From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A modern farm tractor.A tractor (from Latin trahere) is a device intended for drawing, towing or pulling something which cannot propel itself and, often, powering it too. Most commonly the word is used to describe a vehicle intended for such a task on some other vehicle or object.
Someone else also brought this definition, at least partially, to the forum.
Now if we get into word association then the word tractor will remind most people of a farm. Traditionally that is what a tractor was. A machine that farmers used.
If we look at all the modern tractors and what is called a tractor, we have lawn tractors, garden tractors, compact tractors, etc, etc.
A lawn tractor mows the lawn, and can pull other machinery used for lawn care.
A garden tractor does work in the garden, pulling garden implements such as tillers, plows, disk.
Someone mentioned that some of the old time farm tractors had less horsepower than a lot of riding lawn mowers. But if we look at the definition of tractor, we can imagine that a 25 hp lawn mower will not pull 2 X 12 plow 6" deep. So tractor can also be a brute force thing.
I just ran into a post on another site that pictured a 160 hp traction engine. It was a steam powered tractor made in 1911 by Avery. I just bet that would outpull a lot of modern tractors. Speaking of steam no one mentioned trains. They also pull non powered machines.
The jeep, model T, etc. may fit the definition, and do tractor work, but already have better known names. Like Trains are locomotives.
My 2 cents.
