A specifically designed vehicle called a “tractor” delivers high torque (tractive effort) even at slow speed. The machinery is used in construction or agriculture or for hauling a trailer. Generally, this term describes a distinctive farm vehicle although horticultural use is common too. A tractor may be used for towing agricultural implements or for providing power to an implement if it is mechanized.

When, at slow speed, you want higher tractive effort or as it is commonly known as torque, then there is a specially designed vehicle called the tractor. The purpose may be hauling of machinery or a trailer that is used in agriculture as well as in the construction industry. However, this term is commonly used for describing a distinctive farm vehicle.

The tractor can be used to tow or mount agricultural implements and additionally it may also be a source of power for a mechanized implement – perhaps a plough for example.

The origin of the name tractor is Latin. It is the agent noun for trahere which means “to pull”. Its use was firstly recorded in 1901 as “a vehicle or engine used for pulling ploughs or wagons”. It displaced the term used earlier called “traction engine” (1859). In Australia, Argentina, India, Ireland, Britain, Germany and Spain, the word or name “tractor” is a term that implies “farm tractor”.

Ploughing engines powered by steam were the first tractors that were used. These were utilized in pairs on each side of the field for hauling a back-and-forth plough using wire cabling. In places where the soil conditions were favorable – often in the US, the use of a steam tractor was made for direct haul-ploughing. But ploughing engines were used in the United Kingdom and other places for cable-haul ploughing.

It was well into 20th century that agricultural engines powered by steam were used, before being replaced by engines with internal combustion that tended to be more reliable.

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