when did farm tractors come into play?

A cheap, light tractor made it possible for operators to replace their single horse or mule with a machine that could handle multiple tasks. This ignited tractor sales.

The First Tractors

The development of farm tractors revolutionised agriculture. Before this innovation, the only way farmers could cultivate their crops was to use animal power. This required a lot of time and effort, not to mention acres of land for feed and housing the animals. The first tractors used steam engines on wheels to power mechanical farming equipment. These were heavy and bulky, not to mention expensive.

The invention of the gas engine allowed for much lighter and more agile tractors to be created. Inventors began to experiment with various designs, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that the industry really took off. This was when mass production of cheap tractors helped to ignite an agricultural revolution.

By the 1930s, seven firms held 75 percent of the tractor market. The most dominant of these were Ford, International Harvester, John Deere and Case. All seven firms would continue to dominate the industry for decades to come, though the competition between them continued to heat up as new innovations came along.

One of the most important developments in tractor design came from a mechanic from Northern Ireland named Harry Ferguson. This individual had a knack for tinkering and had worked on cars, bikes and planes in his youth. He saw the potential of the tractor and was hired by the Irish Board of Agriculture to investigate ways of mechanising food production.

Ferguson’s breakthrough was the invention of three point linkage. This allowed a single tractor to tow multiple implements. This reduced the number of horses or mules needed on the farm, greatly increasing productivity. The Ferguson TE20 was also a pioneer of adjustable front wheels, making the tractor more flexible and versatile.

At the same time, Ferguson was working on a special type of tractor designed to be used in fruit orchards. These tractors were fitted with features to allow them to pass underneath tree branches without snagging. Examples of these include a low overall profile; reducing the risk of snags by using underslung exhaust pipes rather than smokestack-style engines; and incorporating large sheetmetal cowlings or fairings on the machine’s body that allow branches to deflect and slide off, instead of catching.

The Second Tractors

When the tractor first came into play, it was a powerful tool to help mechanize agricultural tasks such as plowing, planting, tilling, harrowing, disking and mowing. Originally, these machines were steam-powered, but the innovations of fuel-powered engines ignited an industrial revolution in agriculture and made the tractor as ubiquitous as automobiles and trucks are today.

Steam-powered tractors used belts to help power mechanical farm equipment. While this was a great leap forward from using draft animals for agricultural tasks, these early machines were difficult to use and required farmers to keep a field of land set aside to feed their horses and mules or relocate them every time they needed to work on the field (like when threshing grain).

Inventors began to develop more advanced steam-powered tractors with internal combustion engines that ran on gasoline, kerosene or diesel. These were easier to use, but they also were unable to carry loads as well as the older machines could. As time went on, manufacturers began to make larger and more powerful tractors with these new engines, and by the 1920s, there were over 150 different tractor companies in operation around the world.

Although many of the large manufacturers dominated tractor production in this period, some smaller companies still managed to find success with their own innovations. For example, Irishman Harry Ferguson was a mechanic who had worked on cars and bikes in his youth before starting to work on agricultural equipment. After watching the Fordson tractor trials in 1917, he was impressed and asked Ford to hire him, but Ford refused. Ferguson then created his own brand of tractors and pioneered three point linkage and the independent power takeoff.

Today, tractors are primarily powered by internal combustion engines that run on gasoline, kerosene, LPG or diesel fuel. They transmit power to the two large, powered wheels on the rear of the tractor through a gearbox with 8 or 10 speeds. They can be steered through the use of the steering wheel, or with hydraulically operated center-hinged systems that allow the tractor to be maneuvered like an articulated vehicle. Most modern tractors are fitted with rubber (or grass) tires that are less damaging to the environment than steel traction tires.

The Third Tractors

Early steam engines were cumbersome and difficult to use, but they eventually gave way to fuel-powered tractors that used internal combustion. Fuel-powered tractors were a natural extension of the automotive industry, and automobile companies became heavily involved in tractor production early on. They designed tractors that were user-friendly, and prices dropped to the point where thousands of farmers could afford them.

The emergence of fuel-powered tractors also allowed for the development of more versatile machinery. The power take-off (PTO) on a tractor allows an operator to transfer engine power to different types of equipment, such as mowers, balers, and loaders. These devices are capable of performing multiple tasks with the same machine, and they significantly increase productivity and efficiency on modern farms.

Prior to the advent of fuel-powered tractors, the only way to power stationary equipment was by connecting it to the tractor via belt pulleys or cables. However, this meant that the tractor had to stay at one location and the equipment had to be brought to it on a daily basis. In addition, it was impractical to use a different piece of equipment on the same tractor day-to-day because mounting took significant time and effort, and often included bolting each device to the tractor.

Once a farmer found a piece of equipment that worked well with their tractor, they inevitably wanted to use it regularly. Therefore, many manufacturers designed a fixed mount that the equipment could be attached to on a permanent basis. Examples of this type of tractor were the front-end loaders, buzz saws, and silage blowers that mounted directly to the tractors. The fixed mounts were generally made of metal, and the implements were semi-permanently attached to them with bolts.

As the farm tractor gained traction in America, it began to make a huge impact on society. The ability to mechanize farming work eliminated millions of jobs and freed up workers for the manufacturing and service industries in cities across the country. In the process, the farm tractor helped transform rural America from a backwater to a modern industrial economy.

The Fourth Tractors

There’s no harder working piece of machinery on a farm than the tractor. It’s capable of handling a multitude of tasks and is every farmer’s best friend. But the story of how these mighty machines came into play is far more complex than what most Americans think.

The first farm tractors actually did not come into play until the 19th century. Before that point, all farming was done by hand or with animals. But a machine that would save farmers time and effort while doing the same work became available with the invention of the steam-powered tractor.

Early steam tractor designs were cumbersome, heavy, and difficult to operate. They were also expensive, costing farmers thousands of dollars each to own and operate. But in the 1910s, a revolutionary change happened.

This was the arrival of Henry Ford, who brought mass production to tractors. His 1917 model was lighter and cheaper than his predecessors, making it affordable to most farmers. Other competitors soon began offering light, affordable tractors as well. These competitors started adding things like adjustable front wheels and raising the ground clearance on their tractors. This made them more flexible and allowed them to be used in fields with different levels of terrain.

Another critical factor in the success of these new tractors was the availability of cheap fuel. Kerosene was a critical ingredient for the popularity of these machines. It was a lot cheaper than gasoline, and hardware stores were now selling kerosene for more than just lamps and stoves.

After the success of this new generation of tractors, farmers were able to grow more food in less time than ever before. They could plough and carry heavier loads and haul in larger harvests than they could do with horses or mules. And that’s why, even today, farm tractors are the backbone of our food production system.

These mighty machines are not only important for bringing in our crops, but they’re also vital for the preservation of soil quality. With a tractor, a farmer can keep the field level while working it, which helps preserve soil structure and reduce erosion and runoff. This, in turn, allows for higher crop yields and a more sustainable food supply.