Show I Highway Improvement PLAN TO MAKE A ROAD DRAG illustration Shows an Implement Which Is Simple and Inexpensive Tough Wood Best Prepared by the tho United States Department Department Depart Depart- ment of Agriculture The accompanying illustration shows vs a typical design for a road drag which Is 18 very simple and Inexpensive The Thc design contemplates the use of an nn ordinary ordinary ordinary nary log of ot timber such a nS as may be readily obtained In hi almost every local local- ity itT The log should be about 7 or 8 Inches lathes in diameter and from G 6 to 8 feet teet long Jong and should preferably be of ot hard tough wood which will not decay very rapidly when exposed to the weather White oak burr oak chestnut cedar hickory walnut or any similar wood may be satisfactorily used provided that it Is well seasoned before t the o 1 r drag is s put into use Railroad ties Juno have been frequently used for this purpose and possess the advantage o that flat they are already cut to about the right length In selecting the tie Ue however care should be exercised to I see that it Is Is' of sound wood and of the proper size i iThe iThe The drag Is made by splitting or sawing the log Into two equal semi semi- cylinders which ar are then framed I together together together to to- gether in the tho manner shown In the illustration The better of the two pieces should form the front runner of ct the drag because it is tho the one subJected subjected subjected sub sub- to the greater wear Moreover while the front runn runner r should always be placed with the face faca forward it is claimed by many mant that better results may be obtained by having the round part of ot the back runner go o forward in order to Increase the smearing action of ot the drag The two runners are usually spaced from about 30 inches I to 36 SO Inches apart and are connected In ladder fashion by by- means of cross stakes or rungs The ends of the rungs are ordinarily Into 2 Inch auger holes bored In Inthe inthe the tho runners and are securely held In place by means of end wedges The auger neger holes are so arranged that the runners when framed together will willbe willbe be displaced in a longitudinal direction direction direction tion with respect to each ench other The object of this displacement or offset as it is usually termed is to make the ends of the front and back runners follow approximately the same ame line on the road while the drag Is In oper oper- The amount of ot displacement therefore should depend on the amount I of bf skew v necessary to make the drag empty empt itself But since this skew varies varies varies va va- ries with the tho condition of ot the road surface the proper offset to be given Iven to runners C cannot be definitely fixed Under ordinary conditions an nn offset of from about 12 Inches to about 16 Inches will prove satisfactory In order to make It cas easy for a n man manto manto manto to stand upon the dra drag and to shift his I weight properly when dragging over overa a hard surface the dra drag should be provided with two 1 1 inch boards parallel paral paral- i i tel lei to the runners runner and nailed down to I I Typical al Design of Split Split Log Leg g braga Drag the rungS rungs These boards should beabout beabout be beabout about 8 Inches wide and their length should be slightly less than that of tho the runners of the drag The chain by means of which the drag is drawn should be about 8 feet lon long and Its links should be made of three inch steel On light drags two trace chains may be bo used for this purpose Many road drags drugs constructed as above described without metal-cutting metal edges or OP other modifications have been very satisfactorily used where the conditions conditions conditions con con- were favorable It Is evident however that such drags s are effective only on comparatively soft road surfaces surfaces surfaces sur sur- faces and to diminish this limitation and also to Increase the life of the tho drag It Is very desirable to provide a metal-cutting metal edge for the front run run- ner An excellent edge of this kind may be made from a strip of Iron or steel about one-fourth one Inch thick and about four Inches wide and even old wagon tires Ures or grader rader blades have been v very ry satisfactory |