AGRIMOTORS
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PARIS SHOW.
Remarkably Interesting Exhibits of Specialized Machines, Many Suited to Road Use.
TIIE eighth annual Paris Salon tie in Machine Agrieole, which was held recently in the exhibition buildings at the Porte de 'Versailles, contained e greater number of tractors and motor-propelled implements than any previous show of the kind held in the Fceneh capital. The motor section suffered somewhat this year from the fact that instead of• being housed in a separate hall the exhibits were spread about all over the exhibition, and much time had to be spent in finding them. When found, however, they proved quite interesting and the general impression gained was that the agrimotor business in France has now completely recovered from the slump which set in
some three years ago. •
The Show was thoroughly international in character, and the foreign contingent included exhibits of British, German, Belgian, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Swiss, Austrian and American manufacturers. One very remarkable point may be noted in connection with this Show—American exhibits dwindle steadily in numbers from year to year, the exact converse of what happens at Continental automobile shows. It would seem that, at length, motor agriculture is going ,ahead in France, as, from inquiries made at various stands, we gathered that exhibitors were obtaining considerably more business than at previous, shows.
One reason for the slow progress of the agrimotor in France has been the high cost of petrol and paraffin, but this difficulty has now been largely overcome by improved methods of employing heavy oil as fuel, and the number of Diesel and semi-Diesel-engined machines exhibited in the Show which has just closed was quite remarkable. Amongst tractors employing the true Diesel were the Helios and the Rip.
The Helios tractor had a single-cylindered, horizontal; four-stroke engine of 145 mm. bore by 240 ram. stroke, running at about 800 r.p.m. In addition to this, vertical Helios Diesel engines for larger tractors were exhibited separately. The Rip tractor employs the PeugeotJunkers engine, which is a vertical two-cylindered two-stroke-,cycle unit with opposed pistons. This engine runs at the unusually high speed of 1,000 r.p.m. to 1,200 r.p.ra. and develops about 40 b.h.p.
The Rip tractor itself is a simple and cleanly designed machine, especially arranged for ploughing. The gearbox, which provides three speeds and a reverse, incorporates an automatic lifting gear for the plough, which is closecoupled. The makers of the Rip also exhibited their standard tractors, which have a normal type of petrol engine.
Semi-Diesel-engined machines were legion ; In fact, for tractor work, thot-bulb engines were actually in the majority. One of the simplest machines of this type shown was the Belgian Dubois tractor. This machine, which has been exhibited at three successive Paris Shows, appears to be gaining considerable popularity in the French agricultural world. It is a tractor which can be used either for field or road-transport purposes. When used for ploughing or other farm labour, it is arranged as a two-wheeler, the particular implement in use being close-coupled. For road haulage, a complete front axle with road wheels can be slipped into place in a few minutes.
The well-known Mannheim firm of Heinrich Lanz showed a very useful looking hot-bulb-engined tractor, the Bulldog. This machine, like the majority of its type, is equipped with a slow-running single-cylindered engine which develops about 28 h.p. at 500 r.p.m. and functions equally well on all
varieties of heavy-oil fuel. A most unusual refinement noticed in this tractor was the installation of electric lighting and starter.
Newcomers to the Show were the great German Hanomag firm, exhibiting a range of tractors, and the Italian 0.M. Company, v.bich exhibited through its French agents. IIanomag tractors are chain-track machines with a particularly long flexible driving baud, which gives a high
tractive effort. The 50 has. Hauomag is claimed to be capable of hauling 100-ton loads without difficulty across country an<'. over all sorts of bad land. This type has a four-cylindered petrol engine of 135 min. bore by 155 mm. stroke, whilst the second Hanomag model, which is designed on exactly the same lines, has a 95 mm. by 1'50 mm. engine, developing ahout 28 -b.h.p. A third type, also shown in Paris, has what the makers term a semi-caterpillar drive. This type is designed for road haulage as well as agricultural work, and is claimed to combine the advantages of the chain track with those of the wheeled machine. Short chain tracks are employed for the drive, whilst ordinary road wheels are fitted in front. All the llanomag, tractors have three-speed gearboxes.
The Italian M. tractors, which were shown by the Toulouse. firm MA.I.S., have a single-cylindered semi-Diesel engine of the hot-bulb type running on heavy oil. The engine is a two-stroke-cycle type, developing 25 hap. to 30 h.h.p. at the low speed of 450 r.p.m. Like most examples of Italian work, the machines are well turned out and are
businesslike in design. For road work the tractor has a speed of 6.1 k.p.h.
The Austin company had a fine exhibit of six standard tractors arranged for various kinds of work. The Austin appears to be just about the right size and type of tractor to snit the French market, where the very big tractor is not much in demand. Lorraine-Dietrich again showed tDeir interesting ARA flexible track machine for forestry and other work. The ARA tractor has an oscillating form of jockey carrier which gives much greater flexibility to the tracks than is obtainable with the ordinary design.
A big semi-Diesel-engined tractor seen for the first time in Paris was the Avance. This is a Swedish machine with a vertical engine which embodies a novelty in the form of movable fuel injectors. The direction of the jets can be varied according to the engine speed.
Renault, as usual, had a fine display of tractors, including two gas-driven machines fitted with the new and much improved type of Renault gas-producer.
Scemia showed an entirely new big tractor with a vertical twin-cylindered hervy-e'l engine mounted transversely. The French Mistral tractor was exhibited with certain detail improvements. The differential casing can be raised or , lowered at will by the driver, and on each side of this casing are driving wheels provided with speeds for field work. These wheels are driven by the worm and worm wheel directly and not through the differential, and they come into action when the transmission is dropped into the " down " position.
Many of the small cultivating machines, such as the Max Curtis, are of the motor-wheel type with an air-cooled twostroke-cycle engine mounted inside the cultivator wheel and driving the axle through spur gearing.
The general atmosphere of the Salon de la Machine Agricoie was far more cheerful than at any previous Paris show of the kind which we have visited. Attendances were good and there was evidently plenty of business being transacted. Agrimotors have got a move on nt last, in spite of the intensely conservative nature of the French farmer.