The landscape of American agriculture changed dramatically between 1850 and 1950 due in large part to the introduction of farm tractors. Initially, tractors used steam engines, until these gave way to internal combustion engines in the 20th century. The turn of the century steam engine tractor has a gigantic, primitive look and uses chains on a rotating shaft to drive.
When tractors were introduced, farmers quickly discovered that engine-driven tractors were more economical to use, compared to raising animals for tillage, and tractors began to be widely sold. In many cases farm machinery dealers received cattle to barter for tractors and they in turn sold the cattle in the meat market. The Farmall is one of the earliest tractors and the most familiar and famous names in tractor history. Tractors were made to be workhorses, so niceties were minimal. This included doing without a fuel gauge.
Tractors are more useful for farming purposes, so a tractor or tractors have been a must for farm owners, but tractors are also used in excavation, in manufacturing and industry, or on construction sites. Farm size, availability of labor and personalized services, crop selection, and cultural practices, such as choice of tillage system, affect the selection of optimal equipment and ultimately the number of tractors. needed to farm. Although the power demand of the tractor generally increases with the size of the farm, many commercial farms operate efficiently with a single tractor.
Tractors are designed to operate at different ground speeds, but final drives are not designed for all possible torques theoretically available. The engine can range from 12 to 120 horsepower or more, and over the years tractors have typically been offered in the 20 to 400 horsepower range. Power from the engine is transmitted to a gearbox that typically has 4 to 10 speeds (these transmissions are manually shifted via a joystick to determine how fast the tractor can go) and through the differential gear to the two large rear drive wheels. Some farm tractors can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, but slow speeds are necessary to give the farmer more control while doing field work.
Farm tractors are designed to operate with extra weight or ballast when towing heavy loads to reduce wheel slip. Insufficient ballast can cause excessive wheel slip and increased fuel consumption. Tractors need large tires to avoid compressing the earth and prevent digging. So only the rear tires need to be really big and the front tires can be small and slick, unless the tractor is four wheel drive. Tractors used on uneven terrain have tracks mounted so that their left and right front ends rise and fall independently of each other. However, ground undulations induce vibrations in the tractor and machine, reducing driver comfort and their ability to control the associated machinery.
Tractors are typically used to pull or, in some cases, push objects and are designed to pull large loads at slow speeds or lighter loads at higher speeds. Field speeds up to 10 mph are typical, but range applications typically range from 2-5 mph. Tractors can be generally classified as two-wheel drive, two-wheel drive with front-wheel assist, four-wheel drive (often with articulated steering), or track tractors (with two or four powered rubber tracks). .
Tractors are equipped with a hitch point under the rear axles to prevent tipping. Unfortunately some people will attach to a point above the rear axle in a foolish attempt to get more weight/traction to the drive wheels and this can lead to disaster. Additionally, if a tractor is used to free and tow a stuck vehicle, the operator must hitch the vehicles head-on and drive the tow tractor in reverse, which minimizes the risk of tipping over, by transmitting the full power of the tow engine. . tractor through the chain to the other vehicle.