I’ve decided that I’m going to try and get my 10 Things done well within the weekend this time, so I sat here, trying to get some sort of list together, and heard the sound of numerous tractors going past, and that gave me my thankful list:
1. I’m thankful for our very first tractor, Cedric, an old 1952 Fordson County, that hubby bought to help with his work in the Forestry here in West Wales. Cedric had a life of his own and, because the headlamps and grill looked like eyes and a smiling mouth, we had to give him a name J
- I’m also thankful for the Igland Winch hubby fixed to Cedric, as it allowed him to move a lot more timber than using any others available at the time J
- I’m thankful for the tractors that slowly rumble by our house every year, either taking manure to the fields to fertilize them, or groaning under the weight of bales of hay and straw at harvesting time. They are the lifeblood of our area, and the farmers would have a much harder job than they already do without them.
- I’m thankful that the yearly steam engine fair has just this minute finished! Don’t get me wrong, I like to see the old steam tractors chugging by as they join the crowds of people going to the fair, but we are so close to the fields that it’s held in, we quite often can’t hear ourselves think because of the noise of the tannoy. It’s great that so many people still go to these fairs, but it is a relief when they all go home again! J
5. I’m thankful for the term Tractor, which is derived from the Latin word ‘Trahere’, meaning ‘to pull’, and is also a shortening of the term Tractive Effort (or Torque), which gives the power to pull a trailer, plough, or any other machinery used by the tractor.
- I’m thankful that we now use the term Tractor, rather than Traction Engine, which was used until 1859. Although I must admit, I do love the term J
- I’m thankful to John Froelich, the inventor and builder of the first gasoline/petrol-powered tractor in 1892, in Clayton County, Iowa. His invention made the tractor a more manoeuvrable beast, and enabled it to be made lighter, so that it could cope with a better variety of terrains.
- I’m thankful that tractors improved no end by the 1920’s enabling them to be used for a variety of different uses. I’m sad they totally took over the jobs of horses, though.
- I’m thankful for the skilled wood carver who made a wooden tractor for my daughter, when she was 3. It was strong enough for her to sit on and move around the house with, and she cried when she got too big for it a year or so later 🙂
- I’m thankful for the many varieties of tractor available today. From farming to felling, from clearing snow, to helping to prepare the ground for building work, they’ve made life so much easier for people.
There are well over 16 million tractors being used in the world today 🙂
