Pictured above are most of the ways tractors connect to their implements. As most implements are pulled or carried behind the tractor, this is where most of the connections are.
A. The Remote Electrical Outlet powers any electrical components of an implement. This can include lights, brakes, and remote hydraulic valves.
B. These six little guys are called Remote Couplers and they are what allow you to connect the hydraulic system to any implement. The one on the bottom right is missing it's cover, allowing you to see that each one is a socket. You "couple" or connect the end of a hose which carries pressurized oil to a "remote" or distant hydraulic device such as this hydraulic cylinder.
Each row of Couplers is a pair. One pushes oil which in the case of the cylinder extends the arm. The other hose allows the oil to return to the tractor, which would allow the cylinder arm to retract.
C. The three-point hitch allows the tractor to carry implements. The arms are attached to the internal hydraulic system of the tractor allowing them to move up and down. The simple design allows for quick attachment and detachment of any implement. Note that this particular implement has hydraulics as well.
D. PTO stands for Power Take-Off. What the PTO does is allow you to 'take' the 'power' of the tractor 'off' of it and put it into an implement. The PTO drive is a rotating cylinder with teeth cut into it. That's the part you can see in the top picture. In appearance it resembles a long cog or gear. The PTO is attached directly to the transmission giving it plenty of torque. A PTO shaft connects the implement to the tractor. The head of the shaft fits over the PTO drive with a socket that is the opposite shape.
In the above picture the PTO shaft is connected to a pump. The below picture is an implement from the time before hydraulics really took off. The PTO connects directly to a winch that pulls cables through a series of pulleys in order to run a front-end loader.
E. To draw something, means to pull it. That's what a drawbar does. Implements that require their own wheels due to size, job requirements or mechanical issues are hooked to the drawbar by a pin.
If the implement needs powered it will have a hydraulic or PTO connection as well. No implements use both the drawbar and the three-point hitch at the same time. The drawbar is an exceptionally strong piece of metal connected directly to the frame. This allows the tractor to pull with amazing force.
Coming up on Monday I'll finish up my tractor series with explaining the brains of the operation, the driver, as well as all his controls. As always, any questions and/or comments are welcome and remember that you can get a larger image of any of the pictures on this blog by clicking on them.
How often does a farmer replace his tractor and what do you do with old ones? Is there a retirement home for them? Are they made into glue?
ReplyDeleteIt varies based on personal preferance, but a tractor has a much longer working life than a car. Unlike a car, it's job might change significantly throughout it's life. What was once (say 30 years ago) a large tractor on a farm used for heavy pulling, such as a plow, can't effectively pull the newer larger plows. It will be moved to a differant job.
ReplyDeleteRepairing a tractor costs money and/or time. Each farmer has their own idea at what point this money or time is no longer worth it. Once they reach that point, the tractor most often goes to a farmer with a later "point." Once a tractor can no longer find anyone willing to fix it, it has one of three fates. Some will just sit. Retired tractors might sit out in weed patches to be massive iron bird houses, while others get put out in yards for display. Others will be scrapped. Chopped up and melted down. (Which is kind of like getting sent to the glue factory.) A lucky few will be rebuilt. While perhaps not better, stronger, or faster than they once were, these tractors get a complete overhaul by an enthusiast. (Some of whom are farmers.) They get their own displays and trotted out for parades, fairs, and tractor pulls as a bright and shiney example of the past.