CH. V 



SKID 



87 



The skid, when not in use, should hook on the 

 body of the coach, just behind the bracket of the 

 brake-arm. Sometimes the hook for the skid is 

 worked on this bracket. It must be far enough 

 back to keep the bight of the chain entirely off the 

 ground. A leather loop is fastened to the body to 

 take the hook shown in Fig. 47. 



In English coaches the hook and loop are on the 

 near side of the coach, because the skid is put 

 under the near wheel. In America, where we drive 

 on the right-hand side of the road, the skid should be 

 put under the off wheel, for the reason that the skid, 

 holding very tightly to the ground, acts almost as if 

 it were a fixed point, and the tendency of the force 

 exerted by the horses will 

 be to pull on the chain 

 in a straight line from 

 that point ; the coach 

 will therefore slide over 

 to the side away from the 

 skid, which should be, 

 therefore, always on the 

 lower side of the road ; 



if it is on the upper side, the coach will be constantly 

 sliding toward the gutter (see Fig. 48). 



The reader can satisfy himself that this is so, by 

 putting a skid on any four-wheeled carriage and 

 then pulling the carriage over a smooth, level pave- 

 ment, such as asphalt. 



Attention is especially called to this, because 



Fig. 48. 



