1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 362 Steam Tractor

After the steam engine tractor was ready, the driver started the steam tractor.

The chimney at the front of the car slowly spewed out black smoke, and the huge noise soon resounded through the wheat fields and reached the ears of every onlooker.

After a while, the steam tractor finally started slowly.

"The iron cow is moving! Look! The iron cow is moving!"

Seeing the steam engine tractor starting, a child riding a pony pointed at the slowly moving steam tractor and shouted excitedly.

Everyone laughed happily and continued to watch the subsequent performance of the steam engine.

Calling a steam tractor an iron ox is quite vivid. The job of a steam tractor is to plow cattle and draft horses.

At first, the speed of steam tractors was very slow, even slower than the speed of people walking, and they were soon left behind by oxen and draft horses.

But as the coal in the fuel tank was fully burned, the speed of the steam tractor increased.

After a period of acceleration, the steam tractor finally maintained a speed of 12-14 kilometers per hour, which was slightly faster than a human jogging speed.

If this kind of locomotive is used as a means of transportation, such a speed is undoubtedly unqualified. The place where the steam tractor is traveling now is flat ground, and at this speed on flat ground, it may not even be able to climb if it encounters a steeper slope.

But as a road roller and agricultural machinery, the speed of 12 to 14 kilometers per hour is completely acceptable.

The driver, whose face was covered with black smoke, leaned on the railing of the platform and carefully controlled the direction of the steam engine.

Liang Yao and Walter trotted to catch up with the steam engine and stepped onto the platform.

The platform behind the steam tractor is very spacious, and it is not a problem for three or five people to stand on it.

The simple cutting knives of this era are obviously not comparable to the modern cutting knives of later generations. Where the cutting knife dragged behind the steam engine tractor passes, although the wheat falls in pieces, there are still many fish that slip through the net.

The cutter still stood tall after passing by.

The man following the cutter picked up the sickle and handed these fish that had slipped through the net to you, and then tied the harvested wheat on the ground into bundles.

Agricultural machinery in this era can improve production efficiency, but it still cannot completely liberate manpower.

"Your Excellency! Our tractor has caught up with the cow! It will soon catch up with the horse!"

Walter stood on the platform of the steam tractor, happily pointing to the draft horse getting closer and closer to him in front of him like a child and shouting loudly.

Because the steam engine made so much noise, the only way to make the other party hear what you were saying was by shouting louder.

The conversation between Liang Yao and Walter on the tractor platform was all about yelling.

"Okay! Good! Good! Very good!" Liang Yao also shouted happily.

If this crude steam tractor proves practical, it could greatly improve agricultural production efficiency.

The steam engine tractor can not only be equipped with a cutter to harvest wheat crops, but also can be equipped with a plow directly off the ground, and can also be equipped with a water tank for direct watering. Farmers can even stand on this spacious platform to fertilize.

This platform is very practical. It can be used not only as a cab but also as a working platform.

While Liang Yao was thinking wildly, the steam engine had already surpassed the draft horse on the left front and ran ahead.

Liang Yao noticed that the length of the cutting knife pulled by the steam engine was three times that of the cutting knife pulled by draft horses and oxen. It is self-evident whether the harvesting efficiency of livestock or steam tractors is higher.

"More than a draft horse!"

Walter cheered and greeted the farmers who were trotting behind the steam tractor.

The farmers who were watching also cheered and cheered.

A farmer couldn't help but admired: "This iron ox looks more powerful than an ox! It can pull such a big cutting knife and run so fast. I wouldn't be willing to let it trade for my old horse."

Working like this, animals working like this are destined to die from exhaustion."

"This is a machine! Not an animal! As long as you feed it enough coal, you can keep working! Animals will get tired, but machines will not!" said another farmer.

"That's not necessarily true. At the beginning of the year, a factory in Jinshan exploded two boilers. Their master chef said that the cause of the boiler explosion was due to overuse. Machines are like animals. They will get tired after working all the time! They will also die.

!" one farmer retorted.

"Come on, the machines in those factories in Jinshan are fucking money printing machines. Those machines never stop from the moment they start. Those factory owners are reluctant to let the machines stop.

This iron ox is different. If someone drives it, we can rest at night, and so can the iron ox. When we rest during the slack season, the iron ox will also rest." Another farmer said with good reason.

"I heard that this iron bull has 12 horsepower, but I don't know how much it costs. If it's not expensive, I will buy one even with a loan, and I can rent it out when I don't use it." A farmer was moved.

"What is 12 horsepower?" a farmer asked confusedly.

"The master who drove the iron ox said that this iron ox is as strong as 12 horses," the excited farmer explained.

"Livestock are very expensive on the market now. A skinny old horse costs seventy or eighty dollars, and a good horse costs upwards of one hundred dollars. Just like this, you may not be able to buy it even if you wait in line."

The farmer interjected.

"Isn't it? Those horse breeders have made a lot of money. I heard that General Liang is going to form a cavalry regiment, and a cavalry regiment cannot require more than a thousand good horses.

In my opinion, livestock in California will only become more and more expensive in the next few years. If the price of an iron bull is around US$1,000, I will have to be determined to buy one even if I seek a loan from the bank." A farmer said deeply.

Agree.

"You still haven't thought carefully enough." One farmer said after careful consideration.

"Although the iron ox is good, it is the same as cattle and horses. They also need to eat grass to run. The cattle and horses eat forage, while the iron ox eats coal.

The coal used for steam engines is much more expensive than the coal we burn for heating in winter, and it is also much more expensive than the fodder for cattle and horses. You have not taken this account into account.

The master who drives the Iron Bull said that the Iron Bull now burns white coal from Wales, England. This kind of coal is very expensive and is the kind of coal that is burned on warships."

Chen Baoliang, the Minister of Agriculture, was trotting all the way to catch up with the steam tractor in front of him, listening carefully to the voices of these farmers and taking their words to heart one by one.

After a period of driving, the steam tractor reached the end of the wheat field.

The driver of the steam tractor did not slow down, but turned the steering wheel in advance to prepare for the turn.

Walter told Liang Yao that at present, steam tractors cannot control the driving speed very conveniently, and they basically work all at once.

If you want to slow down, you must control the amount of coal fed into the furnace. If you are driving alone, it is difficult to control the amount of fuel. If you use too much, it will be a waste, and if you don't have enough, it may stall.

Restarting the flame after extinguishing it will consume more coal.

Furthermore, the speed of current steam tractors is not very fast. If the speed is too slow, the steering may not turn.

To be honest, the riding experience of the steam tractor was terrible. It was bumpy and bumpy during the driving process, and Liang Yao was shaken all over.

After experiencing it for a period of time, Liang Yao jumped off the platform.

There was no doubt about the outcome of this game. The steam tractor won.

This simple steam engine, which looks like a train locomotive with four wheels, is expensive and crude, but it is still a machine and its efficiency is guaranteed.

This competition has proven the practicality of steam tractors, and now it is time to consider the issue of economy.

There are currently two machinery companies in California that can produce this kind of steam tractor, one is General Machinery Company of the Americas Group, and the other is Pratt and Whitney's Pratt & Whitney Company.

Liang Yao asked about the production cost of their steam tractors. The production cost given by General Machinery Company was US$740 per unit, and the production cost given by Pratt & Whitney was US$800 per unit.

The reason for the $60 price difference is that the locomotives produced by Pratt & Whitney are licensed by General Machinery Company, and Pratt & Whitney needs to pay licensing fees and patent fees.

"If it were sold for $1,000, I think with the income level of farmers in California, they could still afford a steam tractor," Whitney said.

"Only old farmers and collective farms with some wealth can do it." Chen Baoliang said, "Mr. Whitney, you are too optimistic about the income of California farmers. US$1,000 is an astronomical figure for ordinary California farmers. They are completely impoverished.

New immigrants abound, so if you want to open up the market for steam tractors, I suggest you set the price a little lower."

Although steam tractors are good things, Chen Baoliang still hopes that the price of steam tractors can be lowered so that more farmers can afford to buy steam tractors.

"Minister Chen, our company also needs to consider its business operations. To be fair, the profits of steam tractors are not high. Moreover, we also need to provide after-sales maintenance services, training and driving services, and follow-up research and development and improvement work for these sold steam tractors.

These all cost money." Whitney said with an embarrassed look.

"The price is set at US$850 per unit," Liang Yao said.

"But Your Excellency, if this happens, our Pratt & Whitney Company will definitely lose money." Whitney said hurriedly.

"If Pratt & Whitney produces steam tractors, General Machinery can waive the licensing and production fees for pioneer locomotives," Liang Yao said.

“At the state assembly at the end of the year, I will also make a proposal to the state assembly to implement financial subsidies for steam tractors. As for the amount of subsidies, it depends on the financial situation of the Ministry of Finance next year.

But your subsidies are definitely indispensable. The California government will not make it difficult for manufacturing companies in the state to survive, let alone farmers in the state."

With Liang Yao's words, both the people from Puhui Company and the representatives of the agricultural associations present breathed a sigh of relief.

Needless to say, the weight of Liang Yao’s words in the State Assembly is undeniable.

"Speaker, I have another question, which is also the voice of farmers." Chen Baoliang hesitated to speak.

"Then tell me, let me listen to the voices of the farmers." Liang Yao was a little tired from standing, so he found a clean place in the wheat field and sat down cross-legged.

(End of chapter)