Illustrated History of the American Farm Tractor

by Randy Leffingwell

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0681460660
• ISBN13: 9780681460669
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Lowe and B. Hould Publishers
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 5.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

FROM HORSES TO DIESEL ENGINES IN A HALF CENTURY

Author/Photographer Randy Leffingwell went on a personal odyssey throughout the country to obtain the approximately 450 photographs of mostly restored tractors that are included here. (I say mostly restored because a few photographs are of either partially restored or yet to be restored models.) In many ways, the history of the tractor reflects the history of America at war and at peace. For example, many early tractors utilized cleated tracks that shortly thereafter were used on military tanks. In 1938, Minneapolis Moline's U-DLX tractor, with slight modification, became the first jeep; that all purpose military transport vehicle that we all know. Early tractors used the same technology as train steam engines, and in many cases closely resembled those early engines. __ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN TRACTOR__ traces the evolution of the tractor from horse drawn plows to a vehicle which replaced these teams of horses with a steam driven engine, and on to larger and more sophisticated steam tractors, then to their conversion to gasoline engines, and finally to diesel burning engines. The earliest tractors were log haulers modified to become tractors. Some were huge for the time, weighing as much as five tons (Not so big now, but huge for the time). Some required several people just to operate them. Someone to keep the steam engine fed with fuel, and two or three more performing other operating tasks. All of the restorations seem to be beautifully done, are beautifully photographed, are fully operating, and are accompanied by text discussing their technical particulars and their place in history. I am impressed by the amount of research that went into the book, and think that it is worth reading for the history revealed, for the photography, and for the anecdotal information such as the discussion in the introduction of the Russell Steam Tractor "spark show," one early fall evening on a farm in Iowa. (It's too bad that Leffingwell didn't have any photographs of this amazing sounding show.