Talk:Tractor/Archives/2012

Moroccan manufacturers
WHO ARE THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS OF AGRICULTURE TRACTORS IN MOROCCO. WHAT IS THE CONTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT HP-WISE SEGMENT OF TRACTORS. SCOPE OF IMPORT OF TRACTORS TO MOROCCO. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.168.76.219 (talk • contribs) 23:34, 3 September 2003 (UTC)

Backhoe loader image
We need a better picture of a backhoe loader. I have a few pictures from the internet, but I don't about their copytright situation. MathKnight 17:50, 5 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Differences?
I enjoy learning new things, hence my reading your article. I find it very interesting and informative. I came across the descriptor "row crop tractor, utility tractor, and loader tractor". I now know how the loader tractor differs from the basic tractor. However, I am curious to know how the row crop and utility tractors are different. Would you please explain the differences? Thanks.


 * About Row Crop tractors, I found the following information:
 * Row Crop Tractors
 * Early in 1930, the Oliver company refined its "Row Crop" tractor with two small drive wheels in front spaced closely together and "tip-toed" in. This design essentially produced a tricycle tractor. The closely spaced front wheels allowed the tractor move easily down the rows of corn or soybeans. A row crop tractor could cultivate a field as well as plow it. Through the 30s, row crop tractors became more and more popular.
 * taken from http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/machines_04.html.
 * The term utility tractor probably relates to the ordinary tractor, with a PTO box built-in. MathKnight 17:19, 22 Aug 2004 (UTC)


 * The most distinguishing feature of Row Crop tractors is that the wheel spacing (between left & right tires) can be adjusted. These also tend to have higher ground clearance than a utility tractors.  They are made so they can be driven between the rows of crops like corn and (sometimes) soybeans.  The rear wheels of utility tractors are often wider than those on a Row-Crop tractor as well. Also "Backhoes" are not often referred to as tractors in my region. I've also never heard of a big "Loader" referred to as a tractor.  30 Aug 2004

Role of tractors
I'm very fond of the quaint role of tractors in the context of the American Family Farm. In the Rural Mid-west, I experienced the tractor as a driver and user of one. To this day, the sensory overload i get around them thrusts me back in time to simpler and happier days.

Some people think of Farm Tractors as being 'clunky', base and just in the way. ( traffic safety road rage )

I think of them as robust machines that are vital components necessary to survival. I view them as eloquent in their own some-times comical way.
 * Quinobi 17:19, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Redirect from Traktor
I was redirected from a search on 'Traktor', the video production company, to here. Not sure that redirect's entirely sensible as who would spell 'tractor' as 'traktor'. 81.156.49.248 02:51, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I see a new article has been created there, so no longer an issue. -- Satori Son 15:02, 24 October 2006 (UTC)


 * >"who would spell 'tractor' as 'traktor'[?]"
 * Hey man, 80 million Germans can't be wrong, right? :-)
 * Deutsch: Traktor
 * Русский: трактор
 * — Lumbercutter 03:02, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

We need more history
There must be more history! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.226.108.198 (talk • contribs)

Big Bud is still listed as "current manufacturers"
The Big Bud tractor has been out of production for a number of years. I created a short article about that tractor which had the distinction of being the largest tractor on the market for a long time. This manufacturer is considered quite noteworthy in the tractor industry, but apparently not the case for Wikipedia. I see it has been removed. If others agree we should have an article about Big Bud, please indicate so, and we can resubmit it. Landroo 12:51, 6 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Sorry to see you had an article on the Big Bud tractor deleted, It would be welcome at Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki were we are looking for article on all makes and models, and preserved tractors, plant and machinery. - BulldozerD11 (talk) 19:54, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Slasher attachment
I don't know what a slasher attachment is, but when I clicked on the link it sent me to slasher as in the genre of horror movie, which I assume isn't right. --SHCGRA Max 13:04, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Current Manufacturers
I have removed the content from the "Current Manufacturers" section for two reasons: If you disagree, discussion is welcome, of course. Thanks, Satori Son 14:56, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) It is ungainly, taking up over half of the article space, and rapidly becoming difficult to properly manage and verify.
 * 2) It is redundant. A proper link to "List of tractor manufacturers" is already included, which is entirely duplicative of the info here.

Add a Link?
Does anyone think we should add a link to the following site - History of Early Tractors - Please give your reasoning as to why or why not! Thanks - West wikipedia —The preceding unsigned comment was added by West wikipedia (talk • contribs) 18:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC).
 * As before - same reason - Because it does not cite it's sources, doesn't add anything already in Wikipedia, the site is non-notable i.e. it hasn't been cited as an authority by other reliable sources and it's authors are completely unknown. In fact if I google for earlyhistory googlepages com I get nothing. Please read WP:WEB (under criteria), WP:RS (e.g. Non-scholarly sources) and WP:NOTABLE and ideally please solve this one link first before you start posting to all the other entries you've been trying to make. Ttiotsw 18:47, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Ttiotsw, thanks for you help on this. WW says he has given up and gone away now. Dicklyon 20:26, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Be careful what you write...
On checking an external link, that turned out to be 'spam', I was reminded how WP has become the original source for most other information on the internet. You must have come across 'mirror sites' with old copies of WP pages. Well, the following text was found on that spam link (www.tractorretails.com). It looks like it has been translated to [some language] and then auto-translated back. I haven't tried to work out how old the original WP source was, but (as at 22:27, 15 February 2007 (UTC)) the relationship to this article is still clear!

I promise I haven't changed a word! Enjoy...


 * The tractor verbally came from the Latin word trahere, meaning jerk. Today, tractors are useful for extracting, towing or the tractional objects that are extremely difficult of moving . You commonly see that a tractor at farms used pushing agricultural machineries or trailers that plow or that you field the harrow.


 * The first tractors of the 1800s and previous 1900s, they were powered by steam-driven machines. These tractors were phased out due to the instability of the steam engine that caused explosions for him, or caught the driver's in a belt driven attachment. Successors were strengthened with an internal combustion engine.


 * The modern tractors are built with a renewable system ( registered options principals ) of protection that protects the operator to be squashed in the event that the vehicle turns around . The legislation went from New Zealand that first that registered options principals be incorporated for tractors in the 1960s required . Before this system be required, many farmers were killed in accidents when tractors rolled on them topside, squashing them in the process. Usually these accidents happen when tractors were driven to I deliver it of steep slopes.


 * The technology has found his form in modernizing the tractor. Nowadays, you find than Global Positioning Systems ( the GPS ) and the computers of they jammed an embargo to grow tractors in meeting. With advance guard's use of technology, corporate scale's farms are using a combination of not manned tractors and vehicles manually driven to work hard in commands.


 * In addition to the standard farm tractors, there are another types of tractors. There the tractors of the backhoe used for construction, small demolitions are, and light transportation, energizing constructing equipment, digging holes, breaking asphalt and paving roads. Tractors also can be worn with designing tools for the purposes of the construction. The road's tractors that are often destined stops they transport transfer tickets they are available also, and the locomotive's tractors are used in the railroad's vehicles. The tractors of the artillery used by the military to tow the artillery's pieces also can show.

Tee hee hee -- EdJogg 22:27, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Redirect from Agricultural Vehicle
Not all agricultural vehicles are tractors and vice versa. Is there a better way to classify these subjects and include other ag. vehicles? eg. Combine harvester, Agricultural Quad etc. I'm sure there must be a few more sub headings.(86.21.47.79 (talk) 15:22, 1 April 2008 (UTC))

Definition of tractors
According to the definition in the first sentence of the present version of this article, tractors are vehicles that draw, tow, push, or pull something. However, some types of tractors don't draw, tow, push, or pull anything; for example, lawn tractors mentioned further down in this article. Tractors are hard to define exactly. I don't know what a better definition would be. H Padleckas 01:41, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


 * We have the same problem at crane (machine) – everyone knows what a crane is, but you try and produce a definition that covers every kind!


 * The terms 'draw', 'tow' and 'pull' all mean much the same thing, so there is immediate scope for simplification.


 * How about this for starters?:

A tractor is a vehicle designed to provide a high tractive effort at slow speeds for the purposes of hauling an implement or a trailer. The implement may be towed behind or mounted on the tractor, which may also provide a source of power if the implement is mechanised.(Then a section describing the different vehicles described by the word 'tractor')


 * As for the lawn tractor: if it is only cutting grass then it is a ride-on lawn mower; if it is pulling something or carrying an implement, then it is effectively a tractor (and would fit the above description), so you need not worry about them too much.


 * EdJogg 12:46, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Update:
 * Having just re-noticed my above comments, and as no-one else had undertaken an edit, I've revised the article introduction, using the above text as a basis. I think the new version is more precise, although there is obviously scope for adjusting my wording!
 * -- EdJogg 10:04, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Etymology of the word tractor
I question the etymology currently given (combining "traction" and "motor"), and I think that it may be a folk etymology. My Latin references give two relevant Latin verbs. They follow (principal parts listed):


 * trāctō, trāctāre, trāctāvī, trāctātum   (lit.) drag about; (fig.) handle, treat, discuss (a subject)
 * trahō, trahere, trāxī, tractum   (lit.) draw, drag; (fig.) derive, get

(BTW, these verbs evolved into the Spanish tratar and traer.)

One doesn't need to combine English traction and motor to get from the Latin verbs trahere and tractare to the (neo-)noun tractor. Sadly, I am extremely remedial in Latin these days, but nevertheless, given that -or/-tor/-dor is a standard Latin/Romance suffix to name a person who does the action named by a verb (e.g., Latin salvator, Spanish salvador; Latin aspirator, Spanish aspirador/aspiradora), I think you start with trāctāre and instantly arrive at tractor as "the one that drags/pulls".

We should remember also that tractor appeared in English around 1900, give or take—coining New Latin hadn't quite yet gone out of style at the time.

— Lumbercutter 02:15, 24 May 2007 (UTC)


 * You are right. The "traction motor" thing is apocryphal; the OED gives the etymology as from Lat. trahere.  The word itself dates back to at least the 1700's in English, referring more generally to anything which pulls something; the specific use for this type of tractor, of course, had to wait until the early 1900's, since it didn't previously exist.  And the site linked for the false etymology is really more of a history of the tractor; it doesn't even argue about etymology, as far as I can tell, so it seems mostly irrelevant.  So I'm deleting it.  A side note: Latin agent nouns in -(t)or are usually from the fourth principal part, so "tractor" is from trahere (4th pp. stem tract- + -tor), not from tractare (which would produce "tractator"). 66.31.47.139 16:58, 22 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks! I added 2 refs. — Lumbercutter 17:16, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The word tractor surely dates back further than 1900 - it is used on various occasions but one which is fairly clear is by David Ames Wells from 1856 in talking about the Boydell steam engine. Just do a seach in google books using the following criteria "tractor Boydell date:1850-1870" and several copies of it are shown up. There are earlier references than that but this is one of the clearest. Chenab (talk) 14:01, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Other Types Heading
Have changed 2nd 'Other types' heading as having 2 was strange, to reflect that its referring to other vehicles that are often referred to as tractors but are not Farm Tractors as the general term is used for.

Note below heading say linked to [tractor] but cannot see were ? (apologies if it breaks a link)BulldozerD11 (talk) 00:28, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Article renaming

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the proposal was not moved. WP:SNOW applies. Jafeluv (talk) 19:19, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Tractor → Traction vehicle &mdash; Can the article name be changed to Tractor vehicle or traction vehicle? Tractor is a misleading name as it implies it could be any person or machine which pulls. This is inaccurate as the article only deals with the vehicular variety. Also besides mere pulling, farm traction vehicles also provide other facilities (eg providing of power for water pumping and for powering the mechanical farm utilities connected to the 3 point hitch, ...)—Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.176.6.252 (talk) 09:10, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

It is mentioned similarly in the encyclopedia brittanica See http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/601600/tractor

Also, legged traction vehicles are not described. These exist too (eg the John Deere 6-legged tractor and the 4 legged tractor. A article section can be made listing that a tractor can be legged, wheeled or caterpillar tracked.

Also, for the tracked traction vehicles, Atleast 2 pictures should be shown; one of a vehicle with the caterpillar threads under the crew cabin and one with the caterpillar threads moving over entire vehicle (such as with the (fictional) corporate alliance tank droid See this site — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.176.6.252 (talk) 09:10, 16 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose - Tractor is the common name. Your concerns about pto are covered in the opening sentence, but tractors exist to pull things hence the name.GraemeLeggett (talk) 09:44, 17 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose - Tractor is both the common and the descriptive name. As noted in the preceding comment, this article already includes ample discussion of the multiple means of providing power.  It also includes discussion of alternate types (wheeled, tracked).  If "legged" tractors exist, then whoever posted the comment should consider an edit to the article and provide a picture.  I have noticed that the same person (unsigned) who proposed renaming this article also proposes to add a picture of a FICTIONAL "corporate alliance tank droid", which tells me this is not a serious request for renaming and should not be taken seriously--indeed, it may be vandalism that should be speedily deleted.Elcajonfarms (talk) 14:19, 17 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose - I think the request was good-faith, but I respectfully disagree with the reasoning. Basically, lots of classes of machines have names that don't list all of their capabilities. You could call a late-model tractor a "pulling/pushing/hydraulic/pneumatic/electric/PTO-providing machine", but that's not how human language works. As for any readers getting "misled" because the word "tractor" could refer to either a person or a machine, that's a daydreamed problem, not a real-life problem. (Don't be insulted; I'm quite familiar with daydreaming myself.) As for the Britannica reference, I can't tell what it is supposed to be proving. As for legged machines, it is correct that these exist (I saw on TV a really cool legged machine used in logging), but you don't have to change the name of this article to develop the coverage of those machines herein. In short, respectfully decline to rename. — ¾-10 15:50, 17 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose. Yes, WP:AGF, and we encourage boldness but this particular suggestion has nothing going for it in terms of well-established policy sorry. Andrewa (talk) 15:58, 17 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose - Ridiculous request. While we're at, let's change toaster to "Toasting machine", and fan to "Wind creating machine". Ed Fitzgerald t / c 05:54, 18 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

TwinCity Traction Engine Company or Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company
On May 1, 2007, an edit took place that made two changes: 1. "Clayton County, Iowa" was changed to "Clayton County, Ohio", and 2. "Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company" was changed to "Twin City Traction Engine Company".

The "Ohio" was changed back to "Iowa" later that month, but the other change was never reverted. The same day these changes took place, this same person made at least a couple other changes in other WP entries which were apparent vandalism. Most articles I found on a brief web search appear to reference "Twin City Traction Engine Company", but the context and construction of the paragraphs in each article indicates to me that the source was WP. I guess what I am saying is perhaps somebody with some expertise in the history of tractors ought to decide if "Twin City Traction Engine Company" is in fact legitimate or is this a vestige of previous vandalism? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.170.172.80 (talk) 15:29, 14 September 2009 (UTC) 75.170.172.80 (talk) 14:16, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

Pedals/Switches/Controls
The portion of the article that covers these topics is deficient and out of date. It seems only to describe the typical "clutch/brake/throttle" controls and rudimentary engine guages of the "classic" smaller farm tractors of 40-50 years ago. It needs to be rewritten comprehensively; while the classic controls should be mentioned, the systems, controls, monitors and guages of modern tractors also need to be discussed, including GPS, laser readers, computerized seed/fertilizer/speed controls and other electronic systems as well as the typical mechanical and engine controls. Elcajonfarms (talk) 23:01, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Copyright/plagiarism issue
It seems the whole of the Safety section has been copy/pasted from http://www.nasdonline.org/document/906/d000746/tractor-overturn-hazards.html. While this is linked, it is not quoted in the way that a word-for-word quote should be. Also, I have no idea what the implications are for copyright for an educational institution in the US, but the plagiarism still looks bad. Trxi (talk) 09:50, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

Hoover wagon? There's something else called a Hoover wagon according to another article.
I ran across the term "Hoover Wagon" here. Earlier I found it as a reference to a car rigged to be pulled by draft animals. Perhaps both are true, but I put a citation needed tag on the passage on this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.163.161.37 (talk) 04:50, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Power source
Electric tractors should be mentioned. Electric tractors have been built since the 1990's.  KVDP (talk) 10:06, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Why tractor's rear wheel is large in size as compared to front one?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.161.158.199 (talk) 05:40, 10 June 2010 (UTC)


 * It is for better traction. Someone with fresher physics recall can tell you the exact science behind it, but basically, the same torque value delivered to the axle, being transmitted to a larger tire diameter rather than a smaller one, yields less tangential force and thus less chance that the wheel will slip given its finite amount of friction with the ground. — ¾-10 02:05, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

Add a link to power take-off
Article needs a link to power take-off, an existing page. I don't have privilege to make the edit.--96.244.247.130 (talk) 01:17, 7 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Hi. The link is there, in the section "Power take-off systems and hydraulics". It's about 2 paragraphs down. I didn't scrutinize to see if we could rewrite to mention it earlier. Let me know here any suggested rewrite if you feel motivated to write one that links earlier. Thanks. — ¾-10 01:39, 7 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Is the use of the term in the article overly general? 173.134.6.200 (talk) 14:54, 9 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Well, what is there now is good content, although there may be room to add more. But perhaps any greater detail would belong in the power take-off article itself, rather than in the tractor article. So I guess I don't see any way to add more here, offhand. But feel free to suggest additions. — ¾-10 21:57, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Autonomous tractor vehicle
Perhaps useful to mention: http://www.biw.kuleuven.be/nieuws/fiches/DK-110914.pdf

91.182.150.8 (talk) 12:54, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

Worlwide use
According to "Vu du ciel"; 6 milliards d'hommes à nourrir, the tractor is used by only 2% of farmers worldwide. Mention this in the article.

91.182.21.28 (talk) 10:39, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Russian peasants gather to watch their village's first tractor - drawing by Vladimir Krikhatsky
The peasants' clothes and houses on the drawing seem to be Ukrainian, not Russian. Therefore, that subscript is actually incorrect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.123.187.164 (talk) 17:16, 23 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I changed the subscript. Okay now?--Canoe1967 (talk) 17:50, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Yes, now it doesn't contain dubious statements; therefore, it is okay. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.123.187.164 (talk) 19:16, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Power requirements for PTO operation
Many manufacturer's of equipment designed for connecting to the power take off (PTO) on a tractor specify the power required to operate the equipment (such as a mower) but do not specify if this is the power at the PTO shaft or the engine. Does anyone know if there is a standard of how this should be stated by the manufacturer or indeed if there is a standard and if so where is this standard published? Also, is it a universal standard or a local or country standard? Does anyone know what it is, that is, power at engine or PTO? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Barnicle bill (talk • contribs) 13:37, 28 August 2006 (UTC) The power take off is determined by the horsepower of the tractor. If you read the specifications of a tractor, it will give you the power take off rating at a specific rpm. This is also variable by the use of different splines on the power take off itself. Most midrange tractors with a pto has a reversible shaft with different splines on each side.Jmsseal 02:01, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


 * PTO power is the rated power available at the pulley or splined shaft where the implement is attached. That is the SAE standard. 124.148.31.175 (talk) 00:13, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Fuels
I added this to the fuels section:

In some countries such as Germany, biodiesel is often used. Some other biofuels such as straight vegetable oil are also being used by some farmers.

Some other biofuels though aren't even mentioned yet. I'm thinking of pure methane for one aswell as perhaps biogas, ... See http://www.journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/MethaneDigesters/MD3.html

KVDP (talk) 17:06, 23 July 2012 (UTC)