What does traction engine mean?

Definitions for traction engine
trac·tion engine

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word traction engine.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. traction enginenoun

    steam-powered locomotive for drawing heavy loads along surfaces other than tracks

Wiktionary

  1. traction enginenoun

    A wheeled steam engine used to move heavy loads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location.

Wikipedia

  1. Traction engine

    A traction engine is a steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it. They are sometimes called road locomotives to distinguish them from railway locomotives – that is, steam engines that run on rails. Traction engines tend to be large, robust and powerful, but also heavy, slow, and difficult to manoeuvre. Nevertheless, they revolutionized agriculture and road haulage at a time when the only alternative prime mover was the draught horse. They became popular in industrialised countries from around 1850, when the first self-propelled portable steam engines for agricultural use were developed. Production continued well into the early part of the 20th century, when competition from internal combustion engine-powered tractors saw them fall out of favour, although some continued in commercial use in the United Kingdom well into the 1950s and later. All types of traction engines have now been superseded in commercial use. However, several thousand examples have been preserved worldwide, many in working order. Steam fairs are held throughout the year in the United Kingdom, and in other countries, where visitors can experience working traction engines at close hand. Traction engines were cumbersome and ill-suited to crossing soft or heavy ground, so their agricultural use was usually either "on the belt" – powering farm machinery by means of a continuous leather belt driven by the flywheel, a form of power take-off – or in pairs, dragging an implement on a cable from one side of a field to another. However, where soil conditions permitted, direct hauling of implements ("off the drawbar") was preferred – in America, this led to the divergent development of the steam tractor. This aside American designs were far more varied than those of the British with different boiler positions, wheel numbers and piston placements being used. Additionally American engines often had higher top speeds than those of Britain as well as the ability to run on straw.

ChatGPT

  1. traction engine

    A traction engine is a large, steam-powered, self-propelled vehicle that was primarily developed for agricultural and heavy freight transport purposes. It is a mobile steam engine that can move under its own power or can be used to drive machinery or to pull heavy loads. Traction engines were common from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, before the advent of modern tractors and trucks.

Wikidata

  1. Traction engine

    A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it. They are sometimes called road locomotives to distinguish them from railway locomotives – that is, steam engines that run on rails. Traction engines tend to be large, robust and powerful, but heavy, slow, and have poor manoeuvrability. Nevertheless, they revolutionized agriculture and road haulage at a time when the only alternative prime mover was the draught horse. They became popular in industrialised countries from around 1850, when the first self-propelled portable steam engines for agricultural use were developed. Production continued well into the early part of the 20th century, when competition from internal combustion engine–powered tractors saw them fall out of favour, although some continued in commercial use in the UK into the 1950s and later. All types of traction engines have now been superseded, in commercial use. However, several thousand examples have been preserved worldwide, many in working order. Steam fairs are held throughout the year in the UK, and in other countries, where visitors can experience working traction engines at close hand.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of traction engine in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of traction engine in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1


Translations for traction engine

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"traction engine." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/traction+engine>.

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