WHEELS.
The height of the wheels affects the draft, weight, clearance, and stability of the carriage both as to road stability—i. e., low center of gravity; and firing stability—i. e., the overturning movement about the end of the trail. It is now believed that entirely too much stress has been laid on road clearance. Reducing the height of wheel reduces the weight and road clearance, lowers the center of gravity and increases the firing stability; but it also reduces the angle of gun elevation unless the trail is shortened. Firing stability in general is increased by adding to the weight of the gun, lengthening the recoil, slinging the gun as low as possible and lengthening the trail. The less the height of the wheel exceeds four feet the better, despite the poor draft feature, which is compensated for to some extent by a reduction in weight and turning radius.