422 W. North St. Carey, Ohio 43316
I have been to a few gas and steam shows and a subscriber to
your magazine and like to read about other people’s joys (gas
engines) and thought they might like to read about and see some
pictures of mine. It is my hope to get to show my tractor in one of
these shows.
A friend of mine talked me into going for a walk in a nearby
woods where he used to play as a boy and that’s where I found
my 1914 Steel King Motor Plow built in Detroit, Michigan. Later, I
had the pleasure of talking to the owner who also sold them. He
said he used it until 1920. He also gave me advertising posters
which contain the costs of the parts and compares it to a team of
horses and harnesses, also testimonials from Canada and
California.
The Steel King is equipped with friction clutch belt pulley and
is adapted to all belt work about the farm, such as filling silo,
pumping water, sawing wood, shelling and husking corn, shredding
fodder, threshing with small plain separator of 18′ x 36′
to 22′ x 40′ capacity.
The Steel King has ample power to operate and haul commercial
hay balers up to 16′ x 18′ sizer with capacity of 35 tons
of hay per day in 100 lb. bales.
The Steel King Motor Plow -absolutely the only one man outfit
and the original price was $950 including Two Bottom Gang Plows.
The one I have has 2-14′ self lifting plows (1914 hard to
believe).
I spent two years of my spare time restoring this tractor (my
wife said she was a tractor widow). I hope that in the near future
I can find a way to get it to some steam shows. I have never seen
or heard of one like it so maybe one of your readers can drop me a
card if they have.
This is the original picture taken from the
advertising poster as I have restored it, except umbrella.
CONDENSED SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE – Two-cylinder horizontal opposed, 16-18 brake H.P. –
5-1/4′ bore 5-1/4′ stroke -speed, 800 R.P.M.
TRANSMISSION – Selective sliding gear, two forward and one
reverse speeds. Forward speeds, normal, 2.1 and 4 miles per hour.
CLUTCH–Cone type, operated by foot pedals; all wearing parts of
clutch operating mechanism encased and run in an oil bath.
STEERING – By worm and segment packed in grease. Steering head
mounted on ball bearing.
SPARK and THROTTLE CONTROL LEVERS convenient for operator.
FUEL TANK – Capacity 15 gallons.
ENGINE LUBRICATION -Mechanical force feed. Capacity of
lubricator, 3 quarts of oil. Auxiliary oil tank, piped to
lubricator capacity 5 gallons. Engine entirely hooded and
completely protected from dust.
WHEEL BASE – 85 inches.
DRIVE WHEEL – 56 inches diameter x 18 inches face.
TOTAL LENGTH OF TRACTOR – Without plows, 11 feet 9 inches.
TOTAL LENGTH OF TRACTOR – With 2 bottom gang plows, 16 feet.
TOTAL WIDTH OF TRACTOR– 66 inches.
TOTAL WIDTH OF TRACTOR– Including plows, 80-1/2 inches. BELT
PULLEY – 10 inches diameter x 6 inches face.
TOTAL WEIGHT – Without plows, 3,400 pounds.
TOTAL WEIGHT – With plows, 4,000 pounds.
