Thanks for the pics, JJay; very appreciated!
I'm afraid I was a little 'off' on my terminology. I checked my Witmer catalog; apparently, a rubber insert shaped like half a circle is called 'regular' rubber(I called it 'half-round'), and what you pictured is called 'flat top' rubber. I have mostly seen 'flat top' on more modern-built vehicles. Interestingly, though, my Bennington, which is made in England, has 'regular'(or what I called 'half-round), and I *think* my Glinkowski, made in Poland, also has the same type(will check next time I go out to the barn!) The wooden wheels for my Jerald had flat top, as do the wooden wheels on my Pequea Road cart--both were/are 1-1 1/4" wide only; while both the Glink and the Benny's wheels are 1 1/2 to nearly 2" wide.
While there seems to be a general consensus that a wider wheel rolls a bit easier than a narrower one, all else being equal, I think the jury is still out on whether there is any benefit of one rubber insert shape over another! (Witmers also shows 'old style' inserts which are more of an inverted, rounded, 'V' configuration; I can remember seeing those, on 'antique' vehicles, too.)
Since your Frontier only weighs 97 lbs. w/ the steel wheels, I'm wondering if the 'basic' Frontier I have weighs less than the 85 lbs. I thought they weighed? Anybody here had a chance to weigh a 'standard' mini Frontier w/20" pneumatics and 48" shafts?
Good info to have; good thread!
Margo
