Farm Mechanics Part 13

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 165.--Hollow Malleable Iron Bolster Stake to hold a higher wooden stake when necessary.]

SAND-BANDS

Many parts of farm machinery require projecting sand-bands to protect the journals from sand and dust. Most farms have some sandy fields or ridges. Some farms are all sand or sandy loam. Even dust from clay is injurious to machinery. There is more or less grit in the finest clay.

The most important parts of farm machinery are supposed to be protected by oil-cups containing cotton waste to strain the oil, together with covers in the shape of metal caps. These are necessary protections and they help, but they are not adequate for all conditions. It is not easy to keep sand out of bearings on machinery that shakes a good deal.

Wooden plugs gather sand and dust. When a plug is pulled the sand drops into the oil hole. Farm machinery that is properly designed protects itself from sand and dust. In buying a machine this particular feature should appeal to the farmers more than it does. Leather caps are a nuisance. They are a sort of patchwork to finish the job that the manufacturer commences. A man who is provident enough to supply himself with good working tools and is sufficiently careful to take care of them, usually is particular about the appearance as well as the usefulness of his tools, machinery and implements.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 166.--Sand Caps. Not one manufacturer in a hundred knows how to keep sand out of an axle bearing. Still it is one of the simplest tricks in mechanics. The only protection an axle needs is long ferrules that reach out three or four inches beyond the hub at both ends. Old-fas.h.i.+oned Linchpin farm wagons were built on this principle.

The hubs held narrow rings instead of skeins, but they wore for years.]

BOBSLEIGHS

On Northern farms bobsleighs are as important in the winter time as a farm wagon in summer. There are different ways of putting bobsleighs together according to the use required of them. When using heavy bobsleighs for road work, farmers favor the bolster reach to connect the front and rear sleighs. With this attachment the horses may be turned around against the rear sled. The front bolster fits into a recessed plate bolted to the bench plank of the front sleigh. This plate is a combination of wearing plate and circle and must be kept oiled to turn easily under a heavy load. It not only facilitates turning, but it prevents the bolster from catching on the raves or on the upturned nose of the front bob when turning short.

The heavy hardwood plank reach that connects the two bolsters is put through a mortise through the front bolster and is fastened rigidly by an extra large king-bolt. The reach plays back and forth rather loosely through a similar mortise in the other bolster on the rear sleigh. The rear hounds connect with the reach by means of a link and pin. This link pushes up through mortise holes in the reach and is fastened with a wooden pin or key on top of the reach. Sometimes the hounds are taken away and the reach is fastened with pins before and behind the rear bolster. This reach hitch is not recommended except for light road work.

These two ways of attaching the rear sled necessitate different ways of fastening the rear bolster to the sled. When the rear bolster is required to do the pulling, it is attached to the sled by double eyebolts which permit the necessary rocking motion and allows the nose of the rear sled to bob up and down freely. This is an advantage when a long box bed is used, because the bolster is made to fit the box closely and is not continually oscillating and wearing. Eye-bolts provide for this natural movement of the sled. Light pleasure bobs are attached to the box with eyebolts without bolster stakes. The light pa.s.senger riding seat box is bound together with iron braces and side irons so it does not need bolsters to hold the sides together.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 167.--Bobsleighs, Showing Three Kinds of Coupling.

The upper sleighs are coupled on the old-fas.h.i.+oned short reach plan except that the reach is not mortised into the roller. It is gained in a quarter of an inch and fastened by an iron strap with a plate and nuts on the under side. The bobs in the center show the bolster reach, princ.i.p.ally used for road work. The bottom pair are coupled by cross chains for short turning around trees and stumps in the woods.]

Bobsleighs for use in the woods are hitched together quite differently.

The old-fas.h.i.+oned reach with a staple in the rear bench of the first sled and a clevis in the end of the reach is the old-fas.h.i.+oned rig for rough roads in the woods. Such sleighs are fitted with bunks instead of bolsters. Bunks are usually cut from good hardwood trees, hewed out with an axe and bored for round stakes. Log bunks for easy loading do not project beyond the raves. With this kind of a rig, a farmer can fasten two logging chains to the reach, carry the grab hook ends out and under and around the log and back again over the sleighs, and then hitch the horses to the two chains and roll the log up over a couple of skids and on to the bunks without doing any damage to the bobsleighs. Bobsleighs. .h.i.tched together with an old-fas.h.i.+oned reach and provided with wide heavy raves will climb over logs, pitch down into root holes, and weave their way in and out among trees better than any other sled contrivance, and they turn short enough for such roads. The shortest turning rig, however, is the cross chain reach shown in Figure 167.

MAKING A FARM CART

A two-wheeled cart large enough to carry a barrel of cider is a great convenience on a farm. The front wheels of a buggy are about the right size and usually are strong enough for cart purposes. A one-inch iron axle will be stiff enough if it is reinforced at the square bends. The axle is bent down near the hubs at right angles and carried across to support the floor of the cart box about one foot from the ground. The distance from the ground should be just sufficient so that when the cart is tipped back the hind end will rest on the ground with the bottom boards at an easy slant to roll a barrel or milk can into the bottom of the box. Under the back end of the cart platform is a good stout bar of hardwood framed into the sidepieces. All of the woodwork about the cart is well braced with iron. The floor of the cart is better when made of narrow matched hardwood flooring about seven-eighths of an inch thick fastened with bolts. It should be well supported by cross pieces underneath. In fact the princ.i.p.al part of the box is the underneath part of the frame.

Sidepieces of the box are wide and are bolted to the vertical parts of the axle and braced in different directions to keep the frame solid, square and firm. The sides of the box are permanently fastened but both tailboard and front board are held in place by cleats and rods and are removable so that long scantling or lumber may be carried on the cart bottom. The ends of the box may be quickly put in place again when it is necessary to use them.

To hold a cart box together, four rods are necessary, two across the front and two behind. They are made like tailboard rods in wagon boxes.

There is always some kind of tongue or handle bar in front of the farm cart conveniently arranged for either pulling or pus.h.i.+ng. If a breast bar is used it handles better when supported by two curved projecting shafts or pieces of bent wood, preferably the bent up extended ends of the bedpieces. The handle bar should be about three feet from the ground.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 168.--Farm Cart. The axle need not be heavier than 7/8". The hind axle of a light buggy works the best. It is bent down and spliced and welded under the box. The cart should be made narrow to prevent overloading. The box should be low enough to rest the back end on the ground at an angle of about 35 for easy loading.]

COLT-BREAKING SULKY

A pair of shafts that look a good deal too long, an axle, two wheels and a whiffletree are the princ.i.p.al parts of a colt-breaking sulky. The shafts are so long that a colt can kick his best without reaching anything behind. The princ.i.p.al danger is that he may come down with one hind leg over the shaft. It is a question with hors.e.m.e.n whether it is better to first start a colt alongside of an old, steady horse. But it is generally conceded that in no case should a colt be made fast in such a way that he could kick himself loose. Different farmers have different ideas in regard to training colts, but these breaking carts with extra long shafts are very much used in some parts of the country. The shafts are heavy enough so that the colts may be tied down to make kicking impossible. A rope or heavy strap reaching from one shaft to the other over the colt's hips will keep its hind feet pretty close to the ground.

Any rig used in connection with a colt should be strong enough to withstand any strain that the colt may decide to put upon it. If the colt breaks something or breaks loose, it takes him a long time to forget the scare. Farm boys make these breaking carts by using wheels and hind axles of a worn-out buggy. This is well enough if the wheels are strong and shafts thoroughly bolted and braced. It is easy to make a mistake with a colt. To prevent accidents it is much better to have the harness and wagon amply strong.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 169.--Colt-Breaking Sulky. The axle and hind wheels of a light wagon, two strong straight-grained shafts about 4 feet too long, a whiffletree and a spring seat are the princ.i.p.al parts of a colt-breaking sulky. The shafts and seat are thoroughly well bolted and clipped to the axle and braced against all possible maneuvers of the colt. The traces are made so long that the colt cannot reach anything to kick, and he is prevented from kicking by a strap reaching from one shaft up over his hips and down to the other shaft. In this rig the colt is compelled to go ahead because he cannot turn around. The axle should be longer than standard to prevent upsetting when the colt turns a corner at high speed.]

CHAPTER VIII

MISCELLANEOUS FARM CONVENIENCES

FARM OFFICE

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 170.--Perspective View of Two-Story Corn Crib. The side of the building is cut away to show the elevating machinery.]

Business farming requires an office. Business callers feel sensitive about talking farm or live-stock affairs before several members of the family. But they are quite at ease when alone with the farmer in his office. A farm office may be small but it should contain a desk or table, two or three chairs, book shelves for books, drawers for government bulletins and a cabinet to hold gla.s.sware and chemicals for making soil tests and a good magnifying gla.s.s for examining seeds before planting. A good gla.s.s is also valuable in tracing the destructive work of many kinds of insect pests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 171.--Floor Plans of Two-Story Corn Crib. The first floor shows the driveway with corn cribs at the sides and the second floor plan shows the grain bins over the center driveway, with location of the downspouts, stairway, etc.]

The office is the proper place for making germination tests of various farm seeds. Seventy degrees of heat is necessary for the best results in seed testing. For this reason, as well as for comfort while working, the heating problem should receive its share of attention. Many times it so happens that a farmer has a few minutes just before mealtime that he could devote to office work if the room be warm enough.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 172.--Economy of Round Barn. The diagrams show that the popular 36' x 80' cow stable and the commonest size of round barn have about the same capacity. Each barn will stable forty cows, but the round barn has room for a silo in the center. Both barns have feed overhead in the shape of hay and straw, but the round feed room saves steps.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 173.--Concrete Farm Scale Base and Pit.]

Neatly printed letter-heads and envelopes are important. The sheets of paper should be eight and a half by eleven inches in size, pure white and of good quality. The printing should be plain black and of round medium-sized letters that may be easily read. Fancy lettering and flourishes are out of place on business stationery.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 174.--Top View of the Hay-Track Roof Extension, showing the ridgeboard and supporting jack-rafters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 175.--Side view showing plan for building a Hayfork Hood to project from peak of a storage barn. The jack-rafters form a brace to support the end of the hay-track beam.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 176.--Slaughter House. The house should be twelve feet wide. It may be any length to provide storage, but 12 x 12 makes a good beef skinning floor. The windla.s.s shaft should be ten feet above the floor, which requires twelve-foot studding. The wheel is eight feet in diameter and the winding drum is about ten inches. The animal is killed on the incline outside of the building and it lies limp against the revolving door. The door catch is sprung back and the carca.s.s rolls down onto the concrete skinning floor.]

Halftone ill.u.s.tration of farm animals or buildings are better used on separate advertising sheets that may be folded in with the letters when wanted.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 177.--Rule of Six, Eight and Ten. Diagram showing how to stake the foundation of a farm building so the excavation can be made clear out to the corners without undermining the stakes.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 178.--Roof Truss built strong enough to support the roof of a farm garage without center posts.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 179.--Design of Roof Truss Intended to Span a Farm Garage.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 180.--Roof Pitches. Mow capacity of the different roof pitches is given above the plates in figures.]

Typewriters are so common that a hand-written letter is seldom seen among business correspondence. A busy farmer is not likely to acquire much speed with a typewriter, but his son or daughter may. One great advantage is the making of carbon copies. Every letter received is then filed in a letter case in alphabetical order and a carbon copy of each answer is pinned to it for future reference.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 181.--Double Corn Crib. Two cribs may be roofed this way as cheaply as to roof the two cribs separately. A storeroom is provided overhead and the bracing prevents the cribs from sagging.]

The cost of furnis.h.i.+ng a farm office will depend upon the inclinations of the man. A cheap kitchen table may be used instead of an expensive mahogany desk. A new typewriter costs from fifty to ninety dollars, but a rebuilt machine that will do good work may be obtained for twenty.

A useful magnifying gla.s.s with legs may be bought for a dollar or two.

Or considerable money may be invested in a high-powered microscope.

SPEED INDICATOR

The speed requirements of machines are given by the manufacturers. It is up to the farmer to determine the size of pulleys and the speed of intermediate shafts between his engine and the machine to be driven. A speed indicator is held against the end of a shaft at the center. The indicator pin then revolves with the shaft and the number of revolutions per minute are counted by timing the pointer on the dial with the second hand of a watch.