44 BULLETIN 440, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
tank car at a cost of S3. 50 daily. The cost of loading, therefore, aver- 
ages about 21 cents per 1,000. To this amount should be added 2 
cents per 1,000 for maintenance of the machine. 
HORSE TRUCK HAULING. 
Horse truck hauling is much used at the smaller mills. Where 
conditions are favorable the trucks may be taken to each tree and 
the logs loaded with the truck team. In rougher localities the logs 
are collected at landings by horse skidding or hauling in chutes. 
Horse trucking permits a rather small woods investment, which 
adapts it to small operators. Its use is limited to localities where 
truck roads with moderate grades can be constructed at a reasonable 
cost. In the level regions big wheels are considered more satisfactory 
for short hauls. 
Except in some of the level pine lands in the eastern Sierras, a road 
must be constructed to each landing for truck hauling. Such roads 
should have no adverse grades against the loaded trucks, and not too 
heavy ones against the empty trucks. Probably 20 per cent is a 
good maximum. Pitches as high as from 30 to 35 per cent are used 
in some localities, but at a heavy risk of accidents to stock. Many 
of the roads are constructed by simply swamping out a right of way 
and driving over it. However, whenever it is necessary to cross a 
slope a road must be dug out. Except where solid rock is encoun- 
tered, the cost of such grading will be about 15 cents per cubic yard. 
Upon a 20 per cent slope the cost per mile is estimated at from $500 
to $700. 
The trucks used are of heavy construction, and are usually partly 
homemade. Frequently the wheels are cross sections of a log. The 
tires are usually 5 or 6 inches wide. The four-wheeled type is the 
only kind used. They weigh from 1,800 to 2,000 pounds apiece and 
cost from SI 75 to S200, fitted with bunks. Binding chain and draft 
chain equipment and spreaders add about $40 for each truck. Heavy 
horses cost from $500 to $550 per span. The daily cost is about $1.50 
each. The usual truck team consists of six horses driven with a jerk 
line, the teamster riding the near wheeler. The braking may be done 
by the teamster, or a swamper may follow each truck to set the brake. 
Several logs are placed on a truck at one time, the average load 
being from 1,400 to 1,800 feet. Upon an easy mile haul a six-horse 
truck should make six trips daily with an average load of 1,500 feet, 
a daily output of 9,000. The cost of labor and team expense is about 
$13.50 daily, or SI. 50 per 1,000. On a J-mile haul the same truck 
equipment should have a daily output of about 12,000 at an average 
cost of $1.12 per 1,000. In one instance, upon a haul varying from 1 
to 2 miles from the landings to the mill, six outfits of this character 
