When the first tractor-pulled plows replaced horse-drawn plows in the 1850s, agriculture was revolutionized. Nowadays, tractors play many different roles in modern farming. With powerful diesel engines, they not only plow, dig, lift, and carry, but they also pull other types of machinery, like hay bailers, seeders, mowers, and sprayers. The following are some interesting facts you might not know about tractors and Tractor wheels in Minnesota.
Fact #1: The first tractors ever invented were powered by steam, and they were used for plowing. However, they weren’t powerful enough to do more than plow and did not offer an obvious advantage over a team of horses. The next development was the gasoline-powered tractor, invented in 1892. However, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that the new technology became widely used on American farms.
Fact #2: Tractor wheels have not always been covered by giant pneumatic tires. In the 1930s, the standard farm tractor had metal wheels that were covered in spikes. The spikes would dig into the ground and provide the traction. The size of modern tractor wheels distributes the weight of the machine over a wide area, making the wheels less likely to sink into the ground and damage the soil.
Fact #3: The fastest tractor on record exceeded 80 miles per hour. This is an incredible achievement considering how slowly the great beasts normally move. They mosey down the highway at a top speed 30 mph because all the power of the diesel engine is converted into low-speed revolutions of the wheels in order to maximize their pulling power. However, in 2015, a Finnish driver set a record, getting a Valta, tractor up to 80.88 mph.
Fact #4: There are over 16 million tractors in the world today, and they account for one-third of all the energy used in the agricultural industry. However, tractors are not found only on farms; they are also widely used in construction.
Modern tractors are not only powerful, technologically advanced pieces of machinery; they also have a lot of comfortable features nowadays, like heating and air conditioning systems and GPS navigation. To learn more about tractors and Tractor wheels in Minnesota, check out Website Domain.
