MOTOR NOTES

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 38, 15 February 1919, Page 14

MOTOR NOTES

TRACTOR INDUSTRY

GROWS

INFLUENCE OP THE WAR

"By Chassis."

rAn investigation of the farm tractor situation in the United States has just been completed by the Office of Farm Equipment Control. It was desired to obtain accurate information regarding the status of the farm tractor industry in order to determine what action would he necessary to facilitate an adequate and equitable distribution of tractors throughout the country. The investigation was made pursuant to the Pfee-

ident's proclamation of 14th May, 1918, relating to the farm equipment industry, which was issued under authority of the Food Control Act of 10th August, 1917.

In connection with the investigation a report was received from every tractor manufacturer in this country, concerning the number of tractors manufactured and their distribution between Ist January, 1916, and Ist Juiy, 1918. ' A summary of these reports shows that in 1916,, American manufacturers produced. 29,670 tractors, and in 1917 62,742, .For the first six- months of the present year this output jumped to 58,543, making a total for the two and one-half years of 150,955. Of these'tractors 27,819 were sold to American farmers in 1916, and fewer than 2000 to exporters. In 1917 49,504 went to American farms, and 14,854 to exporters. Of. the 1918' half-year's output, 15,610 went abroad.

In view of the apparent inclination .of American farmers to turn to the tractor, the Department of Agriculture sounds a note of warning. The advantage of the tractor, like that of most other improved farm machinery, lies not so much in reducing the cost of performing a unit of work, as in the fact that it permits one man to do considerably more work in a given time, according to the Department, which is a report of the experiences of over 600 farm tractor owners on representative farms. This has been true of practically aU improved farm machines. Even the grain binder, generally considered as one of the greatest agricultural inventions of the century, which has increased $ibout eightfold the acreage one man could handle, has not Tesulted in decreasing materially the cost of producing grain. Men who hope to. reduce greatly, the cost of farming operations by the purchase of a tractor should bear these facts in mind the specialists point out. Judging by the experience of tractor users, it is nob safe to expect any material reduction in the cost of farm operations per acre through the use of the tr ctor, but it Is safe to expect to be able to increase the crop acreage to a very considerable extent, and, at the same time, the amount of - crops which one man can raise.

Furthermore, it should be remembered that the cost of doing the work with a tractor in most cases cannot be directly compared with the cost of doing it with horses, since on farms where tractors are used a number of horses generally are retained, and any comparison, therefore,' must be made between the cost of operating the farm with horses alone, and the cost of operating with the tractor and a certain number of horsea. Not infrequently horses stand idle while the tractor is being used for field work, because there is not. sufficient help available to use them at the same, time, and in such cases part of the cost of their maintenance must be considered when figuring the coat of farm operations, since they are aa much a part of the farm power plant as v the tractor. Not only should the relative expense of operation with the two methods be considered, but also the relative results. The increased crop acreage and consequent increase in incomes which the purchase of the tractor will. often ihake •possibly may much more than offset a slight increase in the operating expenses of the farm.

LOCKING THE GUDGEON PIN,. It is a noteworthy fact that during the many yearsj the motor engine has been developing to its present stage, at which it is admittedly difficult to effect any change of practical value, there has been no attempt to standardise a really simple and effective method of securing the gudgeon pin. All kinds of devices are employed, and it is no exaggeration to say that a number of these are fantastic and achieve the desired result in a roundabout and expensive manner. In some cases it is very difficult to find out how the gudgeon piri'is held if no drawing be available in an emergency. The question is: Why should not the simplest possible method be adopted, so long'as it is effective? There is nothing gained by complex arrangements of hidden balls,, small springs, interior loops of wire, locking bolts, etc. .Even if effective,. there is no good purpose served if a simpler plan is equally effective. Some makers seem to make a fetish of "talking points" about an engine or car, and they go .to a great deal of trouble to avoid a simple way of doing something, so that they can say, "We do it differently." Whether mere "talking points" ana mechanical eccentricities are going to prove of. any interest in the future is very doubtful, and the fantastic gudgeon pin fastening is a case in point. Though not posing as a designer, a writer in The Motor thinks if lie had to solve the question of how to secure the gudgeon pin, he would not attempt anything from the inside of the piston. He would make the pin a taper driving fit in the piston and turn a fairly shallow groove passing across the ends of the tapered holes. All' that is necessary, then, is a tempered steel wire ring to snap into the groove when the pin is in position. It _is then perfectly secure against endwise movement. It is possible to see at a glance how the pin is held, and it is about the least expensive plan possible,_ as the small groove is turned m a minute or so when the piston is being machined. There is a simpler plan still, but it does not ensure ppsitive security; it is that of rounding off the wide end of the taper pin and hardening it. The theory is that, even should the pin move endwise, it cannot cut the cylinder bore, but a little consideration shows that it is liable to do some injury by contact. The same applies to the use of a brass plug to cover the end of the pin. If the latter moves the pressure of the plug on the cylinder wali would produce a certain amount of wear in the course of time, though it might be considered as likely to be negligible, but any localised pressure on the cylinder wall is bad in principle.