Work Hard and Pull Your Weight

A tractor is one of the most versatile pieces of farming equipment that a farmer could have.  It is basically the workhorse of a farm.  Tractors come in all different shapes and sizes and come with a variety of accessories.  Tractors can be used throughout all seasons for such things as ploughing, feeding, planting and much more.

There are five basic model types of tractors on the market today.  There are lawn tractors, sub-compact tractors, compact tractors, utility tractors and agricultural tractors. Farm tractors include every motor vehicle designed and used as a farm, agricultural, or horticultural implement. They are used for pulling ploughs, mowing machines and other farm machinery and implements.  They also include self-propelled mowers designed and used for mowing lawns. 

When tractors were first used in farm work, they replaced horses, oxen and mules which were used to pull ploughs and move heavy equipment. The original meaning of tractor was something that pulls.  In Latin tractor means that which draws and the verb trahere means to pull or to draw.

The advent of the first portable steam engines pushed farming into the modern age.  Self-propelled steam engines were being used in the US heartland to help harvest wheat by the 1870’s. John Froelich, from a small village in Northeast Iowa, was frustrated with the problems of the heavy and bulky steam engines.  They were also hard to manoeuvre and Froelich decided he could invent a better way to power an engine. In 1892 John built the first farm vehicle that was powered by a gasoline engine. 

The first successful gasoline-powered engine that John Froelich invented could be driven backwards and forwards. The word tractor wasn’t used back then but that is what it was. When the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company was formed with Froelich as the president, the company began to manufacture and produce these gasoline-powered engines. The first tractor was called the Froelich tractor after its inventor.

In Britain the first commercially successful lightweight petrol powered tractor was made by Dan Albone, in Bedfordshire.  His tractor didn’t catch on until after the First World War.  By this time there was a higher demand for tractors. In the 1910’s more than 150 companies were manufacturing various makes and models of tractors.  Competition became fierce.  Some companies started offering their machines for less than it cost to make them.

The general-purpose tractor proved to be an excellent replacement for the horse. Most agricultural farmers opted to use tractors for ploughing their small or large tracts of land, for soil preparation, for planting, and for cultivating tasks for a wide range of field crops. The tractor was also capable of providing power for mowing hay and for harvesting wheat and other small grains. Modern tractors are used for ploughing, tilling and planting fields as well as routine lawn care, landscape maintenance, moving or spreading fertilizer and clearing bushes.

The tractor improved agriculture resulting in increased efficiency and productivity.  Farms became larger because farmers could handle more land.  The time it took to plough an acre of land shrank from an hour and a half using five horses to just 30 minutes using a 27-horsepower tractor.  Cash crops replaced oats needed for horses.  

There are some disadvantages to a farm tractor.  They require routine maintenance and clean fuel.  Tractors burn fossil fuels and cause air pollution and waste products such as used oil and filters that need to be properly disposed of to avoid polluting ground water.  Most tractors built up until after World War II used gasoline.  The gas pollutant emissions from tractors cause air pollution and are also transmitted to the ground through rain and snow.  Diesel replaced gasoline as the primary fuel by the 1960’s.  Diesel engines are designed to last longer and produce more power than gas engines. Today gasoline is only used in lawn tractors or other small equipment. 

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Tractor.

• Plough ahead

• Pull your weight

• Cultivate lasting friendships

• Work hard

• Don’t blow a gasket

• Be outstanding in your field

• Get your rear in gear!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Plough ahead - Plough ahead means to keep moving forward. Take the lead and keep pushing onward.

• Pull your weight - A tractor needs to pull the weight of the machinery behind it.  In whatever task you are asked to do, it is important that you pull your weight.

• Cultivate lasting friendships - Creating lasting friendships starts with listening to your friends. Provide a safe space where they can share their feelings and feel heard by you. 

• Work hard - Work hard and put 110% effort into doing and completing tasks. 

• Don’t blow a gasket - Getting angry doesn’t solve a problem.  Stay calm and find a solution.  

• Be outstanding in your field - Use your skills and make a difference. 

• Get your rear in gear! - Get to work and take action! 

Have a great day everyone.  Work hard and pull your weight.

# living life abundantly   # published author   # travelling tuesdays