Tractors

Tractors

TractorsTractors in general:A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction. Most commonly, the term is used to describe a farm vehicle that provides the power and traction to mechanize agricultural tasks, especially (and originally) tillage, but nowadays a great variety of tasks.Origin of the wordThe word tractor was taken from Latin, being the agent noun of trahere "to pull". The first recorded use of the word meaning "an engine or vehicle for pulling wagons or ploughs" occurred in 1901, displacing the earlier term "traction engine. A modern 4-wheel drive farm tractor

HistoryThe first powered farm implements in the early 19th century were portable engines steam engines on wheels that could be used to drive mechanical farm machinery by way of a flexible belt. The truly portable engine was invented in 1839 by William Tuxford of Boston, Lincolnshire who started manufacture of an engine built around a locomotive-style boiler with horizontal smoke tubes.The first tractors were steam-powered plowing engines. They were used in pairs, placed on either side of a field to haul a plow back and forth between them using a wire cable. In Britain Mann's and Garrett developed steam tractors for direct ploughing, but the heavy, wet soil of England meant that these designs were less economical than a team of horses. In the United States, where soil conditions permitted, steam tractors were used to direct-haul plows.1882 Harrison Machine Works steam-powered traction engine

In 1908, the Saunderson Tractor and Implement Co. of Bedford, first, introduced a four-wheel design, and went on to become the largest tractor manufacturer in Britain at the time.

While unpopular at first, these gasoline-powered machines began to catch on in the 1910s, when they became smaller and more affordable. Henry Ford introduced the Fordson, a wildly popular mass-produced tractor, in 1917.Tractor configurationsTractors can be generally classified by number of axles or wheels, with main categories of two-wheel tractors (single-axle tractors) and four-wheel tractors (two-axle tractors); more axles are possible but uncommon. Among four-wheel tractors (two-axle tractors), most are two-wheel drive (usually at the rear); but many are two-wheel drive with front wheel assist, four-wheel drive (often with articulated steering), or track tractors (with steel or rubber tracks).Engine and fuelsGasoline and keroseneDieselLiquified petroleum gasBiodieselTransmissionMost older farm tractors use a manual transmission with several gear ratios, typically three to six, sometimes multiplied into two or three ranges. This arrangement provides a set of discrete ratios that, combined with the varying of the throttle, allow final-drive speeds from less than one up to about 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), with the lower speeds used for working the land and the highest speed used on the road.An older model of European farm tractor, still common in Eastern Europe

VariationsEngineering tractorsBackhoe loaderCompact utility tractorRow-crop tractorGarden tractorsTwo-wheel tractorsOrchard tractorsEngineering tractorsTractors can be fitted with engineering tools such as dozer blades, buckets, hoes, rippers, etc. The most common attachments for the front of a tractor are dozer blades or buckets. When attached to engineering tools, the tractor is called an engineering vehicle.

Backhoe loaderAs the name implies, it has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe on the back. Backhoes attach to a three-point hitch on farm or industrial tractors. Industrial tractors are often heavier in construction, particularly with regards to the use of steel grill for protection from rocks and the use of construction tires. Compact utility tractorA compact utility tractor (CUT) is a smaller version of an agricultural tractor, but designed primarily for landscaping and estate management tasks rather than for planting and harvesting on a commercial scale.Row-crop tractorA row-crop tractor is tailored specifically to the growing of crops grown in rows, as in truck farming, and most especially to cultivating.

Garden tractors

Garden tractors (mini tractors) are small, light tractors designed for use in domestic gardens and small estates. Garden tractors are designed for cutting grass, snow removal, and small property cultivation.

Orchard tractors

Tractors tailored to use in fruit orchards typically have features suited to passing under tree branches with impunity. These include a lower overall profile; reduced tree-branch-snagging risk; spark arrestors on the exhaust tips; and often wire cages to protect the operator from snags.Most known manufacturersThe most known and famous manufacturer of tractors in the world is John DeereOthers are: AGCO Corporation, Agrale, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, etc.