1902 Steam-Powered Tractor

1902 Steam-Powered Tractor. . Gaar Scott and Company, established in 1895 in Richmond, Indiana, manufactured a long line of tractors, threshing machines, and steam engines from 1842 through 1911, including this 1902 model. This enormous cast-iron and steel tractor, weighing some five tons empty, was used mostly as a stationary portable flywheel steam engine for threshing and other agricultural purposes. The 10-horsepower traction engine with a single cylinder Class F engine powered everything. The term “traction engine” was later shortened to “tractor.” , To run the engine and tractor, the boiler was fired with either coal or wood that was stoked in the firebox at the rear of the machine. The firebox heated water in a reservoir above producing the steam pressure that powered the flywheel and the tractor itself. A pulley band was connected to the flywheel of the tractor and then stretched to a flywheel on the thresher machine to provide power to operate the unit up to fifty feet away. This enabled the farmer to be able to harvest and thresh the wheat from his fields in a few days rather than weeks, which was a real blessing when bad weather threatened. , Although work time was shortened for the harvest, manpower was still needed to make the operation work. Al least one man was needed to monitor and stoke the steam engine while two more had to monitor the pulleys. Teams of horses and drivers made a continuous circuit from a water source to the steam engine to provide a steady supply of water. Another team pulled the coal or wood wagon to the location to keep the fire going. Even others were needed to harvest the wheat and bring it to the thresher. , Due to the expense of these traction engines and the number of men needed to perform all of the duties necessary to keep everything going, some farmers hired an outside company that provided the service. However, many farmers formed “co-ops,” with one farmer housing the tractor and becoming trained in its operation and the others providing the equipment, horses and manpower to complete the harvest. Each farmer in the co-op then benefited from having the cooperative team come to his own farm to thresh his crop. As the tractor's design advanced to lighter and more streamlined models, the price of tractors lowered enough so that the average farmer could afford one. , Historic Tours of America, Inc..