Farm tractors are essential agricultural vehicles used for ploughing, planting, and hauling. They have evolved from steam engines to petrol-powered vehicles, with four-wheel designs being the most popular. Modern tractors have GPS and automated functions and come in different types and sizes for various agricultural needs. Implements are attached to the rear end using a drawbar or hitch system.
A farm tractor is a distinctive, multi-purpose agricultural vehicle. It is perhaps the most essential of all agricultural machines. Farm tractors are used in tandem with a variety of farm equipment to perform different agricultural tasks. These include ploughing, shoveling, tillage, grinding, harrowing, planting, hauling, pushing, lifting, hauling, and power supply.
These vehicles made their first appearance in the 19th century. The earliest were portable steam engines and traction motor vehicles. These were followed by oil and then petrol powered tractors. Internal combustion gasoline engines became the norm after 1920.
The first agricultural tractors had fixed distance front wheels with a solid front axle. Saunderson Tractor and Implement Co., a firm based in Bedford, Massachusetts, produced a four-wheel tractor in 1908 that proved to be very popular. Another successful tractor company, founded in 1837 and still in business, is John Deere, with its distinctive green and yellow tractors.
Next came the tricycle-type tractors, with a single front wheel or close-set double front wheels. Tractor manufacturer Farmall was famous for its bright red tricycle design machines. These designs were in vogue from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Four-wheel tractors, on the other hand, were easier and safer to handle. They were less likely to collapse than three-wheelers. They have also proved to be better suited to the needs of mechanized agriculture.
Design-wise, a four-wheel tractor has two large driving wheels and two large steering wheels. The driving wheels are on one axle and the steering wheels are under the engine compartment. The seat and steering wheel are placed in the center of the four wheels, usually within an enclosed cockpit.
Modern tractors can have articulated and non-articulated eight-wheel drive, track or track units. They can have electrical or computerized controls and are capable of performing a multitude of different functions. Many modern agricultural tractors are equipped with GPS devices, automatic steering systems and other automated functions.
Different types of tractors have been developed for different agricultural needs. These include row crops, grain fields, high-yield tractors, and utilities. They come in different sizes, ranging from small to large.
Row crop and tall crop tractors have adjustable treads that allow for careful navigation between row crops. These vehicles can make their way through rows of tomatoes, corn, wheat or other crops without damaging the plants. Tall crop types have higher ground clearance and are suitable for agricultural work with vegetables or high-growing crops.
Grain land farm tractors are used for heavy field work on vast tracts of arable land. Utility vehicles are generally smaller, more general purpose vehicles. These can be used for non-agricultural tasks such as gardening, landscaping and digging. These utility tractors are equipped with turf tires that are softer than regular farm tires.
Farm equipment and implements are usually attached or hitched to the rear end of the tractor. The coupling system can be a drawbar, a two-point hitch or a three-point hitch. The three-point hitch system is the standard feature on most modern tractors.
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