151: Chapter 151 The Difficult Start-up Process of a Steam Tractor

After the boiler was filled with water, the water storage tanks on both the left and right sides also had to be filled.

During the operation of the steam tractor, it constantly relies on steam as power to push the pistons, a process that consumes a great deal of steam.

As steam is lost, the amount of water inside the boiler gradually decreases.

Afterward, the water needs to be replenished through the water tanks on both sides of the boiler.

When replenishing, there is no need to stop the vehicle to add water to the boiler.

A mechanical pump is designed next to the steam tractor.

When the steam control switch is opened, the power of the steam also drives this mechanical water pump to operate, pumping water from the tanks into the boiler.

Old Mo had studied the blueprints for a long time before he finally managed to build this device.

Zhao Fusu climbed onto the steam tractor and looked at the pressure gauge.

He could see that the needle of the pressure gauge had begun to move slightly, indicating that the steam inside the boiler had already reached a certain pressure.

He then looked at the three control levers beside the pressure gauge; from right to left, they were the clutch, the throttle, and the gear shifter.

He got down from the steam tractor and watched Mo Xiu open the hood to check the smoke conditions.

The smoke in the flue was incredibly thick.

The front of the steam tractor was made so long and designed with so many internal pipes to utilize the heat from the smoke, allowing the boiler to heat up faster.

The water used for heat dissipation in the smoke pipes could also return that heat to the water inside the boiler.

Such a design could reduce fuel waste.

The water tanks also had water level gauges.

It was visible that the water in the tanks was not yet full and needed more water.

Mo Xiu took out a fire hook, opened the furnace door, poked through the firewood and coal inside, cleared some space, and continued to add more coal.

Zhao Fusu had timed it: to start this sixty-four-horsepower steam tractor, it took a long four hours!

He shook his head inwardly. This kind of antique, with such a long startup process, would make even an old man shake his head; it wasn't even as good as his 'Old Man's Joy' mobility scooter.

However, even though Zhao Fusu looked down on such an antique, for the people of Great Qin, this Steam Engine was epoch-making high technology.

But this startup process was still far too long.

If he wanted to use Steam Engines to create steam chariots for the battlefield, it wouldn't be very realistic.

By the time he got the steam chariot started, the enemy would have long since disappeared.

It would be better to wait until he obtained Internal Combustion Engine technology through his daily check-ins and then build those instead.

With Internal Combustion Engines, he could develop tanks!

Zhao Fusu's heart gradually grew excited.

Even if it were just a light tank, for an agricultural civilization, it would be a dimensional strike!

During World War II, even the small tanks of the Japanese had pierced through Southeast Asia.

Zhao Fusu continued to watch Mo Xiu and the others tend the fire.

He sized up this steam tractor.

In terms of appearance, it was quite intimidating.

Its height reached three meters, and a canopy was installed above the driver's seat, which could provide shade from the sun and shelter from the rain.

Its length exceeded six meters.

The width of the front iron wheels was fifty centimeters, and the height was one meter.

The width of the rear iron wheels reached one meter, and their height was a staggering two meters!

Old Mo instructed Mo Xiu and the others to add grease to the oil reservoirs above the steam tractor's crankshaft and connecting rod shafts.

After screwing on the cap, there was a small handle on top of it.

When oil needed to be applied, turning this small handle and rotating it downward would press the grease down to lubricate the shaft.

Zhao Fusu checked the pressure gauge again; the pressure was far from the point where the steam tractor could be started.

Oil reservoirs were designed at all the shaft locations of the steam tractor, and Mo Xiu and the others filled them with grease.

Old Mo had built the steam tractor by following Zhao Fusu's blueprints to the letter, so this generation of the product did not use ball bearings at the shafts, but rather oil reservoirs for lubrication to allow the mechanical parts to run better.

After the oiling was finished, the pressure on the gauge reached 10.

Zhao Fusu walked to the front of the vehicle and opened the valve.

Looking inside the front, he saw a pipe constantly spraying steam up into the chimney.

This was the steam device that accelerated the combustion speed inside the furnace.

Steam itself cannot help combustion, but it can accelerate air circulation; this thing was equivalent to a turbocharger in modern cars.

Mo Xiu continued to tend the fire and then continued to lubricate the wheels.

The pressure needle on the gauge reached 20.

Zhao Fusu looked at the throttle lever and pulled it down.

The crankshaft and connecting rods drove the flywheel into motion.

Anyone who has learned to drive a manual transmission knows that if the car doesn't move when you step on the gas, it's likely because the clutch isn't engaged, and the power isn't being transmitted to the wheels.

Old Mo unscrewed another steam valve for the flue.

He reopened the hood, and beside the pipe that was already spraying steam, another thicker pipe could be seen spraying steam as well.

This pipe was thicker and sprayed even more steam into the flue.

It greatly accelerated the already fast airflow, making the furnace fire burn even more intensely.

Old Mo personally checked the exhaust from the relief valve and the lubrication of various parts.

This was the steam tractor's first road test, and he did not want it to fail.

There was a very interesting thing on the steam tractor: the Governor.

It looked like several small balls connected together, spinning rapidly at the front of the vehicle.

Since the production of steam in a Steam Engine is not a very smooth process—its pressure fluctuates—the Governor is needed at this time to stabilize the pressure.

When the pressure is low, the throttle valve is opened wider, allowing more intake into the piston and bringing the pressure up.

When the internal pressure becomes too high, the throttle valve is narrowed, reducing the intake.

In this way, the pressure can always be maintained in a balanced state.

In its working process, this Governor utilizes the power of the steam as well as the centrifugal force generated by those small balls, so it is also called a Centrifugal Governor.

Time passed, and the pressure on the gauge had risen to 40.

Zhao Fusu tried to pull down the clutch lever, but the steam tractor did not move.

The pressure was still insufficient; Zhao Fusu could only continue to wait.

When the pressure rose to 45, it was almost at the point where the steam tractor could move.

The working principle of the clutch is that when the clutch lever is pulled down, the clutch is pushed into the connection with the flywheel.