WAGONS, BUGGIES, AND SLEDS 247 



352. The box. The wagon independent of the box is 

 often spoken of as the gear. The box, or what is some- 

 times called the bed, may be removed and a hay rack or 

 the gear may be used independently for the hauling of 

 logs or lumber. The box of a narrow-track farm wagon 

 is found to be the most convenient when it is 3 feet wide 

 and 10 feet long inside, and made up of three sections, 14, 

 12, 10 inches deep. The second is spoken of as the top 

 box and the third as the tiptop box. A box of the above 

 dimensions will hold approximately two bushels for each 

 inch in depth. A box of this size requires 3 feet 2 inches 

 between the standards on the bolster, and is 10 feet 6 

 inches long outside. The sides of the box should be of 

 the best selected yellow poplar and the bottom of 3-inch 

 quarter-sawed yellow pine flooring with oak strips on the 

 under side. A metal plate should be riveted on where 

 the bolster rubs, and a rub iron of good design and se- 

 cure attachment should be placed where the front wheel 

 rubs. A device should be provided to hold the box sec- 

 tions securely together. 



353. Brakes. Wagon brakes are required in hilly lo- 

 calities. Two general types of wagon brakes are in use, 

 the box brake or the brake attached to the wagon box, 

 and the gear brake, attached to gear independent of the 

 box, except that a lever attached to it is provided to be 

 used when the box is used. The gear brake has two ad- 

 vantages in that it does not weaken or injure the box in 

 any way, when used, and it may be used when the gear is 

 used without the box. The box brake has a tendency to 

 chatter and loosen the floor of the box. 



354. Painting. All of the wooden parts of the gears 

 should be boiled in linseed oil and then one coat of paint 

 applied before the ironing is done. The former process 

 drives all moisture from the wood and fills the pores so 



