Unfortunately, their size, mechanical complexity, and constant danger of explosion made these traction engines unusable for most farms in North America. These monsters, weighing in excess of 30,000 pounds (excluding water), could move under their own power, and had impressive horsepower capacity.
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It would be even more valuable if it could economically replace all of the functions currently performed by draft animals, and further if it could facilitate automation of the cotton and corn picking operations.Īs early as the 1870s, engineers had succeeded in producing steam traction engines, referred to today as steam tractors. A new source of power, then, would be valuable to the farmer if it could replace the horsepower requirements of plowing, as long as the cost was less than that of maintaining one to two extra horses.
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As an example, power requirements during plowing have been estimated at 60% of the annual total needs for growing wheat at that time. The greatest amount of power was needed for plowing, often forcing farmers to keep one or two extra horses above the number needed for the remainder of the year. Several important farm tasks were typically done by hand at this time, including picking of corn and cotton. Horses and mules pulled an impressive variety of farm implements at the turn of the century, including plows, disks, harrows, planters, cultivators, mowers, and reapers. In addition to supplying farm power, the horses were also relied upon for transportation, of both goods and people. As of 1910, there were more than 24 million horses and mules on American farms, about three or four animals for the average farm. Draft animals provided most of the power on all types of farms, however. Steam boilers provided motive power for threshing small grains, and a very small number of farmers were using recently-developed steam traction engines for plowing and other arduous tasks. Background and Technological Historyįarmers in 1900, whether engaged in growing wheat, corn, or cotton, raising livestock, producing dairy products, or combining a variety of these or other products, had only two sources of power aside from their own strength: steam engines and draft animals. Tracked units, also called crawler tractors, were common in California, and of course, dominated construction and other non-farm uses for tractors. The drawing shows a wheel-tractor, which comprised more than 95% of machines sold for farm use. Later models would feature an enclosed cab to keep the operator out of the weather, but this model features only simple controls and the metal seat. The machine is little more than an engine on wheels, with a seat for the operator and a hitch for pulling implements centered in the rear. The drawing below, taken from an undated John Deere operating manual, shows a typical general-purpose tractor from the period around 1940. The engine also provides energy for the electrical system, including the ignition system and lights, and for the most recent models, air conditioner, stereo system, and other creature comforts. Power from the engine can be transmitted to the implement being used through a power take-off (PTO) shaft or belt pulley. Direct ignition (diesel) and spark-driven engines are both found on tractors, just as with cars and light trucks.
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The heart of a farm tractor is a powerful internal combustion engine that drives the wheels to provide forward motion. In the provision of motive power, tractors were a replacement for human effort and that of draft animals, both of which are still used extensively in other parts of the world. Tractors can be used to pull a variety of farm implements for plowing, planting, cultivating, fertilizing, and harvesting crops, and can also be used for hauling materials and personal transportation. The tractor represents an important application of the internal combustion engine, rivaling the automobile and the truck in its economic impact.Ī tractor is basically a machine that provides machine power for performing agricultural tasks. Its development in the first half of the twentieth century fundamentally changed the nature of farm work, significantly altered the structure of rural America, and freed up millions of workers to be absorbed into the rapidly growing manufacturing and service sectors of the country. The farm tractor is one of the most important and easily recognizable technological components of modern agriculture in the United States. Economic History of Tractors in the United States