Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-19

Der Of farmers also ala some work on
the roads Six men explain that they
would have 20 have large gasoline
engine anyway in order to operate
these machines ana that their use of
the tractor for this purpose saved
them buying an engine.
When Tractors DIDN'T Pay.
Sixteen OF the l55 tractor owners
said that their tractors had not been
It paving investment and thar they
would he better OH financially il they
had never gotten one. Various reas
ons were assigned. bur il is SigniG
can thar nine OF the Is owned the
same make of tractors single cyl,
inder. SLOW speed machine tina, is
very heavy for the power developed
Another type made by this company
has been one OF the most successful
used in La Sale county The other
seven tractor failures were distrib-
uted among five different makes. one
or Two 70 each
There were various reasons why
these IL tractors had not paid out In
three eases the tractors We're said
10 be too Small-they were >.l66s-
and it was not possible 10 get enough
power from them 10 make them pay
Two of these three men said that they
thought three-ploW size tractor
would be a fine thing Two men said
thar their farms We're too wet and i,
was impossible to use the tractors
enough 10 make them pay. Two men
said that 50 much dirt collected in
their tractors that the movable parts
We're always wearing ont or breaking
One farmer said that the transmits
sion was poorly made and that il cost
too much for repairs Two Others
said that their tractors had not pal,
because OF too much money for re
pairs without saying what parts need
ed the repairs Two men said that
their tractors needed too much over
hauling and that they We're Away
ont OF order when they wanted tC
use them. one farmer said that his
tractor did not pay as he was ten
ant an dthe landlord paid half OF the
horse feed but would not pay for
half Of the kerosene and oil TIL
other three did not say why their
tractors had not paid except that one
believed the steam tractors We're
better and one said that horse power
was cheaper without giving any fur
Their reason
WY the Tractor Pays
The reason why these tractors are
a paying investment are varied but
, they follow two or three main lines
and one man often mentions two OF
three reasons. For the most part
the saving OF labor is mentioned first
This Includes the saving Of both man
and horse labor More than % per
cent OF the tractor owners said that
their tractors mad .been the means OF
saving a considerable amount Of man
labor in some eases. as much as
the work Of one man for the entire
season. This is an important cDnsid.
Grafton, and especially 50 in a time
like the present, when help is scarce
and every bit Of effort is SO necessary
About 81 per cent Of the tractor own
ers said that they had been able tc
farm with fewer horses-in many
cases, with half Of the number that
they had used before they got theh
. tractor
The second important reason as
signed why the tractor had been q
paying investment was tina, under
! pressure it worked for long hour.
i and enabled the farmer to do much
more work than he would have beer
r able to do otherwise. no matter how
many good horses he had mum
Ter of farmers told how they had Deel
handicapped by wet spring unit
hey had a great volume Of work &
10 al the last minute, and how the.
lad put lanterns on their tractor
] ana worked Is. 20 or "A hours pc
lays ahead of their neighbors VII
; depended solely upon horse power
: Still other men told how they ha
day and got their work done man
p stayed out Of their wet fields Will
0 neighbors We're mudding through their
s ana then had started out and fnishe
/. even with their neighbors and wit
@ theri land in mach better shape
o Mechanical and Other Troubles.
J. \ man would have TO be rather Of
timistic to think ,aht he could run
tractor without trouble of any sor
though a good number repOred thf
they had no trouble or no troubl
! worth mentioning so | nave listed til
:, troubles here with the number OF time
" each was mentioned by the farmers
\ study Of the III cases Of troub
re orted shows that ignition holds tt
. front rank with 49, bearings next vii
? - valves -. starting I, transmissic
. 10, clutch .. connecting rods 9. carb
rector I broken crank shaft D. and V
~ rious other miscellaneous troubles
= make up the remainder
y Seyentyseven cases or ~ per ce
Of the troubles given, were due direct
Is ,o ,,ro,a adi,,s,,,o,, or ,oslact a,