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Show ROAD IN RURAL COMMUNITIES Evr Recurring Problem of Upkeep Can, In Large Measure, Be Solved by Uie of Road Drag. Uy R K. KM NT, t'nlwslty Farm. Bt. I'nul, Minn.) Because of it cbeapnes the earth road Is, and for many years to come will continue to be, the most common form of road In use in rural communities. communi-ties. The ever recurring problem of upkeep on such road can, in a large measure, be solved by the use of the so-called split log drag, which can be constructed a shown in tbe accompanying accom-panying picture by any one who has suitable material at band. A log Is not necessary, or perhaps not desirable, desir-able, for its construction. Choose four pieces of plank of some strong wood, uch as elm or red fir, two Inches thick and eight feet long. Two of them should be ten or twelve Inches In width, but the other two may be narrower a shown In the picture, since they are simply bolted to the back of the wider plank for reinforcement. rein-forcement. If planks three and a holf or four fnche thick can conveniently be obtained, a single thickness of them should be used. Instead of building build-ing up a shown in the cut. In any case, the drag can be put together - Road Drag. with round pole wedged Into auger hole a shown, or the crosspleces may be set In with mortise and tenon joints and kept tight by long bolt reaching through tbe front and back plank. A piece of Iron about three and one-half feet long, three or four incbe wide and one-fourth of an inch thick should be used for a blade. Ily means of boll with flat, counter-aunk beads, this blade should be attached to the front plank in such a manner that its edge will project a half-inch below the plank at the ditch end, while tbe end of the Iron toward the middle of the road should be flush with tbe edge of the plank. If the face of tbe plank stands plumb It will be well to wedge out the bottom of the Iron with a wedge-shaped piece of wood to give the Iron a set similar to tbat of a plane bit. A platform of Inch boards cleated together, with crack an inch wide between the board to prevent dirt from collecting on top, I placed on the cross piece of the drag to furnish a platform for the driver. Thl platform plat-form should rest upon the cross-pieces cross-pieces between tbe planks without be-lug be-lug fastened to tbe drag. It Is not shown In the Illustration. Any chain having the strength of a trace chain may be used to draw the drag and should be attached as shown In the picture, but the proper position posi-tion for attaching the doubletrees must be determined by experiment and will vary with the kind of work done. The cbaln should be about nine feet long for a drag of the size shown la the cut and should have the eye for the clevis put In about three leet from the end. Tbe chain attaches by mean of an eyebolt, a shown In tbe picture, to the ditch or blade end of the drag. The other end of tbe cbaln should finish with a grabhook for use In adjusting tbe length of the bitch after the chain Is passed around tbe cross-piece at the road end of tbe drag Commonly tbe drag should follow the team at an angle of about forty-five forty-five degrees with their line of travel, to cause tbe dirt to move steadily and freely along the faces of the planks from the ditch toward the center of the road. In every case the angle at which the drag will travel can be governed gov-erned by the position of the hitch, which Is changed within reasonable limits by lengthening or shortening the chain, and by the position of the driver on the drag. A very little ex perlence will enable anyone to adjust these things satisfactorily. |