Tractors: Part 1. Basics

     This is a tractor. You probably already knew that. This one is retired. (Note the hand crank starter in the front. Those don't come standard any more.) For the most part, the center of any farming operation is its tractors. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but they all provide the same main function. Put simply, tractors move things. 

     Starting from the ground up, we get to the wheels first. A tractor moves itself, obviously, but the tires of a tractor will vary depending on its purpose. Some even have tracks, like a bulldozer or tank. The wheels will be shaped specifically for it's job. Drive wheels are turned by the motor and will need to grip the ground to provide traction. Most modern tractors have the ridges you see above. The wheels on the front of the tractor above are for steering alone. Such a wheel might have no texture or ridges that run around the tire. The front wheels of the tractor below are connected to the engine and therefore have the gripping tires.

     Moving up we get to the frame. The frame of a tractor has to be a complex shape to support not only its many various parts but also a wide variety of implements. It also has to be very strong in order to withstand the power of the tractor itself and many different weight loads.
     The core of a tractor is made up of the engine and transmission. A tractor's engine may be no more powerful than a car's, but the transmission is designed to turn this power into a great deal of torque. What this means is that while in a race a car can easily beat a tractor, in a tug-of-war the tractor will win easily. The engine also runs a hydraulic pump, a device the pumps oil through a system of pipes to move whatever is plugged to the other end, and a generator, a device the generates electricity. We'll talk more about these tomorrow.

     On top of it all sits the driver. All the various functions of a tractor are controlled from the driver's seat. A multitude of levers, knobs, and switches sit around the driver, who controls it all. But I'll get to that in a couple of days.
     The tractor seems pretty simple but it is, in fact, a very complex and versatile piece of equipment. There are two more posts on the tractor coming up!

      Also, any questions or comments you may have are most welcome. (keep it civil, though) And did you know that you can click on the pictures in these posts for a larger version?