30 FOREST UTILIZATION 



High and low wheelers are used on undulating ground 

 for downhill pull on soil free from rock, swampy 

 places, debris and brush. 



C. Log wagons. Log wagons are entirely used for transportation 



in the old country, where the forests are traversed by a net- 

 work of well graded stone roads. Wagons are always hand- 

 made, of light weight and carry up to 17 tons of logs. 



In carrying long boles, the front and hind trucks are separated. 

 Steep curves can be made if the rear ends of the logs are fast- 

 ened underneath the axle of the hind truck. 



The American wagon has a track width, from center to center 

 of tire, of 4 feet 6 inches or 5 feet. 



Wheels are usually made entirely of white oak. The wood is 

 well seasoned. The tire is 3 inches, 5 inches and over. Front 

 and hind wheels usually equally high 2 feet to 3^2 feet. Eight 

 wheelers are now widely advertised. 



Skeins are preferably made of welded steel instead of cast, 3 

 inches to 5 inches in diameter. 



Steel axles have not proven a success, owing to difficulty of 

 repairs in the backwoods. Bolsters should reach to or over 

 the top of the wheels. 



The reach should allow of changing distance between front and 

 rear set. 



Main requirements are : 

 I. Strength. 



II. Possibility of repairs in the woods. 

 HI. Low point of gravitation. 

 IV. Ease of loading. 

 V. Ease in turning. 

 VI. Light weight of wagon itself. 



Prices for log wagons range from $80 to $200 according to carry- 

 ing capacity. Weight from 800 to i,8co pounds. Carrying ca- 

 pacity i l /2 to 5 tons. 



D. Traction engines. Traction engines are largely used abroad and 



have proven very successful recently in the South African 

 war. In freighting lumber from mill to city or depot they "are 

 used in the United States on a small scale, since stone roads 

 seem to be a prerequisite ; loose sand, deep mud or swamp are 

 impracticable for traction engines. In Pennsylvania four- 

 wheelers costing $1,500 for a i6-horsepower compound engine 

 and able to climb 12% grades and to turn 30 feet curves have 

 proven a failure, since the use of traction engines plows the 

 roads during rain. 



In the California mountains, where drouth prevails during six 

 months of the year, the three-wheelers manufactured by the 

 Best Company, of San Leandro, Cal., have been largely and 

 successfully introduced. Very high wheels and broad tread 

 cause little injury to the route traveled. The boiler is a com- 



