Name/Title
Traction Engine - CASE 23/65 #51174Entry/Object ID
1974.101.1Description
CASE large traction engine # 51174 built 1913, working condition From Ted Wright, Kelowna BC, formerly from Stan Reynolds.
The agricultural giant back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the steam engine. As a typical general-purpose tractor, the Case 65 horsepower steamer was adaptable for almost any heavy-duty farming operation. Steam engines were originally brought out to the Midwest to break up the sod and turn virgin prairie into fertile farming ground. It easily handled a 6 to 8 bottom plow. Steam engines also powered many a threshing crew and were capable of operating the largest threshing machine of the time – the Case 40x62.
The steam engine was rated a 65 belt horsepower and 40 drawbar horsepower. It had a maximum speed of 2.4 miles per hour. Its weight without water is 20,600 pounds.
Case engines came in different sizes, including 30 hp, 40 hp, 50 hp, 60 hp, 65 hp, 75 hp, 80 hp, 110 hp and 150 hp. Horsepower is defined as a unit of measurement that signifies the rate at which work is taking place. One horsepower is equivalent to the power needed to lift 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute.