10 BULLETIN 931, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
It is seen that 73 per cent consider that " poor roads " is the prin- 
cipal disadvantage. A large percentage of the reports stated that 
there is some time during the year when the roads are in such a con- 
dition that motor trucks can not be used. (See p. 17.) The men who 
live on unimproved roads, of course, have the greatest handicap in 
this respect, but even the best of roads may be impassable for a truck 
because of snow at certain times of the year in this section. After 
poor roads the cost of the truck, either the cost of operation or the 
first cost, is considered the greatest disadvantage. The fact that the 
truck can not be operated satisfactorily on soft ground is next in im- 
portance, and troubles due to incompetent drivers and mechanical 
defects complete the list of disadvantages mentioned by more than 
one or two fanners. 
ROAD HAULING WITH TRUCKS. 
All of the material hauled to and from these farms has been divided 
into five general classes — viz, crops, live stock, building material, fuel, 
and other material. An idea of the relative amounts of these different 
materials hauled by the trucks can be obtained from the fact that. 
during the year covered by the reports — 
481 farmers reported hauling a total of 40.029 tons of crops. 
339 farmers reported hauling: a total of 6,629 tons of live stock. 
166 farmers reported hauling a total of 7,111 tons of building material, 
including fencing. 
120 farmers reported hauling a total of 1,642 tons of fuel. 
132 farmers reported hauling a total of 7.704 tons of other material. 
All crops are included, but a large percentage of the total is grain. 
Similarly hauling all kinds of live stock was reported, but hogs make 
a large percentage of the total. (See fig. 2.) 
Each farmer reported the weight of the load which he ordinarily 
hauls. the length of haul, and the time required for the round trip 
with the truck. Similar information was given for hauling with 
horses and wagons before the purchase of trucks. The time required 
for the round trip includes the time required for loading and unload- 
ing the truck or wagon. 
Table V shows a comparison of the size of load, length of haul, and 
time required for hauling crops with trucks of different sizes, and 
with wagons before the purchase of trucks. Table VI gives a like 
comparison for live stock. Table VII for building material, and 
Table VIII for fuel. 
The hours per ton-mile in each case are obtained by dividing the 
hours per round trip by the product of the size of the load in tons and 
the length of haul in miles. For instance, in Table I. a 4--ton or {-ton 
truck hauling a load of 2.6.">2 pound- a distance of 8.0 miles ac- 
