When I was around 12 we bought a property that had more trees than needed. Dad bought a Fowler traction engine and asked a neighbour, Mr. Tom Mulchay, who was a bit older and had some steam engine experience to help him drive it 12 miles to the property. They got it plodding along and after a while stopped for lunch. The pressure had been low and they could just throw the throttle lever full forward to get going.
Anyway after lunch and chatting about this old steam engine. Time to go again so dad's friend climbed up and threw the lever forward BUT the pressure had built up over lunch and she lurched forward lifting the front wheels of the ground, panicking he threw the lever back and spun the big wheels!!!! Finally got it stopped and very slowly advanced the "power" lever.
On a weekend the family would go to the new property and fire up the steam engine and pull some trees out of the ground. Dad would back a main wheel up to a stump, then take the cable out at around 45 degrees and then go around a few small trees and finally attach it to a large tree. Dad would then activate the winch and as the cable was pulled back in it would flip over the smaller trees and then finally pull the large tree down. Us kids just thought it was great fun.
We noticed that some of the retired old timer railway fellows began visiting Dad at the weekends and enjoyed the smell etc of the steam and oil. A weekend was organised for people to come and experience steam, and that people was the beginning of the Lake Goldsmith Steam Preservation Society that is still operating today twice a year in May and November. Worth a Google.
Aussie Paul.
-- Edited by aussie_paul on Thursday 4th of October 2018 10:08:42 AM
but I reckon - It's all about torque and traction ........ AND weight.
I notice the exercise was purposely done on loose surface to allow the Deere to spin the wheels while going backwards (was also spinning its wheels just to get a bit of initial forward momentum) ... given that and the weight of the steamer- the Deere never stood a chance.
Cheers - John
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