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The Winnipeg Agricultural Motor Trials.

19th August 1909
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Page 4, 19th August 1909 — The Winnipeg Agricultural Motor Trials.
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For Awards, see our issue, No. 229; for Tabular Data, see No. 231.

Front Our Special Correspondent.

Under the auspices of the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition Association, the second and—without doubt—the most-extensive farm-motor competition ever held in any part et the world was concluded on the 15th July, after having been in progress nine full days. It Wai; apparent from the very commencement that more than usual interest centred in the battles CO be fought, for, at a very early stage of the tests, visitors from all parts of the globe were present. ,Nlanufacturers, competitors and their employees were thick on the Fair Ground, and adding to these the engineers in charge of the competition, their assistants, and the judges there were sufficient to make up a most-imposing gathering.

Comparative Participants.

The-..e were in all 22 entries, and of this number no fewer than 14 motors took part in the trials, as against seven at last year's competition. Of the 18, there were 13 with internal-combustion engines, the balance being of the heavy type of steam traction-engine. Not only were the numbers great, but so also were the variations in sizes, designs and types. The nominal horse-power of the gasoline motors ranged from 12 to 40; the number of cylinders was 1, 2, 3, and up to 4; revolutions per minute varied from 240 to 1,500; weights were from 5,000 lb. to 22,000 lb.; and diameters of driving wheels were from 41 in. to 96 in. In the steam-engine class, the nominal horse-power ranged from 25 to 36; there were engines with single, double and tandem-compound cylinders ; engines on top, and others under the boiler ; " drivers " of from 75 in. to 84 in. diameter, and of 26 in. to 40 in. in width, whilst the weights ranged from 26.000 lb. to 40,860 lb.

This year the motors were classified according to the brake horse-power developed. tSee pages 474 and 475 of last week's issue for full details.—Flo.:1

The tests comprised a run of two hours on the brake, hauling, and ploughing, and the motors were also closely inspected as to design and construction, accessibility, of all parts, protection of working parts from mud and dust, ease of manipulation, turning capabilities, and clearance of working parts from the ground. All fuels were supplied by the Association and charged to the competitors at cost price. It may be interesting to readers to know what the various prices were : gasoline (per gallon), 20 cents : coal-oil. 18 cents per gallon ; soft coal, $8.50 per ton of 2,000 lb. ; and soft wood, 84.50 per cord. It cannot be said that these apply everywhere. The Gasoline Motors.

CLASS A.—The competing motors in this class, both as regaros design and weight, varied considerably :—No. 5, the 15 h.p. International harvester, has a single-cylinder slowrunning engine, of from 240 to 250 r.p.m., and weighing 9,900 lb. This engine is practically a duplicate of that %%Alien took second prize at last year s contest.

No. 15, the 12 h.p. Avery, was the novelty in the competition, and is what may be termed a farmer * general-purpose wagon-tractor, suitaule for the carrying of a load on the platform, hauling other wagons, ploughing, threshing or for driving any other machines requiring belt power. The engine has four cylinders (4,1 in. by 6 in.), and runs from 1,000 to 1,500 r.p.m. Travelling upon the road, a speed of 15 m.p.h. is attained, whilst for hauling or ploughing this can be reduced to 1.5 m.p.h. The method of accomplishing variation of speed is by throttle and spark, controlled by governor. The rims of the driving wheels are of cast iron, perforated and filled with 2-in, hardwood plugs. The rim extensions are designed to be out of action on hard roads, but automatically to go into action the instant the wheels strike soft. ground and start to slip, the blades catching, throwing back, and penetrating the earth 44 in. This motor played a most accommodating part, during the competition, by running between the Fair Ground and the ploughing field.

No. 12, the 12 h.p. Marshall, has been remodelled since its appearance at last year's trials. The cylinders have been placed vertically aria longitudinally with the frameinstead of transversely, and the power is transmitted from the crank through bevel gear to the first countershaft, and thence through another countershaft carrying the compensating gear, There are two cylinders (7 in. by 7in.), and the engine is rated to run at from 700 to 800 r.p.m., whilst the belt pulley revolves at. from 350 to 400 r.p.m. The weight of this motor is 14,500 lb., and for workmanship and materials it would be difficult to beat.

CLASS I3.—An interesting feature in this class was the fact that the International Harvester Co. was running no fewer than three of its 20 h.p. single-cylinder motors. They were built at different factories, and were run by experts from each of the factories. " All is fair in love and war," and it was plain to see that each man—though representing the same owners— was waging war to the teeth against the others. It was a competition within a competition. The three motors were numbered respectively, 7, 17 and 21, and, as regards general

construction and size of cylinders, they were exactly alike. The difference lay mainly in the gearing.

No. 7 has a continuous axle, in place of the stub as on the 20 h.p. taking part last year, and the reverse motion is obtained by friction gear ; No. 17 has a live axle, which is driven from one side of the motor ; No. 21 has a continuous axle, as in No. 7, but the reverse was obtained by a third gear wheel. A noticeable feature this year is that the wheels have been considerably increased in diameter and width, viz., from 56 in. to 70 in. diameter, and from 18 in. to 22 in. width.

No. 6, the 20 h.p. Russell, made its first appearance on Canadian soil. It is a compact little three-wheeled machine, having three vertical cylinders placed transversely with the frame. The speed of the engine is 35u nil., and there are two travelling speeds forward, and one reverse, actuated by sliding gears. The diameter of the drivers is 58 in. by 36 in., and the total weight in working order is 17,150 lb. Ignition is by high-tension jump spark ; also by low-tension magneto and make-and-break. Fuel is either gasoline or kerosene.

No.. 13, the 30 h.p. Kinnard-Haines, is of the same construction as that of the conqueror at last year's battle, having four cylinders (61 in. by 7 in.). the power from which is transmitted to the drivers through bevel gearing and countershafts. The movement of but one lever gives either a forward or rear movement to the motor, whilst in the central position the motor remains stationary. Many improvements in detail have been made since last year.

CLASS C.—In this class, four different makers took part, all of whom were tusselling with one another at last year's fight. No. 2, the 35 h.p. International Harvester, was of new design, having two horizontal cylinders (8i in. by 14 in.). The rated r.p.m. of the crank are from 300 to 325, and two travelhug speeds are obtained by shifting gears giving 2.25 and 3.5 miles per hour. The cooling device is by water-circulating pump, and the ignition by magneto or battery, with makeand-break spark. The driving wheels are 75 in. in diameter by 18 in. wide, and the total weight of the engine is 20,000 lb. No. 3, the 35 h.p. Gas Traction Co.'s motor, is of the Transit Thresher Co.'s design, being similar to the engine which took part in last year's contest. It has four cylinders (6 in. by 8 in.), and drivers of 8 ft. in diameter by 18 in. wide. Attached to the front is a patent self-steering gear, use of which is made when ploughing. The total weight in working order is 13,600 lb.

No. 16 is another four-cylinder, 40 h.p. Kinnard-Haines. and it is propelled upon a pair of 96 in.-by-24 in. drivers. The construction is the same as of the 30 h.p. Ball hearings are used to take the thrust of the bevel gears on the first countershaft, and other little improvements have been made since last year, such n placing the valve camshaft in an oil box, a direct actuation of the valves, and the addition of a magneto as well as batteries. The total weight is 18,500 lb.

No. 19, the last of the gasoline en gines, entered for trial, is a 25 h.!).

International Harvester, which, like the others, has a single cylinder (10 in. by 10 in.) and is propelled, upon a pair of 'i2 in.-by-18 in. drivers, at speeds varying from 2 to 2.5 m.p.h.

The Steam Engines.

CLASS D.—In this class, we have five different makers and sonic of the largest traction engines for steam ploughing in this country.

No. 1, the IT. Case Co.'s entry, is the well-known 32 h.p. single-cylinder engine. The diameter of the cylinder is 12 in., with a piston-stroke of 12 in., and the engine is rated to run 230 r.p.m, with a steam pressure of 160 lb. The boiler has a total heating surface of 402.05 sq. ft., and a grate area of 12.06 sq. ft. The engine is speeded to travel at 2.37 m.p.h., and it runs upon a pair of 84 in.-bv-36 in. drivers. The total weight is 4b,260 lb.

No. 9 is the M. Rumeley Co.'s 36 h.p. double-cylinder engine, with cylinders 7i in. by 14 in.; it carries a steam pressure of from 150 lb. to 175 lb., and the rated revolutions are 230 r.p.m., at which the travelling speed attained is 2.33 m.p.h. The road wheels are 84 in. by 40 in. The boiler contains 88 2-in, tubes, has a total heating surface of 490 sq. ft., and a grate area of 10.33 sq. ft. The total weight of the engine is 37,000 lb.

No. 11 is Marshall, Sons and Co.'s 25 h.p., having one cylinder 92i in. by 12 in. The engme is speeded to run at 230 r.p.m., and the working pressure is 140 lb. per sq. in. The boiler has 53 tubes, a total heating surface of 251.5 sq. ft., and a grate area of 10.4 sq. ft. The travelling, speeds are from 2* to zi m.p.h., obtained by an accelerator in connection with the governor. The drivers are 75 in. by 30 in., and the total weight of the engine in working order 26,000 lb.

No. 14 is the Russell Co.'s 30 h.p., and it was the only compound in the competition. The cylinders are placed tandem, and have diameters of 7i in. and 11 in., with a pistonstroke of 12 in. The engine is rated to run at 230 r.p.m., and the steam pressure carried is 150 lb. Drivers are 84 in. by 36 in.., and the total weight 38,432 lb. The boiler has 39 2i-in. tubes, a heating surface of 280 sq. ft., and a grate area of 10.47 sq. ft. The engine is speeded to rim at from 2 to 2.5 miles per hour. This was the first time the makers exhibited in Canada, and they took away two second prizes.

No. 20, and the last of the steamers, is that of the Avery Co., a 30 h.p., and is of their well-known undertype with double cylinders, which are 7 in. by 10 in. A fast and slow speed gear is used, and with the engine running at from 250 to 300 r.p.m.' speeds of 1.9 and 2.62 m.p.h. are attained with the slow, and of 2.28 and 3.15 with the fast gear. The drivers are 80 in. by 26 in. The boiler carries a working pressure of 160 lb., has 48 4-in. tubes, 296 sq. ft. of heating surface, and a grate area of 12.9 sq. ft. This was the heaviest engine in the competition, weighing no less than 40,860 lb.

The Tests.

As will he seen from the table (already published), three classes of tests were made, namely, brake, 'muting and ploughing.. tests. THE BRAKE TEST.—For this, a special friction rope-brake had been constructed by the engineer-in-charge.. and, after some adjustments had been made, the Case Co.'s 32 h.p.. which had been allotted " No. 1," was brought into position; on went the belt, and the test commenced. The water in the boiler had been previously measured at the gauge glass, water had been measured into the tanks, coal weighed out and the condition of the fire noted. This test was set down to be of two hours' duration, but this was varied, and in some cases was curtailed, whilst in others it was exceeded. The water was measured by a meter connected to the supply pipe. The men in charge of the various engines were keeping a close watch as to what each of the others was doing, and, as some were new at the game, they were taking in all they could before their time came, for they realized that as much de. pended upon them as upon the engine. The engines, one after the other, took up positions opposite the brake, around which were congregated the makers of the various motors, all deeply interested in comparing notes as to weights lifted and r.p.m., whilst at the conclusion of each test they were to be seen swarming round the motors, anxious to learn the fuel and water consumption, with which information they were able to form ideas as to how they would come out in this particular test.

The Hauling Test.

While the brake test was still proceeding; the haulage test got. under

way early in the afternoon. The course was over the same ground as that. used for last year's trials. though shortened from 2,999 ft. to 2,680 ft. The same soft and gravelly spots had to be traversed twice during each round, and it was this portion of the course that decided the load the motors could handle. Those who had taken part in last year's contest were wise as to the load on to which they should hang, whilst, others not in the know, and anxious to make a good display, overstepped the mark and had to drop some of their load on arriving at the gravel. The loads hauled by the lighter motors were contained in one or more wagons, according to their tractive force, whilst, in the ease of the larger types of gasoline and steam engines, the load was made up of dead engines and wagons, or engines alone. This was necessitated on account of the small space available at the turning points of the course, round which it was not possible to pass with more than three wagons; this load was not sufficient to absorb the tractive force of the larger motors. In the case of the Avery wagon-tractor, the load was made up of sand bags weighing 7,640 lb., besides three men.

The tractive force of the motors was determined by the use of recording dynamometers, and the average pull at the drawbar will be found in the table. With each motor was a checker, whose duty it was to note the time of starting and finish—as well as stoppages during the run. Towards the end of these tests, which were not concluded until Monday, 12th July, the course became considerably worn, and the soft and gravelly piece of ground became a menace to the heavier engines. The ground seemed as if it were floating on water, for it literally swayed under the weight of the engines. The effect was, of course, to retard the travelling speed of the engines, but at the same time the drawbar pull was increased in consequence of the sodden state of the land.

The Ploughing Test.

ilthough this test was set down to commence on the Monday, it was not until the middle of Tuesday, the 13th July, that the motors took the field, and it was soon apparent that this was the trial that appealed most to the farmers, who were thick upon the ground. The field was the same as that used for last year's trials, and it had been previously measured up into lands by surveyors, the furrow to be run having a length of 1,980 h. Some of the land having been ploughed last year, the engines and ploughs had a variety of work to perform, sometimes turning over loose soil, whilst at others they were negotiating the real gumbo sod.

Somebody said this was a motor competition, but, if the plough makers were not " doing a bit " too, something must be wrong with my eyesight. There was a tug-of-war going

on between the two great steam-plough makers, the Coekshutt Plough Co. and the John Deere Plough Co. Each had its experts upon the ground, and a number of ploughs, varying in size from four to fourteen furrows, and both companies were afforded equal opportunities for showing the razor-like shares and highly-polished mouldboards cutting and turning. To save my own neck, I am puttin,* them into different classes, and awarding each of them a gold medal, which they certainly earned, for never was finer work seen. Last year, the writer got his "hair pulled" for shutting out all ploughs but one make ; but, this year, the door was open to all. The largest plough on the ground was that of the John Deere Co. ; it had no less than 14 in.-by-14 in, shares coupled together in pairs, each pair being raised and lowered by band levers. The Cockshutt Co.'s giant had 12 in.-by-14 in. shares of its wellknown independent type, and a hand lever for raising each plough, in all, 12 levers. The draught of the plough was, as in the case of the hauling test, recorded by dynamometers, and the results will be found in the table.

The trials were somewhat delayed by rain, but, nevertheless. the Case Co.'s 32 h.p. got away with a 12-furrow Cockshutt ; after running for one-third of the time, one plough was cut off. yet 3.6 acres were covered in 62 min., with a coal consumption of 442 lb. The Marshall 12 h.p. next hitched on to a five-furrow Cockshutt, and in 103 min. had broken up 1.59 acre with a gasoline consumption 7.86 gallons. The Kinnard Co.'s 30 h.p. walked away in good style with a six-furrow John Deere, giving a fine exhibition of ploughing, and in 101 min. turned over 2.55 acres, with a consumption of 6.14 gallons. or 2.41 per acre.

On the Wednesday, in glorious weather, the tests were continued, motors starting off in quick succession, so that it made one pop around in order to take in all that was going on. Every hour, more and more spectators arrived, until the field was black with the crowd.

The Rumely three-wheeled 36 h.p. made fast to the giant 14-furrow Deere, and in 75 min. had turned over no less than 4.29 acres, with a consumption of 580 lb. of coal. It was certainly a fine sight to see these two large and powerful machines moving over the prairie.

The Harvester Co. next got its motor to work in quick succession. The 15 h.p. swept away with a threefurrow, 12 in. P. and 0. Canton plough. This little outfit, in 75.5 miss., had blackened over 1.09 acres in fine style. with a consumption

of but 1.64 gallons of gasoline, or 1.5 gallons per acre. The same maker's 20 h.p. (No. 7) pulled a four-furrow plough, making a very good run of 117 min. duration, in which time 2.17 acres were turned on a consumption of 5.21 gallons. No. 17, another 20 h.p. of this make, hitched on to a four-furrow, and in 84.5 min., with a consumption of 4.57 gallons, had turned over land to the extent of 1.7 acre.

The field, at this time, was alive with farmers, manufacturers, dealer; and others, travelling to and fro from one

outfit to another, seemingly delighted with the grand sight, for never had they seen so many power-ploughing machines at work at the same time. The Russell 20 h.p. three-wheeler took to its lane, and was shortly banging away in fine style across the prairie, with a four-furrow plough, with apparent, ease. This was the first ploughing done by this motor in Canada. In 121.5 min. 1.7 acre was ploughed, with a consumption of fuel amounting to 7.93 gallons.

(To be conlinmed.)

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Locations: Winnipeg

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