28 
BULLETIN 910, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The cost per mile as indicated by the cost of the tires and miles 
which they run has been reduced by these percentages in order to 
obtain the net cost per mile traveled. No attempt was made to 
obtain the cost of inner tubes for pneumatic tires or to obtain the 
cost of tire repairs separately from the entire repair costs of the 
trucks. 
Table XVII.— Tire costs. 
Allow- 
ance for 
Size of truck. 
Kind of tires. 
Cost per 
mile. 
Number 
of reports. 
tires on 
machine 
when 
bought. 
Net cost 
per mile. 
i-ton 
Pneumatic 
SO. 020 
113 
SO. 004 
SO. 016 
-f-ton 
do 
.035 
47 
.006 
.029 
1-ton 
do 
.020 
151 
.004 
.016 
Solid 
.020 
.029 
94 
20 
.007 
.012 
.013 
1\- and H-ton 
do 
.017 
2-ton 
do 
.034 
25 
.009 
025 
KIND OF TIRES RECOMMENDED BY USERS. 
These truck owners were asked what kind of tires they consider 
the best for their conditions, regardless of the kind actually used. 
The kinds of tires which 637 men with trucks of all sizes are now 
using, together with the kinds they prefer, are as follows : 
Of 231 men who use pneumatic tires — 
230 prefer pneumatics. 
1 prefers pneumatics in front and solids in rear. 
Of 209 men who now use solid tires — 
16 prefer pneumatics. 
192 prefer solids. 
1 prefers pneumatics in front and solids in rear. 
Of 197 men who now use pneumatics in front and solids in rear- — 
75 prefer pneumatics. 
67 prefer solids. 
55 prefer pneumatics in front and solids in rear. 
In all, 36 per cent now use pneumatics, 33 per cent use solids, and 
31 per cent use pneumatics in front and solids in the rear, while 50 
per cent prefer pneumatics, 41 per cent prefer solids, and only 9 per 
cent prefer pneumatics in front and solids in the -rear. The kind of 
tires which a man prefers depends considerably upon the size of his 
truck and the kind of tires which he now uses. Four hundred and 
seventy-seven of these 637 men recommend the same kind of tire 
equipment as they are now using, and doubtless in a majority of 
these cases the kind of tires now used is the same as the kind with 
which the truck was equipped when it was purchased. 
A large percentage of the owners of the \- ton and f-ton trucks 
consider pneumatics the best; the owners of the 1-ton trucks are 
about evenly divided in their preference, and a large percentage of 
