Tractor Facts for Kids

A John Deere tractor that is in a farm.

A tractor is a super strong vehicle used mostly on farms. It's like a powerful helper that pulls many different tools or trailers. Tractors make farming much easier and faster for farmers. They help with tasks like plowing fields, planting seeds, and harvesting crops. Most tractors have a single seat for the driver and are built to work hard in tough conditions.

What Tractors Do
How Tractors Work
A Brief History of Tractors
Images for kids
See also

What Tractors Do

Tractors are amazing machines that help farmers with many important jobs. They can pull special tools called implements. These tools help prepare the land, plant seeds, and gather crops.

Preparing the Land

Plowing: Tractors pull a plow to turn over the soil. This helps break up hard ground and gets it ready for planting.
Discing: After plowing, a disc harrow is pulled to smooth out the soil. This makes the ground even and ready for seeds.
Cultivating: Cultivators are used to stir the soil and remove weeds. This helps plants grow better by giving them more space and nutrients.

Planting and Harvesting

Planting: Tractors can pull planters that put seeds into the ground. Some planters can even add fertilizer at the same time.
Harvesting: For some crops, tractors pull harvesters to collect the plants. This can be for crops like corn, wheat, or potatoes.

Other Farm Jobs

Hauling: Tractors often pull trailers filled with crops, hay, or supplies around the farm.
Mowing: They can also power large mowers to cut grass or hay in fields.
Spraying: Some tractors are used to pull sprayers that apply water, fertilizers, or pest control to crops.
Powering Tools: Tractors have a special part called a Power Take-Off (PTO). This shaft can power other machines like pumps or generators.

How Tractors Work

Tractors are designed to be powerful and strong. They have a few key parts that make them work so well.

Engines and Power

Most modern tractors use powerful diesel engines. These engines give the tractor the strength it needs to pull heavy loads and work for many hours. The engine's power is sent to the wheels, making the tractor move. It also powers the PTO for other tools.

Wheels and Tracks

Wheels: Many tractors have large, heavy tires with deep treads. These tires help the tractor grip the ground, even in muddy or uneven fields. The front wheels are usually smaller and help with steering.
Tracks: Some very large tractors use tracks instead of wheels. Tracks spread the tractor's weight over a larger area. This helps them work in very soft soil without getting stuck. It also gives them excellent pulling power.

Hitches and Attachments

Tractors have special connections called hitches. The most common is the three-point hitch at the back. This hitch allows farmers to easily attach and lift different tools. It also lets the tractor control the depth and angle of the tools.

A Brief History of Tractors

Tractors have changed a lot over the years, making farming much easier than it used to be.

Early Days: Steam Power

The very first tractors were powered by steam engines. These machines were huge and heavy, and they moved very slowly. They were mostly used for plowing large fields in the late 1800s. They needed a lot of water and fuel, and a team of people to operate them.

The Rise of Gasoline

In the early 1900s, people started using gasoline engines in tractors. These tractors were smaller, lighter, and easier to use than steam tractors. One of the first successful gasoline tractors was the Ivel Agricultural Motor, made in 1902. Companies like Fordson (part of Ford) made tractors more affordable for many farmers. This was a big step forward for farming.

Modern Tractors

Today's tractors are very advanced. They have comfortable cabs for the driver, air conditioning, and even GPS systems. These systems help farmers plant seeds in perfect straight lines and avoid wasting resources. Modern tractors are also much more fuel-efficient and powerful than older models. They can do many jobs at once, saving farmers time and effort.

Images for kids

A tractor pulling a chisel plow in Slovenia
Tractors-per-100-square-kilometres-of-arable-land
1882 Harrison Machine Works steam-powered traction engine
Dan Albone with his 1902 prototype Ivel Agricultural Motor, the first successful gasoline-powered tractor
An early Fordson discing a field in Princess Anne County, Virginia, in 1925
Volvo T25, 1956, gasoline tractor
A modern 4-wheel drive farm tractor in the Netherlands
A modern steerable all-tracked power unit planting wheat in North Dakota
An older model European farm tractor, of the type still common in Eastern Europe
Cutaway of modern tractor
A large, modern John Deere model 9400 four-wheel drive tractor with tripled wheels and a drawbar-towed tool chain, including one-pass tillage equipment, planter and fertilizer applicator with tanks
A modern three-point hitch
A PTO shaft connected to a tractor
A garden tractor towing a cargo cart
Farm tractor rear turnover
A modern John Deere 8110 Farm Tractor plowing a field using a chisel plow
A farm tractor used to power a pump for irrigating a plot of land
A tractor with a chaser bin
A tractor factory in Chelyabinsk in the Soviet Union circa 1930
A common backhoe-loader – the backhoe is on the left, the bucket/blade on the right.
Howse brand modular subsoiler mounted to a tractor
A Farmall "Regular"
A Model T tractor pulling a plow
A Ford rebuilt to an EPA tractor
An "A tractor" based on Volvo 760 – notice the slow-vehicle triangle and the longer boot.
Diesel-electric locomotive at work
A Trackmobile 4150
Road tractor pulling a flatbed trailer
Unimog 70200
An unusual application − road roller powered by a tractor-drive
The First Tractor, a painting by Vladimir Krikhatsky.
A single tractor in Brazil
Tractor that is used for self-sufficiency purposes in Germany
A scale model of a modern Ursus and Fendt tractor in Germany
Farm tractor in Balnain, Scotland
Alvin O. Lombard of Waterville, Maine, invented a tractor in 1901 for hauling logs, as displayed at the Maine State Museum in the capital city of Augusta. Known as "Lombard Log Haulers," these vehicles revolutionized logging in Maine.
Mercedes-Benz tractor