Practical Hand Book of Gas, Oil and Steam Engines / Stationary, Marine, Traction; Gas Burners, Oil Burners, Etc.; Farm, Traction, Automobile, Locomotive; A simple, practical and comprehensive book on the construction, operation and repair of all kinds of engines. Dealing with the various parts in detail and the various types of engines and also the use of different kinds of fuel.

by John B. Rathbun

(147) The Steam Tractor.

The steam tractor consists of the following elements, which will take up in detail under separate headings.

(1) Engine proper, consisting of the cylinder, piston, valve motion, guides, crank, fly wheel, etc.

(2) Boiler—with the grates, burners, etc.

(3) Feed pump or injector.

(4) Feed water heater.

(5) Driving gear, differential, clutch, etc.

As in the case of the gas tractor, the machine consists simply of a steam engine and its boiler that drive the road wheels of the tractor through a gear train. With the steam tractor the gearing is simplified as the reverse is performed by the engine’s valve motion, and not through gearing. There is no need of speed changing transmission gears in the steam tractor as the engine is sufficiently flexible to provide an innumerable number of speeds by simple throttle control.

While the fuel most commonly used is coal, straw and wood, crude oil is often used, the fuel being determined principally by the location of the engine, and by its cost on the job. The matter of fuel should be taken into consideration when the engine is purchased as the different grades demand different fire box and boiler construction. When it is possible to obtain crude oil at a reasonable figure, it certainly should be used in preference to all others as liquid fuel is the most compact, most easily controlled, and efficient of any. The subject of oil burners is taken up later in this chapter, a number of types of which are clearly illustrated.