The fuel may be cheap, but the engines are not. Once you realize that most of the purchase cost of a piece of machinery is determined by the materials which go into it, it becomes apparent that steam engines (the boilers, specifically) are very expensive. A 20 hp steam engine will likely weigh in excess of 5000 lbs empty, while a 1950's 20 hp gas tractor can easily weigh less than 2500 lbs. That is a 2-to-1 cost difference in materials alone. Also, maintenance is a major problem when you have open mechanisms which are exposed to lots of water and dirt, while being only marginally lubricated. Plus, you have no instant performance. First you must warm the thing up and start to make steam, then you must anticipate load by adding fuel at the proper rate. Too little fuel and the pressure drops, and too much fuel causes the pressure relief valve to blow, wasting a bunch of stored energy that you just fed into the firebox. Poor efficiency is another issue. When you have a lot of surface area, you have a lot of area that can transfer heat. With an uninsulated boiler like the ones on vintage steam engines, you are constantly loosing gobs of heat to the surrounding air. With this style simple boiler you are lucky to get 15% efficiency out of the fuel you burn. Almost any old gas tractor will give you 25% efficiency when working at rated load. Then there is the work that is required to feed it. Steam tractors need lots of two things to operate; fuel and water. Anyone who has a wood stove knows the constant work that is required to keep it going. Now figure that your wood stove has more than 10 times the appetite, and that it is also constantly leaking a few gallons of water each minute. Now you have an idea of how much work it is to feed a small steam tractor that is working.
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Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
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