Much needs to be cleared up regarding use of long-lasting antifreeze in cooling systems of water-cooled cars with air conditioning. Consider the case of John H. With a 60 per cent solution of ethylene glycol in the system the boiling point was raised to 231 degrees. He rightly figured that the engine would run hotter with the conditioner operating, and he knew this antifreeze would thus help prevent coolant loss out the overflow, but he failed to figure that this was covering up urgent need for service. The engine did not immediately lose coolant, but it ran much too hot. This thinned down the oil, brought on clicking of the hydraulic valve lifters, and pinging. Then, on a long hill, things began to happen. Suddenly the engine’s temperature hit the danger point, the automatic transmission began slipping and the radiator pressure cap’s valve opened up. A real mess.
Category: Autos
When were steam plows invented?
In the second half of the nineteenth century steam plowing was enthusiastically tried. A stationary engine pulled the plow across the field with cables. Several could be used at once and the system was designed so plows could work in pairs, one set for turning the furrow to the left and the other to the right, the sets being used alternately. Forty or fifty acres per day could be plowed by an eight-furrow plow powered by two steam engines.
In 1936 Harry Ferguson developed a farm tractor equipped with a hydraulically controlled three-point linkage which enabled the plow to be directly coupled to the tractor, providing better and easier control.