192 LOGGING 
railroad and the log chute and handled from 15,000 to 18,000 
board feet. 
In the sugar pine region of California very heavy 4-wheeled 
trucks of 12 tons' capacity are used for log transportation when 
a traction engine is employed for draft power. These wagons 
have 54-inch solid or skeleton wheels, 20-inch tires, a short coup- 
ling tongue, and are equipped with hand brakes and binding 
chains. From 5000 to 7500 board feet may be loaded on one 
wagon. 
Six-wheeled Wagons. — Wagons with six wheels were placed 
on the market in the South some years ago but they have not 
proved as satisfactory as the eight-wheeled ones. The rear trucks, 
which carry from 60 to 70 per cent of the load, have a rigid frame 
bearing two axles and four wheels arranged in the same manner 
as in the 8-wheeled type. The rear truck is connected to the 
forward one by the usual form of wagon reach. They are designed 
to carry heavier loads than 4-wheeled wagons, and to eliminate 
the heavy draft and difficulty in backing and turning in a short 
compass which are common to the 8-wheeled wagons. 
Eight-wheeled Wagons. — Eight-wheeled wagons are in exten- 
sive use in the southern pine forests, and in the hardwood forests 
of the Mississippi bottoms. 
They are a heavy draft vehicle, more difficult to turn and 
to back than a 4-wheeled wagon but are capable of carrying a 
much heavier load because of the wide tires and the distribu- 
tion of the load over eight wheels. They can be used on a 
dirt road in a shorter time after a rain than 4-wheeled wagons, 
and often a road will improve under 8-wheeled traffic where it 
would deteriorate under that of four wheels. The bunks also are 
lower than on 4-wheelers and the wagon can be loaded more readily. 
On short hauls four or five mules are frequently used with 
8-wheeled wagons, but on long hauls they are not desirable for 
this type of wagon because of its heavy draft, oxen being the 
best, especially for heavy loads and on unfavorable bottom. 
From three to five yoke constitute a team. 
Eight-wheeled wagons are successfully used with traction 
engine draft, three or four wagons each holding from 1000 to 
1500 board feet constituting a train. 
The distinctive features of an 8-wheeled wagon are the for- 
ward and rear trucks which on some types are rigid, consequently 
