|
Tractor Talk Discussion Board |
Re: Just how efficient were steam-powered tractors?
[ View Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Return to Forum ]
Posted by Bill from up north on April 25, 2002 at 22:01:33 from (216.55.194.231):
In Reply to: Just how efficient were steam-powered tractors? posted by Alberta Mike on April 25, 2002 at 08:35:50:
I have copies of the results from the Winnipeg Motor Contest which was the forerunner of the Nebraska Tractor tests. According to their results the steam engine ran about 7% thermal efficiency. The people that built them really never made any attempt to reclaim the water etc. and for good reason. The people that were running them were used to looking at the back end of a horse,so they kept them as simple as possible. The railroads made them far more compicated and more efficient with super heating tubes and compound engines. Most engines burned straw when threshing ,which is basically all the early engines did,which was free heat ,because most of the straw stacks were burned anyway ,just to get rid of all the straw. A lot of the later engines burned straw also at during harvest and then switched to wood or coal for ploughing. I would bet that if someone nowdays had to look after 20 horses,feed them harness them etc. and use them every day for a month in the field ploughing and then used a 20 horse steam engine to do the same amount of work- they wouldn't be long choosing the steam engine. A modern built steam engine could be just as efficient or more, than a diesel. On a larger scale steam and external combustion is far more efficient than internal combustion -ie. steam powered generating plants. Steam engines were a giant step forward for man into mechanization and well deserve their place in history. As for the wood and straw -its a renewable resource. The big question is - What will "Man" use for power once he has burned up all the Oil and Natural Gas??
Follow Ups:
Home
| Forums
| Order Support
Today's Featured Article -
Chores - by Frank Young. The ceaseless passing of time! It is at once our friend and our enemy. It measures our progress and it makes us old. Like most features of our life, few things are all good or all bad, and most such judgments depend on our own perspective or viewpoint. In our particular hobby, we enjoy the nostalgic return to the days of our youth as we recreate many of the scenes that took place on the family farm that served as the stage for the first few acts of the play that is our live
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
one 8n and one 9n tractor. totaly restored,pretty much everything is new. one 6ft blade good shape.
[More Ads]
Copyright © 1997-2026 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V. Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor HeadquartersWebsite Accessibility Policy |
|
