Farm Tractors
There is probably no other place that is so closely associated with tractors than farms. It makes sense when you consider that the first tractors were machines with steam engines with a plough attached to them. The idea behind this was to use the same technology that brought so much pulling power to trains and apply it to a machine that would pull a plough easily.
While these first farm tractors had several drawbacks, they nevertheless were more effective than horses, which would get hungry or tired and couldn’t pull as much. This image of the first farm tractors is still one that is present in a lot of people’s minds.
The steam engine technology ruled for a few decades, although it was still hard to use. Then, in the beginning of the 19 th century, the first gas engines were developed. Several people who were interested in mechanics saw the opportunity for farm tractor applications and decided to tinker with them and develop farm tractors, and some of them founded companies and models that still survive today, like Ford and Case.
These gas engines made farm tractors more efficient and reliable. In fact, it wasn’t until the introduction of gas engines to farm tractors that they really became widely available and a common tool in every farmer’s ranch.
The first gas engine farm tractors had some problems as well. They resulted from the application of car technology to tractors. Because of this, the first models suffered from several flaws and broke down frequently. There were two very common ones. First of all, the power needed in farm tractors is much more than the one needed in cars, due to the much bigger weight that it has to tow. Because the first engines were designed to cool car engines and not farm tractor engines, this resulted in frequent overheating and the need to constantly pour water in the engine’s water cooling system (water was the only cooling liquid known at the time). The other disadvantage of early farm tractors was their light weight. The car designed engines were too light for tractors. This wasn’t a problem for cars, because cars need to be as light as possible in order to save gas. However, it was a problem for tractors because they pull heavy weights, and if the object they’re pulling gets stuck in an obstacle, the stopping force will turn over the tractor. In fact, these and other factors even resulted in a few deaths in early models.
Today, farm tractors are a whole different breed. They are still great for pulling ploughs, but now they have very different and specific applications in order to satisfy the most precise needs.