MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



THE BEST CONCRETE MIXER 



For Street, Road, Sidewalk and Bridge Work 



Some of Its Advantages 



High wheels, easy to move. 

 One handling of materials lands 

 the concrete into wheelbarrows 

 and many times into your forms. 

 Measures cement, sand and 

 crushed stone. Can adjust ca- 

 pacity from 3 cubic yards to 

 8 cubic yards per hour. Engine 

 is mounted on the stationery 

 end of the machine ; therefore, 

 the weight is on the high 

 wheels and the machinery is 

 always in perfect alignment. 



We will ship our Mixers to 

 responsible parties on approval, 

 settlement to be made after 

 satisfactory trial. Please men- 

 tion THIS PAPER when writing 

 for printed matter or informa- 

 tion. 



THE ADVANCE CONCRETE MIXER CO. 



118 E. Washington Street, Jackson, Mich. 



(preferably two and one-half or three inches), 

 from 10 to 12 inches wide and f> l /i or 7 feet long 

 and of hard wood. A platform of inch boards, 

 loosely nailed to the cross pieces, allows the 

 driver to ride, whenever the float does not move 

 enough earth. He also varies the weight on differ- 

 ent parts as may be required, by shifting his 

 position. 



The float i> made more lasting by bolting a 

 steel plate one fourth inch thick and three inches 

 wide on the front of each plank. However, if 

 this is not done, the float can be used, both sides 

 forward and both sides up. thus wearing off all 

 four edges of each plank before it has to be 

 thrown away. 



The ring, or eye. in the long bolt should be 

 large enough to readily permit a log chain to slip 

 through. A three-fourths inch or five-eighths 

 inch bolt will usually be large enough. 



The cost of these floats, lumber and labor, all 

 told should not exceed $2.50 or $3.00 each. 



Theory of Floating or Dragging. 



Travel over a clay road in wet weather forms 

 a pasty mud inpervious to water. Such clay is 

 said to be puddled and is often used to line the 

 sides of reservoirs. In fact, it lines every mud 

 hole and prevents the water from sinking down 

 as it does in the fields. A properly maintained clay 

 road is like a thud hole turned upside down it 

 is covered with an umbrella. It is quite generally 

 understood that this puddled earth, when com- 

 pressed and dried, becomes very hard. Indeed. 

 we have all noticed that clay roads in July and 

 August get "as hard as bone." 



When used at the right time and in the proper 

 manner, the float or drag distributes the puddled 

 earth over the road in a thin layer which, as it 

 dries out. is beaten and packed by travel into a 

 very hard surface. Continued draggings through- 

 out the season preserves the crown of the road, 

 ceeps it always smooth and free from ruts and 

 gradually lays on, to the depth of several inches, 



a hard and impervious surface which muds up 

 less easily with every dragging. 



When to Drag. 



(1) Begin in the spring when the frost has 

 left the ground and the road begins to dry, but 

 while yet muddy. 



(2) Drag immediately after every prolonged 

 rain throughout the season. 



(3) Drag, in the fall just before the ground 

 freezes. 



(4) Drag in the winter, if the frost leaves the 

 ground. It will freeze smooth. 



(5) Do not drag a dry road. 



How to Drag. 



(1) Hitch to the drag a log chain, drawing it 

 at such an angle as will crowd a little earth to- 

 wards the center of the road. 



(2) If the drag cuts in too much, shorten the 

 hitch ; if too little, lengthen it. 



(3) Let the team straddle the wheel track. 

 Go down one side and- back on the other. 



(4) Drive the team on a walk. 



(5) Ride on the drag, unless the Joad is too 

 heavy. 



(6) Drag the center first. With other drag- 

 gings gradually widen out until the whole turn- 

 pike has been covered. 



The success of this work depends solely upon 

 the thorough manner in which it is followed up. 

 There should be' a drag in each township for 

 every two or three miles or road that need drag- 

 ging 25 to 30 drags in some townships. always 

 left with the men who are hired to use them. 

 The commissioner should arrange with the 

 farmers living on the roads to have every mile 

 of road in his township dragged every time it 

 need,s it probably ten times in the season. This 

 arrangement should be made for the season at a 

 fixed priqe per hour. . Each man should take all 

 the road Tiis drag is expected to cover. The 

 telephone should be used to make sure that every 

 man drags his beat on the appointed day. Re- 



ports on postal cards, handed out by the com- 

 missioner for that purpose, should be mailed to 

 him every time the road has been dragged, giving 

 the time thus employed. Settlements may be 

 made, checking with the card, once a month or 

 once a quarter, as may be convenient. 



The cost of -such dragging, where it has been 

 systematically followed, has seldom exceeded five 

 dollars per mile per year, in some cases less. 

 Reports from such places show results that are 

 marvelous. The cost of maintaining the roads 

 has been lessened and their condition, most of 

 the time, is said to be excellent. The following 

 is taken from a letter to the State Highway De- 

 partment by Samuel Geiger, of Pigeon, Highway 

 Commissioner of Winsor township, Huron 

 County : 



"In regard to the plank float, or road drag as 

 we call it, it is certainly one of the best and 

 cheapest tools that ever was used on a public 

 highway. We used six of these drags in the 

 year 1909 in the township of Winsor and they 

 gave splendid satisfaction. I can truly say that 

 when the drag question comes before the people 

 at our spring election, they will vote to use, dur- 

 ing the season of 1910, at least twenty or twenty- 

 five of these road drags, as they are cheap and 

 do the work. The way I used the drags, I 

 would give a man about two or three miles of 

 road and he wold do the work at the proper 

 time without special order from the commis- 

 sioner, at the rate of thirty-five cents an hour. 

 The cost per mile (for the season) averaged 

 about four dollars. One team can do the work.'' 

 Mr. Geiger gives the cost of three drags as 

 follows : 



Oak plank, at $30.00 per M $4.45 



Carpenter, one-half day 1.25 



Commissioner, one-half day 1.25 



Bolts with rings 1.55 



Total $8.50 



Average price $2. 83^. 



Won't you give the drag a trial? 



