Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

AGRICULTURAL IVEL AGRICULTURAL MOTOR DRAWING WAGON. automatically if the driving wheels fail to bite, and so be made to take part of the ploughing strain. Under favourable conditions a motor plough can turn over from three-quarters of an acre to one acre of ground per hour, at a cost of about four shillings an acre for fuel, oil, wages, and wear and tear of machinery. The Ivel agricultural motor (see illus- trations) will draw two self-binders, each cutting a 6-foot swathe, and reap four acres in an hour. The angles of the standing crop are rounded off, so that the motor may travel continuously round and round the field. If occasion ENGINEERING. 299 demands, the work can be carried on by night with the assistance of powerful head- lights. By taking full advantage of fine weather in this way, the farmer improves his chances of getting in his crops in good order. In outlying districts, remote from a railway, the oil motor has a decided advantage over steam, in that its fuel can be carried to the scene of operations at a much lower cost. The farmer finds a machine of this kind in- valuable. Besides ploughing and reaping his land it will thresh and grind the grain, cut IVEL AGRICULTURAL MOTOR DRAWING SELF-BINDER, the chaff, pump water, generate electricity, saw wood, and serve as a team of horses for hauling loads from place to place. [Note.—Thanks are due for assistance given by Messrs. John Fowler and Co., and by Ivel Agricultural Motors, Ltd., in connection with the illustration of this article.]