AGRIMOTOR NOTES.
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Self-contained Motor Ploughs, or Tractors ?
THE TRACTOR question is far from being settled yet, in the way of design. We have almost every conceivable design, so far as the general arrangement of wheels is concerned, and there is as yet no decided tendency to fellow any one particular design more than another ; although, with so many motor firms coming into the business on both sides the' Atlantic, it is not -unnatural that what might be termed "automobile lines" naturally appeal to the designers of such firms as a course to follow. Apart, however, from the general arrangement of the wheels and mechanism, tractors for ploughing work may be divided into two distinct classes, to wit, the so-called self-contained " motor ploughs" and the tractor proper,. which works with any of the standard gang ploughs supplied by the trade. It is interesting to note that, in this country, these two classes appear to be receiving about equal attention from the manufacturers; although, so far, the trade (ore at any rate, the retail branch of the motor trade which is considering the tractor question so much at present) appears rather to concentrate on the tractor idea. There is much indeed to be said on the part of both types. First, let us take the tractor proper. Here we have a machine which is designed to work with day suitable implement which the farmer has handy. Some of these tractors are designed to run oti the road, and can thus do general road haulage work as well as purely farm work on the land. They have either three or four wheels, and in some cases the wheels are replaced by chain-tread tracks. The latter are more particu-. lady suited for such work as cultivating, harrowing, etc., which calls for the passage of the machine over already 'broken up land. But, whichever form they occupy, with the exception of one or two special types, they just pull the implement, with a man mounted thereon to operate it, unless a self-lift plough he employed.
Undoubtedly they are very useful all-round vehicles; but, as a rule, they require, with their attached implement, i a considerable amount of space n which to turn ; wide headlands in ploughing are made, and they are unable to work into the corners of the field, either with the plough or other implement. Whilst it is true, so far as the actual implement employed is concerned, that they can work with any plough-or implement which is available, there are very few ploughs in this country which are available. The same may be said of other implements, for the simple reason that English practice in most parts of the country is to work with single tennis. Gang ploughs cutting multiple furrows and pulled by large teams of horses, as well as very wide and large implements also pulled by large teams, are very rarely employed even on the larger farms. Hence, it may be said that, broadly speaking, the farmer buying a tractor has got to buy a plough and possibly some other special implement to work with it, anyway.
Now, in the case of the motor plough proper, or self-contained plough, the great distinction, so far as the tractor operation of it is concerned, is in the fact that it is only provided with two wheels, or other supports. The driving mechanism and power plant are mounted more or lass directly over the axle of these two wheels, and there is usually a central beam, or back bone, if it might be so -termed, running rearwards from the axle or to the supporting frame, around and to which the ploughs are attached. The result is that the ploughs are tucked in quite close behind the wheels; and, as the driver's seat is supported either on the frame of-the plough portion or towards the tail end of this, central back bone (the steering being accomplished either by means of a long horizontal steering post or by means of reins, as with a horse team), the driver is seated immediately above, or slightly teethe •rear of, his ploughs, and thus has the work immediately under his observation and control.
These outfits are, in the fullest sense of the term, "one-man" outfits, and they have the advantage, owing to their great compactness of arrangement, that, as a rule, they will tare in a very short space. and can work fairly well up into the corners of the field. They are, hence, better suited for use on the smaller farms and fields, so far as ploughing is concorned, than are the tractor proper ; whilst, in most cases, they are also designed so that the plough portion of the equipment may be removed, the tail end of the back-bone being attachable to other implements and supported on their wheels. Thus, where other implements are also concerned, the coupled outfit becomes practically a self-contained one, everything being kept together, so that very much less working space is needed.
There is undoubtedly a wide field of usefulness on British farms for outfits of this class, regardless as to whether they have wheels or chain treads, and it remains to be seen how they will hold their own in competition with machines of other types amongst the British farthing community.
AG111110T.