Running Gear The running gear is made up of the front and rear axles and wheels, along with a reach to connect the rear axle to the front, and a tongue to which the pulling power is hitched. The front wheels are steerable, and rear wheel brakes are available on some models. Parallel to, and above, each axle is a cross beam called a bolster, which provides a support for the bed or for the load itself. A vertical bolster stake at each end of the bolster keeps the wagon box or bed from sliding sideways on the bolster. Diagonal braces, called hounds, run from the outer ends of the rear axle forward to the reach socket. Older wagons with fifth-wheel steering use a front hound arrangement, usually with a sway bar a couple of feet behind the front axle. The front hounds run diagonally forward from the sway bar ends, between the axle and sand board, to which they are firmly attached, to a point in front of the axle where the tongue is attached. The front axle, sand board, hounds, and sway bar function as a single unit, and pivot on the king bolt as the wagon is steered by side pressure on the tongue. Excerpt From: Sam Moore. “Implements for Farming with Horses and Mules.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/7u9jE.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:07:18 +0000
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