The Wallis Farm Tractor.
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A Small, Compact, Handy, and Powerful Unit for the Average Farm.
Among the many farm tractors, driven-by •-petroleum fuels, which are making a bid, for favour among British agriculturists, the WallisCub, introduced 'by the Ancona Motor Co., Ltd„ of 78-82, Brompton Road, London, S.W. 3, is certain to compel attention because it appears to be pre-eminently ada.pted to the average farm to he .found in these islands. It is light,. weighing Jess than 1 ton hilly laden, and of.: this load approximately one ton is carried upon the driving wheels.
In construction it. follows motorcar lines, the monobice Jour-cylinder engine, having a bore of 4f his. by 519.n.•' stroke -and, developing 24 "h.p. at 800 revolutions, driving through an expanding shoe clutch and two-speed -selective transmission through the usual differential to the road wheels. . The frame represents a departure from familiar practice, •being of a patented design and in which all mechanism •is completely enclosed as a protection against weather and dirt, It serves also as an oil bath. Accordingly, externally, the tractor presents a very neat appearance. The driving wheels are 48-in, diameter by 12-in. tread with diagonally-set angle-iron cleats to secure -a good purchase upon the soil. • In the test which we witnessed at Epsoni the conditions were somewhat exacting.The field selected for breaking was of a broad V contour with gradients of 'about 1 in 5. It had boon under pasture for some 14 years, and, the growth while tousled had secured a good heel. The soil was a typical Surrey loam; but somewhat stony. The conditions called for a furrow 8 ins, deep by 14-in. bottom, and the tractor was hitched to. n self-lifting threefurrow Clipper plough. The tractor. proved easily capable of coping with the task, an average speed of two oniles per hour being readily maintained, even on the up-bank.
The steady clean working of the tractor, however, was undoubtedly attributable to the Halliday carburetter with which it was fitted, and which, we might mention, is being exhaustively tested upon this tractor to determine its applic ability to the exacting requirements of motor farming. This system has
already been described in ' COMMERCIAL MOTOR (see our issue of 10th August last). But certain modifications have been made to adapt it to this latest duty.
The efficiency of the Halliday system was brought home very Convincingly in the course of the demonstration. The engine was started up from cold upon petrol, and directly it had settled into its stride and had_ warmed up was switched over to the denser fuel.
The . switching operation is speedily effected, the average period of petrol running being within 30 seconds, and the change over is carried out without the slightest appreciable loss of power, or rhythmic working • of the motor. 'From experience which has been gained already it would seem as if a quarter of a pint of .petrol is adequate for starting-up operations during the average day's work. The Halliday paraffin carburetter has proved so successful in connection with this 24 h.p. traetoithat it is to be subjected to further tests upon various other models. The combination of the paraffin and the saturated air would seem to be perfect inasmuch as engine pounding is entirely absent, while carbonization likewise appears to he reduced to the minimum: During a recent test, slightly less than one acre was ploughed at the rate of one acre in 50 minutes. Less than two gallons of paraffin was used. This economical result is due, in part, to the in.-. duction of water vapour. The tractor is being sold at £395.