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

(153) The Boiler.

As the boilers of traction engines sustain the pull and vibration of the engine as well as the stresses due to traveling over rough roads in addition to the steam pressure strains, they must be made very substantially and of the best materials. The service of the boiler on a traction engine is very different from that met with in stationary or locomotive practice for the tractor seldom receives the attention that is given to the other types and as it goes bumping over the fields with the water whacking at every joint and the engine rushing and surging at every little grade, it receives an “endurance” test every moment of its existence.

A boiler should show an inspection pressure considerably in excess of that which it is intended to carry. It should be well stayed and braced, and should be suspended from the road wheels in such a way as to be relieved from as much strain as possible. No transverse seams should be permitted, and the barrel should be well reinforced at the point where the front bolster is attached as well as at points where pipe connections are tapped into the shell. No large bolts should be tapped into the steam or water space. The tubes should be placed so that they may be easily withdrawn or cleaned. The location of the hand holes and washout holes is also an important item, for inaccessible hand-holes are an abomination.

Boiler lagging or covering is intended to reduce the heat loss by radiation, and for this reason it should be of a good insulating material and should be thick enough to be effective. The cost of jacketing is more than covered by the saving in coal, especially in cold weather.

A straw-burning fire box differs from a coal burner in having a fire brick arch and a shorter grate, and in having a special chute on the fire door for feeding the straw into the furnace. After a short time, the fire brick arch becomes incandescent, keeping the firebox temperature constant and producing perfect combustion of the tarry vapors distilled from the straw. A trap door is provided on the straw chute which automatically keeps the outside air from chilling the fire.