Front wheel

“ The front wheels, d, d, are hung to the front axle, E, so that the center of each wheel base is in a line coincident with the axis of the pivotal connection which is provided between the journals for the wheels and the axle, which arrangement practically destroys any tendency to deflection from the course that might otherwise arise from striking an obstacle, and so renders the steering easier. ”

“ It will be seen, from a general observation and study of all of the diagrams, that the best and most gradual curves are made by the front wheel in descending from, and by the rear wheel in advancing upon, the obstacle; hence it follows that the front wheel works against momentum more in ascending and the rear wheel more in descending. ”

“ If we discuss the crank Ordinary, it will be noticed that when the front wheel is stopped in its forward progress, the frame of the machine together with the rider and all other parts of the system revolve about the centre of the wheel and cause an action within the system, the same as that of the forward wheel revolving backward through the fork. ”

“ A two-wheeled vehicle turns on one wheel, which forms the centre at the place where it touches the ground, and the opposite wheel forms the circle struck from the said centre. The body in this instance follows the circular motion exactly as the axle, and consequently maintains a steady position above the wheels.
“A four-wheeled vehicle remains in a straight line when first the front pair of wheels are turned under, then by the effect of the draught the hind pair of wheels follow in a wider circle. ”

“ In regard to the various accidents which may happen to the car itself through outside causes, one thing to be remembered is that the fly-wheel or front axle of the car is probably not more than seven or eight inches above the ground; therefore if very rutty roads are being used, it is well to direct the wheels out of the cart ruts and keep one rut in the centre of the vehicle. ”

“ The Verbiest model was for a four-wheeled carriage, on which an aeolipile was mounted with a pan of burning coals beneath it. A jet of steam from the aeolipile impinged upon the vanes of a wheel on a vertical axle, the lower end of the spindle being geared to the front axle. An additional wheel, larger than the supporting wheels, was mounted on an adjustable arm in a manner to adapt the vehicle to moving in a circular path. ”

“ While this construction renders the carriage as easy to steer as those in which the motors are connected with the rear axle, it sacrifices the advantage derived from applying the power to the front wheels, namely, the ability to turn round in a small space. ”

“ In France, too, the rear axles on such wagons are made from 12 to 14 inches wider than the front axles, so that the rear wheels run outside the track of the front wheels, thus making a very effective road improver of every heavy wagon. ”

“ I. I mean that the motor-omnibus driver, sitting as he does in front of his vehicle and manipulating his steering-wheel like this, can do little or no harm to the apparatus. On the other hand, the steam-roller mechanic, standing inside the body of the vehicle, and having the steering-wheel in this position—
He. On the sofa? ”

“ By this arrangement the body of the carriage could be hung low, supported entirely by the wheels, while the third wheel in front, revolving in a small circle with the shaft, enabled the occupants to make a short and safe turn.” What became of this weird vehicle is not known, but its inventor’s memory was enshrined in a song, one verse of which runs as follows:—
“Where, oh where, is the good old Doctor? ”

“ There are several other peculiarities about the front wheels of an automobile which are not fully understood by automobile men, unless they have had technical training.
Most people think the front wheels of an automobile should be perfectly true in every way ”

“ Assuming that the vehicle is in perfect condition for use and the engine has been set going, the first thing to do is to examine the ways and means of starting the carriage either forward or backward, to ascertain how to stop it when desired, and steer it from side to side or round a corner, or to avoid an obstacle. We will suppose that the vehicle is of the Panhard type, with wheel steering and single lever at the right-hand side, giving the speeds forward and reverse. ”

“ Considering that the railway-carriage builder gives up the coach-wheel principle, and returns to the primitive construction of the pair of wheels fixed to the axle turning in bearings, we see that our ordinary carriage-wheels turning independently on their axles are best suited to comparatively narrow wheels, and to smooth ground or made roads. Here they give greater lightness and speed, and especially have the advantage of easily changing direction and turning, which in the old block-wheel cart can only be done by gradually slewing round in a wide circuit. ”

“ There is a small grooved wheel on the axle of the fan outside, and an endless line, like a clothes-line, is carried over this wheel and a groove in the edge of a high light wooden driving-wheel rigged between two uprights in the rear and with a handle to turn. ”

“ There is a singular addition to their vehicles outside the wheels; a piece of wood curved to the shape of the wheel is placed above it, frequently supported by two straight uprights from the end of the axle-tree outside the wheel; this acts as a wing or guard to keep any one from falling out of the vehicle, and also the dress of the passengers from becoming entangled in the wheel. ”

“ I'm never happier than when I'm sitting with my two hands on the wheel, one toe on the gas, the other on the brake, a heel on the little pedal that makes the old machine snort up a hill like a horse dug in the side with a spur. ”

“ In a four-seated car the rear passengers should glance occasionally at the driving-wheel tyres out of consideration for the driver, and if either of them be splayed at the point of contact with the road he should be apprised of the fact at once. ”

“ If carriages had always to move along perfectly smooth roads, such as a tramway of wood, iron, or stone, the use of wheels in overcoming friction would be their sole utility, and the height of the wheels would be of small consequence. But as carriages are drawn along roads with loose stones and uneven surfaces, wheels are further useful in mounting over these obstacles, and it is plain that a high wheel does this more easily than a low one. ”

“ I have no doubt, save four out of five, if not nine out of ten stones that are crushed at present, and reduce the road expences in the same proportion; but while the fancy of having carriage-wheels out of upright with crooked axles is continued, wide wheels would be a serious objection; the inside and outside of the wheel being of different diameters, and going different speeds, must cause an increase of load to the horses, because their rubbing on the road and tendency to twist move the stones out of their bed in the road, and, instead of bedding them firmly, has the contrary effect ”

“ To understand the necessity for a differential, stand behind a wagon, with one hand on each tire; push, and if the vehicle is steered straight ahead, the hands will move ahead equally; but if the vehicle turns, the hand on the outside wheel will move ahead faster than the other. ”

“ Roaring, with its muffler cut out, the pursuing car swept up and baffled him, bringing its right forward wheel up beside the left rear wheel of his car, then more slowly forging up until, with its weight, bulk, and superior power, it forced him inch by inch to the right, toward the tracks, until his right-hand wheels left the road and ran on uneven turf, until the left-hand wheels as well lost grip on the road metal, until the car began to dip on the slope to the tracks. ”

“ It will be readily understood that if the carriage of which a and b are the driving wheels be set to move in a straight course and the road resistance to both wheels be the same, then h will remain parallel with the axle. If, however, the steering wheels are set to turn a corner, the wheel b being on the inner or smaller curve, then the wheel a will have to move faster than b, and the arm f will be pulled through a greater angle than the arm g, and the cross-piece h will cease to be parallel with the axle. ”

“ It has been stated by a previous Witness, that a Carriage of the weight of two tons propelled by Steam drew after it another Carriage weighing nine tons; what should, from your experience, be the breadth of the tire of the wheel of the propelling Carriage and the Carriage drawn?—Looking solely to the welfare of the road. I should prefer a wheel of four inches and a half, flat on the tire, to any other class of wheel that can be made, being of opinion that a greater breadth of wheel cannot at one time touch the surface of a well-formed turnpike road. ”

“ On the one hand you had coachbuilders and others filling the newspapers and publishing tracts, some very serious, some extraordinarily mathematical, others merely facetious, to prove that the roads could be preserved only by using very broad wheels—some,179 indeed, advocated rollers, which, as we shall see, were actually tried—and on the other hand you had people filling more columns, and very dull columns some of them were, to show that a low broad wheel was the one thing which no really satisfactory vehicle could possibly possess. ”

“ The most familiar type of the wheel is of course that used in every type of vehicle, but it forms an essential part of nearly every kind of mechanism or machinery. Vehicular wheels in the earliest times were circular disks either cut out of solid pieces of wood, or formed of separate planks of wood fastened together and then cut into a circular shape. Such may be still seen in use among primitive peoples to-day, especially where the tracks, if any exist, are of the roughest description, and travelling is heavy. ”

“ Will you state more definitely the nature of the injury you have seen in regard to the effect of the horses' feet, in comparison to that of the wheels of Carriages?—First of all they displace at every blow, they tear up, and throw the surface behind them; whereas the wheel only rolls as it goes, and throws some portion on both sides of it, if the road is soft. ”

“ If you keep the present dish, you must have a narrow wheel, or it is rubbing; but if it is a straight axle, it ought to be as wide as that where there is no more friction, and then the wide wheel will not do half the mischief that the coach-wheel does. The present stage coach-wheel will do a great deal more mischief, working as it does, than if it had been perpendicular. ”

“ The wheelers were always the heavyweights, old and trained, and able to hold back the load or their unruly teammates until the whackers could throw on a brake or "rough lock," the last named a log chain fastened at one end to the wagon, thrown through the wheel spokes in such a way as to be between the ground and the wheel on the "near rear hind wheel" of the lead wagon. ”

“ To-day a side-car body is made of metal or wood, has a side door, springs in the upholstery, windscreen, hood, etc., just like a miniature car, and the wheel is sometimes sprung on car lines. The passenger is therefore quite as comfortable as if in a motor car and quite as well protected from the wind and rain. ”

“ There is a cobweb of wheeled vehicles of all sorts, from a cab to a hybrid construction something between a wheelbarrow and a costermonger’s shallow. There is much bawling and flinging, shoving, hoisting, pulling and dragging of parcels; all the horses’ heads seem to be turned the wrong way; everybody’s off-wheel seems locked in somebody else’s ”

“ A Carriage with but two Wheels should be built so that the principal part of the weight is on the Axle-Tree, (instead of the Horse’s back) , and the Carriage part of the Vehicle ought to be on Springs, as well as the Body: this prevents the Bolts and Nuts working loose, and the Joints opening, &c. The Lamps should be at the sides; but the Dashing Iron ought to have in front a socket on each side to place the Lamps in at Night, which will throw the light before the Horse’s head, and prevent any shadow from the Wheels—when they are used at the [Pg 18] Sides, you see your danger just too late. ”

“ Are you to be understood that in no state of the road a wide wheel such as you have described would do injury to the road?—A wide wheel will do a partial injury, but not one quarter of that which it would do if it were narrow.
What sort of injury will it do?—It will tend to crush the pebbles and wear them, but that will be very trifling indeed; if you have a hundred weight upon a wheel of an inch wide, and a hundred weight upon a wheel of two inches wide, that one of an inch wide will break ten times as many pebbles as the other; every inch it goes will break stones ”

“ We thought the latter bad enough at the time, but it was tame when compared with the twists and grades of this far western trail. The long wheel base of our car made it necessary to back up at several of the turns, an operation which excited lively anxiety on part of our lady passenger. It was disquieting, indeed, to see the rear wheel of the car approach within a foot or two of the high bank at the side of the turn with a twenty per cent slope looming ahead, but the car responded so beautifully to the skill of the driver that she gradually became reassured. ”

“ The weight of the rider upon the seat o, and a slight movement backward or forward causes the seat-support g to move backward or forward, which motion is communicated to the upright lever f by the connecting-bar h, which in turn starts the revolution of the driving-wheel axle l. ”

“ You forget that in the drawings we showed you there was a set of brakes designed to be worked by a control within reach of the pilot, brakes which will engage these ground wheels a good deal the same as brakes work on automobiles—by a flexible band of steel and grit-filled cotton which is made to compress over a large sort of hub on the inner side of each wheel. ”