290 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
« March 1, 1910 
. s . 
Disks of 
Cutlery Steel 
Forged Sharp 
Automobile Notes 
Care of the Farmer’s Car 
Since one item of mounting expenditure 
in the upkeep of the family auto comes 
from tire outlay, the subject of tire con¬ 
servation is one that appeals to all. Un¬ 
der-inflation is responsible for about 75 
per cent of tire troubles. Quite often the 
motorist finds that one tire becomes soft, 
and that it is necessary to inflate it every 
day or so. This condition may be due to 
a worn-out valve plunger. The small 
rubber washers and delicate spring ar¬ 
rangement that make up this plunger be¬ 
come worn from continued use and allow 
the air to leak from the tube. 
It is well, if your tire becomes deflated 
without any apparent cause, to unscrew 
the old plunger and replace it with a new 
one; they are very inexpensive and should 
be changed occasionally, as a leaky valve 
means a short life for the casing ‘ and 
tube. 
To add 1.000 to 2.000 miles to the life 
of your tires can be easily done by de¬ 
voting a little time in examining the rub¬ 
ber tread for small cuts. By the action 
of the tire, water and sand are sucked 
and pushed into the small cut. and the 
tread becomes loose and separated from 
the fabric. 
To repair small cuts, jack up the wheels 
and wash tires with soap and water. 
Clean out dirt or whatever may be im¬ 
bedded in cut. using gasoline. When sure 
all dirt is out, work cement into cut with 
a small stick, making two applications. 
There are several similar preparations, 
commonly known as “tire dope” or tread- 
cut fillers, that are used in closing the 
cuts. Knead a little between finger and 
thumb until plastic, and work it into the 
hole until it is thoroughly filled. Cut off 
any gum that may project, and allow to 
stand over night. This makes a perfect 
union and the cuts are properly sealed. 
Improperly adjusted wheels are very 
frequently responsible for the premature 
wearing out of tires. If wheels are out 
of alignment they travel at an angle, 
friction increases and treads wear quick¬ 
ly. Fifty miles with wheels out of true 
will sometimes wear a new tire badly. 
There are many causes for improper 
alignment, and most of them can be eas¬ 
ily corrected. All tire dealers and many 
garages have wheel aligners, and it is but 
a minute's work to ascertain that wheels 
are running properly. The dealer fur¬ 
nishing you with tires will test them 
without cost. 
Tire chains should be used only when 
absolutely necessary. If loosely applied, 
so that they will work around and not 
bind against the tire tread, the cross 
chains are prevented from coming into 
contact with the tread at the same place 
at any two revolutions, thus lessening the 
chance for injury to the tire. A chain 
which has been in use for sonic time will 
become worn and flat, sharp edges appear¬ 
ing on cross chains. For this reason it is 
necessary that the same side of the chain 
always shall lie against the casing. If the 
side of the chain that has come into con¬ 
tact with the road is fitted next to the 
tread, the result is a badly cut and in¬ 
jured casing. Therefore, be sure to fit 
chains so that the worn side comes into 
contact with the road and not the tire 
tread. 
When you wash you car with a mix¬ 
ture of kerosene and water, make sure 
the liquid does not reach the tires. This 
combination is all right to remove dust 
and mud from the varnish, but no kero¬ 
sene should reach the tires, because kero¬ 
sene eats rubber. After every run over 
a freshly oiled road it is well to wash the 
tires thoroughly to make sure that all oil 
is removed. The fact that oil is injurious 
can be readily proven by immersing a 
small piece of rubber into kerosene and 
allowing it to soak. The rubber will soon 
swell and lose its elasticity. The reason 
for this is apparent. Kerosene is rich in 
fatty qualities which remain after evap¬ 
oration of the gases. Car owners should 
wash off all small spots of lubricating oil 
so often finding their way to the tire 
tread in garages. 
But of all causes of tire deterioration 
I the greatest is that of under-inflatiou. 
Greater power is also needed to pull un¬ 
der-inflated tires, and this means more 
gas consumption. It will be found by 
testing with an electric motor that fully 
25 per cent more power is needed to draw 
a car with tires deflated to 30 pounds 
than with one at standard pressure. Un¬ 
der-inflation also causes a tremendous 
rise in the temperature of the tire. Tire 
experts agree that internal heat and fric¬ 
tion is the greatest destroyer of tires and 
your engine and minimum consumption of 
gasoline is only to be had with properly 
inflated tires. 
Few tires are completely worn out 
when thrown away. Most of them arc 
capable of considerable extra mileage if 
given a little help. A rim-cut patch or an 
inside tire protector will often add hun¬ 
dreds of miles to the life of a tire. 
A rim-cut patch is designed for appli¬ 
cation on the inside of the tire, and is 
constructed with flaps which fit under¬ 
neath the bead of the tire on both sides 
to hold the patch in place. It is flexible 
and enduring, and, once applied, is out of 
sight and mind. Tires which seem to be 
hopelessly rim-cut are given a new lease 
of life after being reinforced by a good 
rim-cut patch. 
And then there is the inside tire pro¬ 
tector which is designed to provide com¬ 
plete reinforcement for worn and weak¬ 
ened casings. Its use often adds several 
thousand miles to tire life that appears 
about ended. It is applied on the inside 
of the tire and provides at a very low 
cost many miles that otherwise would be 
lost. 
Summed in a sentence, the formula for 
long tire life would be: Have the tires 
inflated to the proper pressure each week, 
take care of cuts, test your wheels for 
alignment frequently, keep your brakes 
uniform, and don’t scrape your tires along 
the curbings. That’s all you have to do. 
and the probability is that by following 
this practice you will save from 40 to 50 
per cent on tire expenditures. It is a 
fine year to save everything you can. 
a. h. r. 
Kerosene in Radiator 
Regarding the use of kerosene in radi¬ 
ator to prevent freezing in cold weather, 
there is danger in the use of kerosene on 
long runs, where the engine heats up. 
causing the gas to form and no escape, 
creating a combustion which is dangerous. 
Where short runs are made and long 
stops, such as a doctor in cities, and plen¬ 
ty of vent is given the radiator, there is 
not so much danger. I am enclosing a 
clipping regarding an accident caused by 
the use of kerosene. H. o. s. 
New York. 
The enclosed newspaper clipping de¬ 
scribes an accident to a six-cylinder car 
which was being backed into a barn after 
’ a drive: An explosion occurred and the 
whole front of tin 1 machine was seen to 
. be in flames. The driver threw open the 
hood, and, with the help of bystanders, 
succeeded in smothering the flames with 
blankets and old bags at hand before fur¬ 
ther damage than the ruining of the timer 
and ignition apparatus was done. The 
explosion was attributed to the genera¬ 
tion of gas from kerosene used in the ra¬ 
diator of the car for cooling purposes. 
This seems a very reasonable supposition, 
though such explosions and fires are far 
from uncommon when water alone is used 
to cool the engine. Cars frequently leak 
gasoline from the carburetor, or else¬ 
where. and the vapor from this gasoline is 
easily ignited. An instance of this oc¬ 
curred not long ago in the experience of 
a neighbor. IIis car. skidding into a 
ditch on a hill, was stalled. He sought 
the assistance of some nearby neighbors 
to get the car back into the road. Be¬ 
fore undertaking the task, one of the 
helpers felt the need of the. solace of his 
pipe. Lighting the pipe, he threw the 
match to the ground beneath the car and 
the latter promptly become enveloped in 
flames. Nothing was saved except such 
parts as would not burn, and the pipe. 
If kerosene is used in the radiator, it un¬ 
doubtedly would be a wise precaution to 
drill a small hole through the radiator 
cap to permit the escape of any gas gen¬ 
erated by the heat of the „ engine above 
the hood ; and cautious people will prob¬ 
ably avoid tin 1 use of kerosene altogether, 
thus eliminating one possible source of 
danger. M. u. d. 
Strength and 
Quality with 
Lighter Weight 
THE CUTAWAY HARROW CO. 
676 Main Street Higganum, Conn. 
Maker of the original CLARK Disk Harrows and Plows. 
Whatever crops you raise, or whatever part of the country you 
are in, there is a CLARK “CUTAWAY” Disk Harrow that 
will pay you big to own. 
Write us for complete catalog. See these tools at your dealer’s. 
Be sure they are the genuine CLARK “CUTAWAY” make. 
Write for Free Book 
‘ ‘ The Soil and Its Tillage ’ ’ 
Tells important facts 
about deep cultivation. 
Disk Harrows 
will do more in getting the most from your acreage than any 
other tillage implements. They thoroughly pulverize the soil— 
do it deeply—stir up its energy to action. 
There’s a model for every purpose—smallest to largest—and for 
every type of tractor, too. CLARK “CUTAWAY” Double 
Action Harrows do not ridge in center—rear disks always split 
furrows turned by front disks—light draft. 
They will help you because they save time—power—labor— 
and do more efficient work. 
All CLARK “Cutaway” Harrows, either solid or cutout, 
have disks of highest grade cutlery steel and are forged sharp. 
The edge is the toughest part, cuts the soil easily and will not 
bend or break like ordinary disks. 
