TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 5/5/2024

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Today’s letter is “C.” A centaur is a creature described in Greek mythology as having the head, arms, and torso of a human and the body of a horse. This seemed to be an apt description of the early small farm tractor where the farmer became one with his iron horse.

Centaur Tractor Corp

 

 

The first Centaur Tractor was designed and produced in 1919 A New Way 6 HP air cooled engine provided the power to The Model “A”. It was basically a walk-behind garden tractor with an attached riding sulky. Implements would be attached to the front of the sulky providing the operator with a clear view for cultivation. The left drive wheel was fitted with a ratchet hub rather than a differential, both driven wheels were chain drive from a simple transmission with one forward and one reverse gear.

As improvements were made new model designations were given up through the Model “F”.

Model ‘G’ was introduced in 1926 featured a 10-hp, two-cylinder Le Roi water cooled engine and a steering wheel operated rack and pinion steering wheel system rather than handles typical of a walk-behind tractor.

The 1927 Model ‘G’ Centaur with automatic governor, extension rims and complete lug equipment weighed 1220 lbs. and cost $ 484, ($ 8,500 in today’s money.)

With greater power and better ergonomics, the Model” G” tractor was very successful and helped more farmers go horseless. The Model ‘G’ was sold worldwide. It was simple and easy to run, could be used with a variety of attachments and devices the farmer already owned.

In 1934 an application for patent for an improved type of tractor was made as follows:

‘A purpose is to provide a tractor in which the relationship of the

various parts is such as to provide greatly increased visibility

for the ground surface immediately adjacent to and in front of the

operator.’

The patent was granted in 1936 and assigned to the Centaur Tractor Corp. This was the beginning of the ‘Klear View’ or KV series of Centaurs.

 

The “KV-22” was a much larger tractor powered by a four-cylinder LeRoi, 22 HP Engine. Weighing in at 2200 pounds he KV was no beauty queen, it had no grill and a rather rudimentary tiller steering system. This KV model stayed in production until the beginning of World War Two. Centaur produced tank transmissions and parts to aid in the war effort and they merged with Le Roi engine company in 1940 adding its name to the company. During the war Le Roi produced the Tractair 125, a mobile air compressor for the military.

In 1945 the LeRoi Centaur Tractair was introduced, one of the most unique features was an integrally cast two-cylinder air compressor as part of the thirty-five horse power engine block. It also had built in air storage tanks on the tractor.

The Centaur property was sold in 1954, and the Le Roi engine name disappeared soon afterward.