Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1908 — A GOOD LAND ROLLER. [ARTICLE]

A GOOD LAND ROLLER.

Edgar L. Vincent Tells How He Made One. ) 1 We had been wanting a land roller, but had not quite come to the placja where we felt that we could spend the money for one out pf the store. We had been spending a great deal for buildings and felt that to buy a readymade roller just at that time would be more than we could stand. A neighbor who had been longer In the way than we had stepped to the front with the question, “Why do you not make one yourself? This is what we did. Come up and see ours.” And we went up. The result was that we made a trip to the city and out of an old scrap-heap fished four wheels that had done service on mowing machines. They were about the same size, as would be essential in such a case. We also bought a steel rod large enough to fit the holes in the wheels and some rivets three inches in length. Armed with these and a few steel drills the same size as the rivets, we went home and, waiting for a spell of stormy weatfier, we tackled the job. “I have got you into the scrape and now I’ll see you out,” the neighbor said, and we were very glad of his help. The first move was to get into the mill a cut of hardwood maple log as long as we wished the roller planks to be. We had them sawed two inches thick and six inches wide. It was not a vdry hard Job to drill holes through the rims of the wheel for the rivets which were to hold the planks. Two were provided for each wheel. Small grooves had to be cut in the planks to fit over the elevations on the outer surfaces of the wheels designed to keep them from slipping. That was easy. Boring the holes through the ends of the steel rod lor the lynchplns was the .hardest Job we had. That was slow work, but we accomplished it at last The rod was slipped through the wheels and it began to look quite like a roller. Of a local wagonmaker we bought an old mowing machine tongue. A frame of hardwood scanting {pur Inches square was made to set over the sections of the roller. The pole was bolted to t v is. Braces were run from the frame part way up the pole to, strengthen it at the turns. A cover was put over the sections. Another old mowing machine attachment in the form of a seat was bolted to the top and the job was nearly complete. I say “nearly,” for there was one thing more that served to make the roller complete. Naturally the middle of the roller would be inclined to fall behind a little while in motion, especially when a stone happened to be In the way. This would bend the shaft and cause the roller to scrape heavily on the frame on top. We went to a blacksmith and had a hook made of heavy Iron to clasp over the shaft This was furnished with two heavy links like the links of a chain, the whole being bolted to the frame of the roller. You can see how this would work. When the shaft bent the links would straighten out so that the hook Would draw on the shaft, preventing it from scraping on the frame or top. , We have used that roller more than a dozen years and it Is all right now. It cost us about $4.75. Of course the work we counted as nothing.—Farmers’ Review.