8: De Steamtractor.

After changing the “locomotive act” in 1904, many builders of steamengines started with the construction of light steam engines, called steamtractors.
In the law was regulated that light tractors, weighing less than 5 tons, were permitted to drive on the public road to do eg haulage and transport work. The maximum allowable speed was 5 miles/hour and it was permitted that the engine was operated by only one man.
The steamtractor, sometimes also called the motortractor was in principle the small brother of the road engine. Most properties of the road engine can be found back in the steamtractor.
The engines had springs for easy driving, a closed flywheel and the wheels were often equipped with massive rubber tires
The moving parts like crank, toothwheels etc were covered with protective sheeting, which makes it difficult to see the inner moving parts.
To minimise waterstops the engines were equipped with extra watertanks, especially bellytanks (below the boiler).
The steamtractor was the ideal engine for transport in the cities.
Examples are light freight transport and furniture removals.
Many steamtractors were built in the past and we can see them nowadays regularly on steamrallies