Steam & Excursion > OT -- Case 150 Steam Tractor pulling a 36 bottom plow

This sounds like a real iron horse, whistle included -- Search for

150 CASE steam engine plowing with 36 bottom John Deere plow

uploaded by Kory Anderson on that other video site

Hope you enjoy a good news post.

Brian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/21 05:42 by choodude.

Wow. Very impressive.
I watched a 110 horse Avery at the Mount Pleasant reunion one year.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

On rails or not, steam operation is most exciting and very impressive!  Although most areas of the Midwest and Great Plains lack livesteam locomotive operations and when there's still live traction engines like this operating, I get that "itchy feeling".  I long to attend a show like Mt. Pleasant's to breathe the steam and coal smoke as well as the action of these large "work horses".  This video of this 150 HP Case and the JD plow is well worth the watch.  Thanks for the posting and much thanks to the folks with these steam units that are able to keep them active.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

LD

That rig was awesome!  How the heck did they turn that 36 bottom plow around.......quarter mile turning radius???

That's incredible. The money it took to do this. 

I'm thinking maybe a Pennsy T1 is possible now!

lynnpowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That rig was awesome!  How the heck did they turn
> that 36 bottom plow around.......quarter mile
> turning radius???

Note that the plow blade "operators" all lifted their plow blades up and out of the soil, the the whole thing can be turned quite easily.

Also, I remember on of my old high school buddies went to college in Iowa, in the late 1950s or very early 1960s, and attended a number of tractor pulls, as they were just becoming popular. After a few years or so, an elderly farmer showed up with a steam tractor (I can't remember the brand nor size, but my buddy said it was pretty big and LOUD), and all the participants had a big laugh as it was something under 150 horsepower (all the gas & diesel tractors were well over 500 HP in those days). The end result was, the old steam tractor walked away with the weight drag/sled, while blowing its whistle and making some smoke out of the tall stack. Naturally it didn't take long for steam tractors to be "out-lawed" from any and all tractor pulls! The steam tractors guys must have their own "events". So much for "old technology".

One favorite of mine on that video site can be found under "steam bus tackles steep hill"   That should be a crew bus for a steam crew.  Sounds awesome!

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lynnpowell Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That rig was awesome!  How the heck did they
> turn
> > that 36 bottom plow around.......quarter mile
> > turning radius???
>
> Note that the plow blade "operators" all lifted
> their plow blades up and out of the soil, the the
> whole thing can be turned quite easily.
>
> Also, I remember on of my old high school buddies
> went to college in Iowa, in the late 1950s or very
> early 1960s, and attended a number of tractor
> pulls, as they were just becoming popular. After a
> few years or so, an elderly farmer showed up with
> a steam tractor (I can't remember the brand nor
> size, but my buddy said it was pretty big and
> LOUD), and all the participants had a big laugh as
> it was something under 150 horsepower (all the gas
> & diesel tractors were well over 500 HP in those
> days). The end result was, the old steam tractor
> walked away with the weight drag/sled, while
> blowing its whistle and making some smoke out of
> the tall stack. Naturally it didn't take long for
> steam tractors to be "out-lawed" from any and all
> tractor pulls! The steam tractors guys must have
> their own "events". So much for "old technology".

There is a video of yours truly doing exactly that. We had taken our family's 1913 Sawyer Massey
plowing engine to the 100th anniversary of the Acton fall fair. Every year they have a modified 
tractor pull with some pretty impressive 4WD alcohol burning supercharged trucks and large
diesel tractors in competition. The organizer of the event asked us if we would like to do a 
demonstration pull, my cousin and I looked at each other and grinned, as we knew that if she 
could pull 10 bottoms 12" deep through virgin prarie sod, a sled wouldn't be much of a challenge.
As we hooked onto the sled we heard some laughter as the engine has a sign on the back that says
"25hp". Of course we left out the part that she can probably twist the crankshaft at 3600 ft/lbs and 
with gear multiplication...well you get the idea. At a weight of 26,000lbs dry, there isn't much chance she's
going to lift the front end or lose traction either. When the green flag dropped, she moved that sled out like it 
wasn't there. As we marched down the track the exhaust got louder, and she threw some  incredibly hot 
cinders (we were burning hardwood slab), but the pace never slowed. We blew by the "full pull" mark and shut 
the throttle off. The sled weight was all the way forward, and we could have dragged it clear across the fairground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EAFjJXbXqY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/21 18:33 by Finderskeepers.

I sneaked in our model 65 Case (1/2 size) on a regulation pull.  It was a small show close to home and they added a tractor pulling event,  They had a steel wheel class so I was good to go.  I had to weigh and everything.  What they didn't notice was I weighed with almost no coal in the bunkers and very little water in the tank.  We were close to where we were displaying so I wasn't to worried.  I was powering a small sawmill during the event to.  When my time came up I went back, with full tank and bunkers.   I think I was with John Deere B's and some Alis.  Been awhile ago now(before kids at least).  It is smaller physically than the tractors I was competing with.  When I backed into the sled they were standing beside me and just shaking there heads.  It was all a younger crowd.  One of them asked me the horsepower and I told him I did 18HP on the brake once. They all laughed.  I took off at my 1+ mph.  They were walking beside me and asked how far I thought I would get, down the track as I got loader they backed away.  I started an injector, steam came out underneath and that backed them away even further.  I had a full pull, they walked up in total disbelief.  I waited for the others to finish, I was the only one to pull it out.  I went back to the mill, later on, I went back for my trophy.  The next year they asked if I wanted to do an exhibition pull.  I replied, not a real one?  They said no.  Darn it.  It was fun!

Those big moldboard plows are called “Gang Plows” as those operators are called the Gang. That plow would be called a 36 bottom Gang.

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