PETROL ON THE FARM

Horowhenua Chronicle, 1 October 1927, Page 7

PETROL ON THE FARM

ploughing with caterpillar

Tit ACT 08.

Twenty yearn ago the first petroldriven caterpillar tractor was designed, but until the outbreak of the Great War there were no great strides in the •development of this medium of power, so suitable for untpaded country. Then the opposing armies -began to apply the System to' the haulage of heavy guns, and : from the idea of the wheelless carriage” there arose that of the moving fort called the tank and its multitudinous modifications which have continued up to the present, With the steady march of civilisation a reversal has been experienced of the old adage, “In time of peace prepare for war, ’' so that people nowadays tire benefiting by many things that were either conceived or perfected dux’ing the dark hours of The „ sword having become a decoration, it no longer provides sufficient material for ploughshares; but the tractors and tanks are affording the wherewithal to •draw the plough, not to mention the roller and harrow. Evidence of this fact was given at the Central Development Farm yesterday, when a demonstration was given of the working of the Caterpillar tractor. Mr Dornwell, representing Messrs A. S. Paterson and ■Co., the New Zealand agents, was in charge, and there was an interested gathering of farmers,. together with several townspeople. ' The machine was a 15-20 h.p. Caterpillar, drawing a four-furrow plough. The. conditions as to weather and

ground were favourable—-in fact the morning was delightfully spring-like — and the 1 working of the outfit was studied to advantage. The operations were -conducted in the big padock to the west of the stables, in medium to heavy loam, and 12-inch furrows were ploughed to a depth of 7f or 8 inches. The working of the engine was noticeably smooth, with an absence of all knocking, jarring or grinding noises, and the <3river steered a very true track. The speed in this case was about three miles an hour, but it can be varied, according to the load, from two and an-eighth to five and a-quarter* miles. The fuel is heavy petrol, the consumption of which is about a gallon per acre with a three-furrow plough or a gallon and-a-quarter with the four-furrow. For finer tillage after ploughing, the tractor Is capable of drawing an 8-foot double disc roller and two sets of tripod and chain harrows, combining three operations in one.

One of the outstanding features of the Caterpillar is its adaptability to various classes of country. It was

pointed out that most other types of

tractors had -difficulty in traversing a Irillside, but the Caterpillar tractor had Jbpen worked on a grade of one in two, tiiis extreme performance being ren-

dered possible by the distribution of weight and the width of the tracks. Several long furrows were ploughed, and the clean and true cuts created a favourable impression. In the afternoon a demonstration of drain-plough-ing in swampy ground was given. The local agent for the Caterpillar tractor is Mr , E. Allmand, dairy and motor engineer, Weraroa.