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THE IRK I GAT I ON AGE. 



WHY A KEROSENE TRACTOR 



By RAYMOND OLNEY 



At the present time the farm tractor is a mighty im- 

 portant factor in the progress of scientific agriculture. 

 And almost of equal importance in this connection is 

 the question of fuel. It is now an established fact that, 

 generally speaking, the internal-combustion tractor is the 

 most practicable, the most economical, and the best 

 adapted to farm work. 



The important question then is whether tractors 

 should be built to use kerosene or gasoline. It is a prob- 



way, he wants an engine that will use the cheapest fuel 

 there is. 



Today the price of kerosene ranges from 5 to 8 cents 

 per gallon in barrel lots while gasoline sells at 12 to 13 

 cents with a tendency to still further increase in cost. 

 With a large and constantly increasing demand for gaso r 

 line and a consequent over-supply of kerosene, it stands 

 to reason that a tractor which will burn the cheaper oils 

 successfully, is the ideal general purpose farm tractor. 



In this connection it is interesting to know that the 

 crude oils with a paraffine base contain from 8 to 12 per 

 cent gasoline and about 50 per cent kerosene. The crude 



Rjmely Oil-Pull Tractor (15-30 h. p.), Pulling Two Spalding Deep Till- 

 ing Machines, 10 to 15 Inches Deep. Engine Had Sufficient Power 

 to Haul Another Machine. 



lem which is the cause of much concern among traction 

 engine manufacturers. 



A few years ago the M. Rumely Company, 1781 Main 

 street, La Porte, Indiana, solved this question by coming 

 to the conclusion that the kerosene-burning engine was 

 to be the farm tractor of the future. The success of 

 their Oil Pull Tractor in the field and its ability to 

 use successfully the cheaper kerosenes as fuel is abundant 

 proof of this fact. 



The question of fuels has been made an important 

 one because of the conditions which exist at the present 

 time relative to the comparative prices of kerosene and 

 gasoline and the abundance of each. 



It is not so many years ago that gasoline was a 

 drug on the market. Today refineries are pushed to the 

 limit to produce a sufficient amount to supply the de- 

 mand. The automobile industry is responsible for this 

 state of affairs, and the demand for gasoline is increas- 

 ing at a rapid rate. 



Since kerosene is much more abundant in the dis- 

 tillation of crude petroleum than is gasoline, and also 

 much cheaper, a successful kerosene tractor is a mighty 

 economical proposition. 



At the present time we have available from the dis- 

 tillation of crude petroleum, high-priced gasoline and 

 low-priced kerosene. Kerosene is 300 and 500 per cent 

 more abundant in the distillation of crude oil than is 

 gasoline. Gallon for gallon, kerosene contains about 18 

 per cent more heat units than does gasoline. 



The farmer wants an engine that will operate at 

 the cheapest fuel cost per acre. To put it in another 



Kutr.ely Oil-Pull Tractor (15-30 h. p.), and Rumely Separator Threshing. 



oils with asphalt base contain from one to four per cent 

 gasoline and from 30 to 40 per cent kerosene. 



The Rumely Oil Pull Tractor is a real kerosene 

 burning tractor. By this I mean, that it will burn kero- 

 sene economically at all loads and under all conditions 

 of atmosphere and altitude. It will burn kerosene and 

 the cheaper petroleum oils, which can. be secured at 

 the refineries at prices as low as I 1 /, cents per gallon. 



An" important advantage in favor of, this kerosene 

 burning tractor is that kerosene is more universally dis- 

 tributed than is gasoline. Kerosene can be had at every 

 country store, while gasoline is on sale only at certain 

 points. 



Another very important advantage a kerosene Tractor 

 has is the much lower cost of fuel for operating it. The 

 fact that kerosene is l /i to l /) cheaper than gasoline is a 



Rumely Oil-Pull Tractor (15-30 h. p.), Pulling Two Russell Traction 

 Graders. 



point worthy of much consideration. There is consider- 

 able difference in the yearly cost of operation of an Oil 

 Pull Tractor where kerosene is used as compared to a 

 fuel bill where gasoline is used. 



Also kerosene is not nearly as dangerous as gasoline. 

 It does not evaporate and consequently does not involve 

 the risk of explosion that is always present wherever 

 gasoline is used. Again, kerosene is quite uniform in 

 quality while gasoline is subject to considerable variation. 



