Totally Unfair Tractor Pull

That's just plain cool. Years ago we went to a pull in 'Punkin Center, NC and the had an open class. There was one super modified tractor that got up there and pulled the sled nearly the length of the track. Then an guy pulled up in an old JD that looked like he had just come out of the field. They hooked him up and he made a full pull plus. Reset and reweighted the sled and he did it again, so back to the start line again. This time they reset and he still made a full pull. Needless to say he won the class that night.
 
First time I've ever seen anyone use the rear tires to plow a furrow. I believe the steamer had just a little weight advantage, but interesting anyway.
 
dgasper,
I watched the video and read the comments.Most people don't realize the power steam generates,to solve most questions all one would have to do is Google steam catapults on aircraft carriers.Enough to push a 45,000# aircraft in 2 seconds to 226 MPH hope I got the figures right,if not its close. Steam power is damn near unlimited.Old steam engines that pulled rail cars loaded gives a slight idea of power required to move that many cars loaded starting at dead weight in the rail yard. Todays tractor have one convenience, can start up on a cold day and go to work in a few minutes, steam takes a while to build up enough pressure to start working,plus have to keep fueling it almost all day. Always amazed by steam power. Great to watch,thanks for the video.
Regards,
LOU
 
Having spent a couple of years on a conventional (ie-oil fired boilers making steam) aircraft carrier, I can attest to the power of stream. Both of the ships I served on used dry steam at 1200 psi and around 975 degrees to power them. The Pratt (DDG-44) had 4 boilers and two main engines, and the America (CV-66) Had 8 boilers and 4 main engines.

Think about a vessel weighing in around 84,000 long tons or somewhere around 188,160,000 (188 million, one hundred and sixty thousand) pounds traveling right at 40 MPH. That's the fastest I can remember ever going on the America and at the time I was standing throttle watch in the #4 main machinery room. Our boilers were doing all they could, and the main engines were in overdrive, so to speak. Basically we were injecting full pressure 1200 psi main steam into the middle of the turbine instead of letting it go all the way through like it normaly did. Talk about something to see, the rooster tail thrown up by the old girl running that fast was impressive on a HUGE scale, to say the least.
 
Indeed.

Unlike the internal combustion engine, a reciprocating steam engine produces maximum torque at stall.

For this reason, it required a skilled engineer to start a heavy freight with a steam locomotive as it was difficult to avoid wheel slip.

Sure miss the steam locomotives.

Dean
 
The tractor has no weight on it at all and the drawbar is much higher on the steam engine both huge asdvantages for the steam engine.Give them the same height drawbar and weight the tractor up the same as the steam engine and the tractor blows the steamer away.If steam engines were so great there'd be millions around instead of millions of tractors.
 
Naw, today the EPA would make them put them there Cadillac convertibles on them which would cut their efficiency by about 30%.
 
What's the purpose of this exhibition? One might as well try pulling a D2 Caterpillar with an Indy race car. It's a demonstration of traction, and heavier will always win, regardless of power.

It's true that the steam engine has an edge at very low speed because that's where it has maximum torque. But I'm sure that drag tractor is capable of putting out much more torque to its wheels than the steamer, it just can't hold it.

You'll notice that the drag tractor is careful to keep his wheels spinning. If he just stopped and held his brakes, the engine would have a much harder time pulling him.

The comparison made between this demononstration and a aircraft carrier catapult is silly. The catapult can accelerate an aircraft weighing several tons from zero to 100 mph in only a second or two. That's serious horsepower. The steam engine, in comparison, is putting out only a few horsepower as it drags the tractor backwards.
 
Show the video to a room full of high school students and I bet they all bet on the Deere as the one winning.

I know it"s like comparing apples to oranges, but it"s still kind of cool to see!!
 
Generally speaking, this is light entertainment meant to show that things are not always as they appear, and just because something is old does not mean it is un-useful.

The advantage of a modern tractor over an old steamer is basically 'convienence'; it is not convientent to:
* Start the old steamer
* Run the old steamer
* Move the old steamer from field to field
* Do anything but pull something or run a belt drive
* shut down the old steamer

But all that doesn't mean it can't get the job done, as shown in the video!

I think the video makes a good statement about the ingenuity of man; those praries needed plowed, and so men invented the tools to do it, over a century ago! And those tools can still hold their own today!
 
I was kind of surprised the steam engine did so well without cleats on the wheels. While the hookup points didn't help the JD (especially with the FWA disengaged) it appeared to be getting a fair amount of traction.
 

The hook points wearen't that far apart at the start but as the diesel began to trench the height advantage went to the steamer in a big way.
As was said the steam tractors were just what the doctor ordered in those days and did a great job. As to purpose:is their any real purpose to tractor pulling other than boosting someones ego?
 

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