St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1919-08-16
OHIO ADDS TO TRACTOR DATA.
Set of Figures That Cannot Be Jug
sied Is Being Gathered.
(By B. NJ. Ikert, of Motor Age Edi-
torial Staff

tOrlal Stan.)
Middleton, Ohio, Aug. 2.-While
practically repetition of the tractor
tests 1t Columbus, July 1929, the
tests here yesterday and today
nevertheless, added their share to
the fund Of useful information being
gathered by the Ohio State Univer-
sity regarding tractor performance
1t is Ger, ain when the tests are over
at Fostoria and Akron about the
middle Of the month the Department
of Agricultural Engineering of the
university will have a set of figures
that cannot be juggled by over-zeal-
Gus tractor statesmen or anyone else
connected with the tractor industry,
and the farmer who is told that he
is getting a 12-hp. machine on the
drawbar has only to look over the
Ohio figures and in terms of common
phraseology ean"tell the salesman
where be is getting off at"
AS told in these columns last week
at Columbus we had a mixing of
farmers, tractor dealers, ignition
men, tra ctor owners, prospects and
so on down the line. At Middleton
things were exactly the same, al
though the crowds were perhaps not
quite SO large. At this time great
deal cannot be said regarding the
tests as whole, because the real
story can only be told when all the
figures have been compiled and re-
checked.
Not Tested on Same Field.
There may be a little squabbling
on the part OF some of the entrants
because all the machines are not
tested on the same field with the
Gulley dynamometer. That is, Is
machines were tested at Columbus,
anothe., set at Middleton and when
the tests are over at Akorn, every
one of the machines will have been
tested ct one field Or another. Slight
allowance may have to be made for
atmospheric conditions, field condi-
tions, ETC., but on the whole condi-
tions will not be so different at any
one field that the figures will be
greatly affected.
The dynamometer, which was
slightly damaged at Columbus, was
repaired and working again at Mid
dleton. Although a heavy rain fell
here the day before the tests opened
and the weather was more or less
threatening all the time the first day,
blowing went on in good shape and
none of the machines had any special
difficulty. The drawbar tests are
not made at the spot where the ma
chimes ere working, but the tractors
are driven one by one to selected
spot where the dynamometer is wait
ing for them. Each test extends
over a period of about As minutes.
Unofficially it is stated that some of
the machines have not come quite
up to their rating, while others went
over. These are subjects which the
final checking up, however, will
prove Or Gisprove.
1t is a real revelation to watch
the tests that have been going on in
Ohio for a while, chiefly because the
machines work under exactly the
same conditions that the farmer will
have to operate them. No corps of
mechanics and ploW experts follow
the machines around to adjust this
and that: there is no fussing with
the engine once the machine has
started. Although the pillow experts
are allowed to make the final adjust
ments on the first two rows, after
that they sit calmly by and watch
the machine from a distance. Those
that follow the machines on the
field are chiefly farmers or prospec-
tive owners. And there are those
expecting to sell tractors in the fu-
ture, getting a line on the various