Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-09-12
FASCINATION IN
TRACTOR DESIGN
Tractor Engineering Thir-
teen Years Behind I'M
DrOVcmcntS.

Automobile engineers are going TO
take up the tractor and men trained
in 'hc automobile Industry are going
to make possible l3 years of progress
I'm five yeais on less They are going
to do this largely apart from any
business reasons.
They are going To- enter the tractor
field as individuals because of the inn
mcusc fascination of the machine.
There are many passenger car onfl-
nCors who have never been able TO
work up much enthusiasm over the
motor truck probably because tho
truck is rather Ike "A passenger car
shorn OF many rclineWents, bul the
tractor has a different appeal. The cf-
feet Of a first sight Of a tractor dem
oustratiun IS indcscribHAlc, one feels
he Is Witnessing "a manifestation of
new form of energy. II provokcs
much the same tingling Of the blood
as does the first sight of a speedway
with a bunch OF cars tearing past.
Probably the explanation TX that one
sees and realizes in the eep-biting
plows and the rapidly changing face
Of the landscape that same raw power
which is the fascination of the speed
way
Whatever be the truth the fact re-
mains that any man who took up
automobile engineering for the love of
the art has only 10 see "A dozen tract
ors blazing their trail across acres of
stubble In order to discover a new en-
thusiasm.
Developments VIII he Rapid.
Even among tractor engineers itI
void be difficult 20 find II man who
would contend that the gasoline
tractor has reached more than an
early stage in its development. To
make a comparison with the automO-
bile or motor truck is far from easy,
the conditions of service and the re-
quiz ements being so greatly different.
but II is fairly close 10 the truth II
we say that the gasoline tractor today
liz at about the same stage of its de
volopmont as was the passenger auto
mobile i'm 1903.
This does not mean that the tractor
is going to need another 3 years to
reach a stage equal In development to
the 1915 automobile Probably what
took ~ years for the passenger car
will he done In five or fewer for the
tractor, general accumulated expert !
enco now being So much greater but
the amount which remains TO be done
will provide sufficient work TO give the
tractor engineers a very full five years. /
An automobile engineer I'm np-
preaching the problems of tractor de
sign must first clear his mind com
pletely OF all preJudicPs. He must
manfully resist the natural impulse to
compare tractor features with. for in
stance, motor truck convention. In |
many ways it would be possible to
draw closer parallel to the motor
beat than to any road vehicle Really, |
though, the tractor is not comparable
with any other sclf-moVing machine. |
While II is more difficult a problem
than the automobile in some ways II
rs easier i'm others, but is essentially
different. 4 most successful truck
engineer could easily make a very bad
tractor II he took on the job with a
light heart
None the less, the automobile Is gO-
ing to benefit by reason Of what viii
be learned I'm developing the tractor
To give an example, the kerosene car
burctor Is essential to the tractor, and
already experience is being gained
which will he valuable throughout the
whole range of Internal combustion
engineering. Another thing which is
as yet imperfect for tractors is the ig-
milton system, and curious little
thing which comes to light in this re-
spcct IL a growing demand from the
tractor men for a smaller spark plug,
the engineers quoting all the arru-
mcnts recently advanced 10y acroplaue
engine builders in favor OF the metric
size of plug shell.
Six Major Problems.
Having said that the tractor is AS
yet only partially developed 1t may he
well 10 mention the major problems
that are yet not overcome.
First. Reliability is not good
enough yet not nearly good enough
This IS partly due 20 poor en-
eiacerinT that can be tccosnizcd as.
such and partly to the peculiarly diff
fcult conditions of q tractors work
Second. The efficiency of the ma
chine as "A whole can hc improved
NGV greatly. must ho improved In
fact. At the present the horsepower
at the draWhar and the horsepower at
the flNWhcel ate too widely different
Third. The weight is usually out Of
proportion TO the horsepower. Weight
is an essential I'm order to permit a.