9:30 Front wheels were smaller for better steering control. The larger the back wheels were the easier the wagon was to pull requiring less draft power.
incorrect. In order to keep the box level, the front running-gear bolsters had to account for the extra thickness of the king-pin assembly. The thickness of this had to be subtracted from the ground-height of the front axle. Thus the front axle was required to be a few inches lower to the ground in order for the box (what ever type of box) to travel level. For the front axle to be lower to the ground.... wheel diameter needed to be smaller. IF you tried to keep the wheels the same diameter, to keep the box level you would have to add height to the rear-axle bolster. Doing so would make the rear axle assembly unstable and would suffer unacceptable torsion on the reach-hounds and the brake-beam. The added height would also require the brake-beam linkage arm to be longer which would reduce the amount of applied brake pressure. Upon inspection - you'll find that the difference in front & rear wheel diameter is always and exactly twice the height of the king-pin assembly (front-axle upper bolster) above the front axle bolster.
I recently read some local history. One comment made, "there was no greater pride than a young farmer pulling his first buckboard." And here we are today with tractors that virtually drive themselves.
Didn’t see any gravel wagons. My grandfather had one where the floor was 2x4’s and you unloaded it by turning the 2x4’s on edge and the gravel fell out the bottom. Farmers paid their property taxes by hauling gravel onto the roads in the off season. If the farmer had a gravel deposit on his farm he could haul from it and get extra credit. This was a common practice in east central Indiana well into the 1920’s.
I have asked several people and nobody can tell me, the purpose of the metal rings on the bolster of pretty much all of the old wagon gears. Can anyone tell me their function? Sorry, I am not computer savvy enough to post a picture of what I am talking about, but you can see one in the video at approximately 1:17 behind the wheel.
The rings on the bolsters are like stake loops for when you are using just the wagon gear to haul things like logs or lumber. They are round as rough hewn poles or tree tops were commonly used as improvised stakes that could be discarded when the wagon box was put back on the running gear. I've also seen old photos were the sides of the wagon have been removed - leaving the floor and the stakes then served as a framework for a rack to haul loose hay, cotton lint, and even as a livestock rack for sheep and hogs. I hope that helps answer your question. Get back to me if you have any other questions. CW Peterson Grass Valley, California; USA
