19 IF delreo OR 3 ROWS OMS 1 or OF ame alq m adalis AIL spaced SPA CE 0 C 3 Q PV I 1 SERVE C V pair po S rallied gained by this method over and a above b ove the preservation of the highways that Is the same wagon Is more useful on the farm or on the fields for tora doing ordinary farm work the hauling over hax bay fields and grain fields with narrow tired wagons does considerable sid erable damigo damage hauling out manure and ju jo a variety of farm work aldo ado tire wagons are advisable many farmers keep wagons with wide tires for this purpose why not have all vehicles carry a wide sensible tire that will improve conditions side of the felloe this will greatly simplify tho the changing from the nar row to the wide tire and for many localities cali ties will serve the purpose just alst as aa well wide tires make roads narrow tires destroy them there should be a thorough operation cooperation co between all of the residents of the several townships for better roads nothing can be done so quickly and so cheaply that will be productive of such good results as to discard narrow tires and substitute wide ones in their place |