8 Wheel Wagon With 4 Steerable Wheels Up Front
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I built this 8-wheel wagon with 4 steerable wheels up front back in the early 1970's. When I first built it, the wagon had 2 axles in back and a single axle upfront. To even out the load, I decided to add a second axle up front that would oscillate in both directions. To do that, I needed to design a new steering linkage.
In converting to an 8-wheel wagon, I was curious about two things: 1. With walking beams front and rear and with a king pin on each steering spindle, my question was: if one front wheel was in a low spot and the other on a hump, could the steering linkage be made so the toe-in on the wheels would remain the same? 2. Could the steering linkage be made so when turning a corner, all four wheels turn at a slightly different angle so they wouldn't slide sideways?
I found out that I could accomplish both objectives but I didn't quite get it perfect due to the fact that I used whatever materials I had on hand. I had to put one hinge point on the steering linkage not quite where I wanted it so the result was that if one front wheel drops into a low spot, and the one on the other side is on a high spot, the toe-in changes about 1/8 in. Otherwise, it works fine. (Alva Hosterman, Rt. 1, Box 1750, Dunnegan, Mo. 65640)
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8 wheel wagon with 4 steerable wheels up front WAGONS/TRAILERS Miscellaneous 17-1-31 I built this 8-wheel wagon with 4 steerable wheels up front back in the early 1970's. When I first built it, the wagon had 2 axles in back and a single axle upfront. To even out the load, I decided to add a second axle up front that would oscillate in both directions. To do that, I needed to design a new steering linkage.
In converting to an 8-wheel wagon, I was curious about two things: 1. With walking beams front and rear and with a king pin on each steering spindle, my question was: if one front wheel was in a low spot and the other on a hump, could the steering linkage be made so the toe-in on the wheels would remain the same? 2. Could the steering linkage be made so when turning a corner, all four wheels turn at a slightly different angle so they wouldn't slide sideways?
I found out that I could accomplish both objectives but I didn't quite get it perfect due to the fact that I used whatever materials I had on hand. I had to put one hinge point on the steering linkage not quite where I wanted it so the result was that if one front wheel drops into a low spot, and the one on the other side is on a high spot, the toe-in changes about 1/8 in. Otherwise, it works fine. (Alva Hosterman, Rt. 1, Box 1750, Dunnegan, Mo. 65640)
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