There's A Difference
Monday, September 6, 2010
Edgerton, Wis. -- The Rock River Thesheree is a Labor Day tradition in southern Wisconsin dating back to 1955. It is dedicated to vintage farm implements and steam power. The two machines you see pictured were both on display there. One is a tractor and the other is not.
Though commonly referred to as "steam-powered tractors", machines such as the one pictured below were actually called "traction engines" in their day. The term "tractor" didn't appear until around 1903 and is believed to have been coined by Charles W. Hart and Charles H. Parr to describe their invention, a similar farm machine powered by an internal combustion engine rather than steam. The word is said to be a combination of the words "traction" and "power".
Steam powered traction engines were in use throughout the second half of the 19th Century but were quickly supplanted by internal combustion engined tractors in the 20th Century as the newer devices were less expensive, more maneuverable and easier and safer to operate.
Whether steam powered or internal combustion, these implements changed the course of agriculture and human history. Large scale farming would not have been possible without inventions such as these.
--M.D.
posted by Marty Densch at
11:53 AM
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