The landscape of American farming changed dramatically between 1850 and 1950 due in large part to the introduction of farm tractors. Initially, tractors used steam engines, until these gave way to internal combustion engines in the twentieth century. The turn-of-the-century steam engine tractor is gigantic and primitive looking, using chains on a rotating shaft to steer.

When tractors were introduced, farmers quickly found that engine driven tractors were more economical to use, as compared to keeping animals for tillage, and tractors began selling widely. In many cases agricultural machinery dealers received cattle for the barter for tractors and they and in turn sold the cattle in the meat market. The Farmall is one of early tractors and the most familiar and famous names in tractor history. Tractors were made to be work horses, so niceties were minimal. This included foregoing a fuel gauge.

Tractors are most useful for cultivation purposes, so a tractor or tractors have been a must for farm owners, but tractors are also used in excavation, in manufacturing and industry, or on construction sites. Farm size, availability of labor and custom services, crop selection, and cultural practices, such as choice of tillage system, all affect the selection of an optimum equipment set and, ultimately, the number of tractors necessary to farm. Although demand for tractor power generally increases with farm size, many commercial farms operate efficiently with a single tractor.

Tractors are designed to operate at different travel speeds, but the final drives are not designed for all possible torques theoretically available. The engine may range from about 12 to 120 horsepower or more and tractors over the years have been typically offered in the range of 20 to 400 horsepower. Engine power is transmitted to a gearbox typically having 4 to10 speeds (these transmissions are manually switched via a control lever to determine how fast the tractor can go) and through the differential gear to the two large rear-drive wheels. Some farm tractors can reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour, but slow speeds are necessary to give the farmer more control while doing field work.

Farm tractors are designed to be operated with additional weight or ballast when pulling heavy loads to reduce wheel slip. Insufficient ballast can cause excessive wheel slip and increased fuel consumption. Tractors need large tires to avoid compressing the earth, and to avoid digging in. Thus only the rear tires really need to be large and the front tires can be small and smooth unless the tractor has four wheel drive. Tractors used on ground of irregular contours have tracks so mounted that their left and right front ends rise and fall independently of each other. However, soil undulations induce tractor and machine vibrations, reducing driver’s comfort and their capability of controlling the linked machinery.

Tractors are usually used to pull, or in some cases, push objects and are designed to pull either large loads at slow speeds or lighter loads at higher speeds. Field speeds up to 10 mph are typical, but rangeland applications usually vary from 2 to 5 mph. Tractors can be generally classified as two-wheel drive, two-wheel drive with front wheel assist, four-wheel drive (often with articulated steering), or track tractors (with either two or four powered rubber tracks).

Tractors are equipped with a hitching point below the rear axles to prevent roll over. Unfortunately, some people will attach to a point above the rear axle in a foolish attempt to get more weight/traction on the drive wheels and this can lead to disaster. Also, if a tractor is used to free and tow a stuck vehicle, the operator should hitch the vehicles front-to-front and drive the towing tractor in reverse, which minimizes the risk for rollover, by transmitting all the engine power of the towing tractor through the chain to the other vehicle.

To read the rest of this article and see interesting Farmall Tractors click here: Farmall Tractors [http://www.farmalltractors.net]

Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the

spotlight right in front of your target market or is busy

cowering by the punch table nowhere near your customer

base? Take this quiz and find out.

1. Overall, you would describe your marketing as:

A. Going strong. You consistently get lots of good leads and

sales from your marketing efforts.

B. Getting better. You’re seeing some positive results, but

you’re always looking for ways to improve.

C. Flat. Your sales are neither growing nor shrinking.

D. Don’t ask.

E. You don’t do much marketing. Or any marketing for that

matter. Customers pretty much find you.

2. Your last marketing campaign was:

A. A huge success. It exceeded your expectations.

B. No complaints. You’re pleased with your results.

C. Not sure. You didn’t notice much change with your sales.

D. A waste of good money.

E. You can’t remember your last campaign. In fact, you don’t

think you’ve ever had one.

3. At the last Chamber of Commerce meeting, you bumped

into a woman who you felt would be your ideal customer.

Her response after you introduce yourself is:

A. “I’m so glad I ran into you. I’ve been meaning to talk to you

in more detail about how your business can help me out.”

B. “Oh, I think I remember hearing about you. Tell me more

about what you do.”

C. “Sorry. What did you say you do again?”

D. “Who are you?”

E. “Excuse me. I need to refill my drink.”

4. While working out at your health club, you find yourself

exercising next to your sister’s new boyfriend. Even though

you know he has no interest in your business, he starts

quizzing you about what you do. After you tell him, he says:

A. “Oh, that’s interesting.” And changes the subject.

B. “Yes, I think I’ve heard about your business.” And

changes the subject.

C. “Yes, I think I saw one of your ads in the paper last week.”

And changes the subject.

D. “Oh course. I’ve been seeing your ads all over the place.”

And changes the subject.

E. Changes the subject.

5. You run into one of your customers at a restaurant. He’s

sitting with a large group of people, but still jumps up to

greet you. When he turns to introduce you to the rest of the

group, he:

A. Describes your business perfectly.

B. Gets it mostly right.

C. Manages to describe one aspect okay, although he got a

couple major points wrong.

D. Described someone else’s business. At least that’s what

you think he was doing. He certainly wasn’t talking about

your business.

E. Didn’t quite get your business’ name right. For that

matter, he didn’t pronounce your name correctly either.

6. You feel like you’re getting your money’s and/or time’s

worth from your marketing efforts:

A. Most definitely.

B. Definitely.

C. Not sure.

D. Don’t want to talk about it.

E. You’re getting a great return — after all, you spend hardly

any time or money marketing so ANY return is huge.

7. Overall, how would you rate your marketing in terms of

meeting your overall business’ goals?

A. Exactly on track.

B. Doing pretty good. For the most part, your marketing is

helping you meet your business’ goals.

C. You’re still in business so you guess something must be

working. Although you’re not exactly sure what.

D. Business isn’t so hot.

E. What goals?

Scoring:

Mostly As. Your marketing message is definitely the life of

the party. It’s getting in front of your target market and your

target market is responding to it. Better yet, you aren’t

wasting your efforts reaching people who have no interest in

what your business does. Great job.

The only caution I would offer is to not allow yourself to be

lulled into a false sense of security. Things change. Markets

shift. Don’t allow your current success to blind you to a new

competitor or a new product or a changing marketing

landscape. History is littered with companies who allowed

themselves to lose market share or even be toppled by a

shift in the marketplace.

Mostly Bs. Your marketing message may not be the star, but

it’s certainly turning heads. While you could be getting more

from your marketing efforts, you’ve definitely accomplished

much. Your target market is both getting the message and

acting on it. You’re seeing a slow and steady growth in your

business.

While everyone would love to the next “overnight” success,

truthfully that’s not terribly realistic. Marketing is about slow

and steady growth – and even an occasional setback. While

huge marketing success is great as a goal, you should be

very pleased with what you’ve accomplished.

Mostly Cs. Your marketing message has about half of its

dance card filled. Your business is flat. Probably as flat as

your marketing. Your business is certainly not growing and

may even be slowly declining.

While there’s nothing wrong with holding the status quo, this

is still a precarious place to be. If you’re not careful, you

could find your business sliding into the “business is not so

good” category.

I would suggest taking a hard look at your marketing

message. Maybe you’re not reaching your target market at

all. Maybe you’re wasting your marketing efforts by getting

your message in front of people who will never buy your

products or services. Or maybe you are finding your target

market, but your marketing message isn’t persuading them

to do business with you. Maybe the marketplace or your

target market is changing. Or maybe it’s a combination of

things.

Mostly Ds. Your marketing message is hiding in the

bathroom and has been there for awhile. This is not a good

place to be, but you already know this. If it isn’t too late, I

would suggest a complete revamp of your entire marketing

plan. Maybe your target market isn’t right. Maybe you have

too much competition. Maybe you’re competing on price

(never a wise selling point). Maybe you’re not differentiating

yourself enough from your competition. Maybe you’re not

explaining your product correctly. Or maybe it’s something

even deeper, a major problem with your product or

business.

But don’t lose heart! It’s still very possible to turn things

around. Remember, all successful people suffered

setbacks (and downright failures) at some point in their

careers. You can make a comeback.

Mostly Es. Your marketing message is still outside looking

for a place to park. Many service-based, single-person

businesses find themselves in this category – for instance

consultants, coaches, graphic designers and (ahem)

copywriters. You never really take the time to put together a

marketing plan or market yourself in any orderly manner.

When work falls into your lap, you happily snatch it up. When

it doesn’t, you find yourself wringing your hands a lot.

Yes, I too was in this category. When I first started my

business, I didn’t write down my goals and promoting

myself was haphazard at best. Believe it or not, I was

actually pretty successful for several years using this model.

I was lucky. I had good, loyal clients who I could count on for

repeat projects.

However, even with good clients, you still end up with the

“feast or famine” business model. Does this sound

familiar? Work starts raining from the heavens, so you hole

yourself in your office and focus on, what else? Getting the

work done. And you’re so busy with paying work, you stop

promoting yourself. When you finish the work, you pick up

your head, look around and discover there’s nothing new

waiting for you. So you rush out, start networking and

contacting people and pretty soon the work is raining down

again. And you stop promoting yourself because you’re busy

and…you get the picture.

In this model, you aren’t really growing your business. You

don’t have time. You’re either doing billable work or looking

for billable work. Even if you use outside help during the

busy times, the busy times don’t last so you can’t build your

business.

Speaking from someone who’s been there, I would strongly,

strongly urge you to take a hard look at your business, your

goals and your marketing model. A regular, sustained

marketing campaign can lead to regular, sustained work.

Your cash flow will even out, and you can start outsourcing

certain tasks on a regular basis so you can start growing

your business.

(A note on Question 4 in case you thought I had the answers

reversed. The point of this question is to find out if you’ve

picked marketing vehicles that are reaching your target

market or if your marketing is so scattered it’s reaching

people who have no interest in purchasing your products

and services. Don’t waste your time and money driving just

anyone to your business – target people who have the

interest and the means to purchase your products and

services.)

Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of “Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money.” She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at TheArtistSoul.com. a>

John Deere tractors are by far the most popular and widely recognized tractor brand in the United States. The John Deere 8345RT Track Tractor is the latest in the John Deere line of agricultural tractors. With models that range all the way up to 345 horsepower they are certainly not lacking in the power and force department. Comfort is also something that John Deere takes seriously as well. They have introduced an air cushion suspension to make the ride more comfortable.

New Holland tractors have been around since 1895 and are quite popular worldwide. Out of all of the major tractor producers they have the most experience of time under their belts. New Holland also manufactures combines which are utilized in the farming trade. Therefore, New Holland has a vast knowledge of the farming industry which makes them quite popular. The newest New Holland tractor for sale is the Workmaster. The Workmaster was a popular tractor many years ago which has been revamped to suit the modern needs of today’s farmers. It is simple and comfortable yet durable and reliable. With fifty-five horsepower on some models of the Workmaster clearly power will not be an issue. In addition to the Workmaster, New Holland has just produced a hydrogen powered tractor, the NH2, which does not emit pollutants into the atmosphere. The NH2 tractor is without a doubt the most environmentally friendly tractor on the market today.

In 1985, Ford purchased the New Holland company although each maintained to operate under their own respective brand names until the company was bought out by Fiat in 1991. Although Fiat stopped using the Ford brand name on tractors in 2000, Ford still remains one of the most popular tractor producers of all time. Currently, perhaps the most widely utilized Ford tractor of all time is the model N series. This tractor was quite popular and affordable during its day. While these tractors are now considered to be antiques they are still quite popular.

Massey Ferguson tractors appear to be ahead of the game as far as comfort and size are concerned. Recently, Massey Ferguson tractors have produced the MF1600 Series tractor which provides the strength of an all steel frame and well as the comforts of a luxury vehicle. In addition to this, these tractors appear to be the top of the line in durability and maneuverability. With four wheel drive and up to sixty horsepower on some models, the MF1600 Series tractors seem to be a long awaited force within the farming industry.

Fendt tractors are a relative newcomer to the farming industry. However, they are growing at an incredible rate. They have recently produced the Vario series of tractors.

These tractors alone appear to be far more economical than many other tractor brands. On every Vario tractor that Fendt has recently produced there is a fuel consumption monitor which allows the driver to keep an eye on how much fuel they are using. With tractors that range all the way up to 360 horsepower they are powerful as well.

Overall, there are many new and exciting tractors on the market today. Each of the aforementioned tractors have unique and special qualities which set them apart from one another. There are many factors to consider when purchasing a new tractor so take the time to weigh out what is important before making this decision.

Robert Tate – Region Sales Manager of Mascus UK. Mascus is an electronic marketplace for used trucks, trailers and tractors. Mascus makes trading in John Deere tractors for sale more efficiently by collecting all information about supply and demand in one place. All dealers, producers and end users are welcome to offer their used machines and trucks for sale via the marketplace.

Contacts:
Robert Tate
Regional Sales Manager – UK
Mob:+ 44 (0) 7970 230055
E mail: robert.tate@mascus.com

Apart from having fun, people who do snow skiing can also obtain some healthful benefits from doing such activity. Being one of the most interesting sports in the cold winter season, the number of people who engaged into snow skiing sport is significantly increasing. Provided with the essential details on the significant benefits one can get from snow-skiing, you now have more reasons to engage into such sport.

Nowadays, many people already consider snow skiing activity as a perfect means of muscle exercising per se snow skiing exercises. In doing so, you can enhance your muscle strengths, particularly the leg muscles and other muscle groups. Aside from muscle strength development, snow-skiing exercises can also help in making the entire body more fit and strong.

In order to obtain the maximum skiing benefits in terms of developing muscle strength, you have to learn the important techniques in the sport. These snow skiing techniques are not only provided for those who seek muscle strength enhancement but also offered to aid those who want to take part of the tough snow skiing competition.

Exercises and Snow Skiing

One can only obtain the full beneficial effects of snow skiing provided that he or she is fully aware on how to do it right. This can be achieved by doing some cardiovascular exercises prior to performing the actual snow skiing activity. It is necessary to undergo into such form of exercises in order to enhance your stamina in order to succeed in any sport you would prefer.

A. Cardiovascular Exercises

Cardiovascular exercises that would help in stamina development encompass jogging, cycling, swimming and brisk walking. These exercises are also designed to build and enhance your endurance. Considering that snow skiing requires focus, it is very necessary for you not to lose energy and get tired easily.

B. Other Preparatory Exercises

Other forms of exercises are also offered to help build and maintain strength, particularly your quads and hamstrings. Lunges and squats are two of these suitable strength-enhancing exercises. Performing these types of exercise would help you focus on building strength in both the outer and inner thighs.

Another important type of exercise you can perform in fulfilling such goal to maximize skiing potentials is manifested with the leg exercises. Acquiring and maintaining strength in the legs is indeed necessary for you to perform well and last in the sport.

Besides leg exercises, you may also try on pertinent exercising as such with the knee exercises. Of course, having strong legs may not be enough to perform well in the snow skiing. Instead, it too requires you to maintain strong knees to avoid the risk of having some knee injuries in the later process. In order to ensure sturdy knees and legs, you may try doing squats, lunges, leg curls, leg extensions and leg presses. Adding some weights can also help in augmenting strength in both the legs and the knees.

More than the leg and knee exercises, it you to can perform other exercises that would help develop your core and upper body, hips, shoulders and arms. Flexibility exercises also play a great role in the preparation for snow skiing. Aside from keeping you safe from any potential injuries, this can help you and your body obtains balance and control in the whole sport duration. Conditioning and re-conditioning of the entire body parts is also essential to ensure that you are actually ready for the skiing season.

Also note that in order to maximize your snow-skiing potentials and ensure your safety, utilize and equip yourself with only the best and durable skiing paraphernalia, which then could mean that a ski wax store visit is likewise, necessary.

About the Author

I have been teaching skiing for a local ski area for 20 years. I was the assistant ski race coach for Fairfield University 1995 to 2001. Skiing tuning for Ski Wiz Precision Ski and Snowboard Tuning and Bicycle racing. I ski raced as a kid from 1975 to 1985. started when I was 11 years old. Started skiing at 4 years old.

Searching the internet for a “summer camp” can yield an overwhelming number of results. Unfortunately, the best camp for you may not be anywhere near the top of Google’s picks; your perfect camp might be hidden on page ten. Right at the top of the search results will be camp directories. Directories appear here as they put the most money into their sites, into their web-ranking. A directory won’t know which camp is best for you.

In the search results there will be web links that relate to one specific camp. You may chose to look at some of these as well as the directories but going camp page to camp page will take too long, limiting your exposure to the camps available. As long as you are aware that the directories are a resource and not an authority, they are the most easy-to-use resource to be found. To understand why they are a resource and not an authority, one should understand how they exist. Directories charge the camps you find on their website for the services they provide. Most have a free listing but these are little one liners with limited information and often in black and white. To be noticed, directories charge camps for top placement, for color, for logos, for video, for ads on the side of the page and ones at the top. Quotes to camps run into the thousands of dollars per year for a listing.

Since your time is valuable, here are some benefits of the directories: you can find camps broken down by religion, by activity, by geography, by residency or day camp. Once you have a general idea of what you are looking for, use the internet to research specifics. For example, if you have decided you want to go whitewater rafting, but you also want to visit a different part of the country, you should hop onto a search engine and type in “whitewater rafting camp in California” (or whatever area you want to visit). Look at each of the sites that come up and make contact with those camps. Find out if they offer shuttle service to and from the local airport (this is something our camp offers). By doing so, you might get to have your proverbial cake and eat it too! This article would be no good if we didn’t have some recommendations to get your questions flowing, so here are some to consider:

1. Is a resident summer camp (one where you stay overnight) for you? If you haven’t spent much time away from home, this can be a scary thought. Feeling nervous is normal. It helps to know that no one is a “pro” at being a summer camp resident – everyone else is nervous, too! So, if this is something that’s exciting, I encourage you to give it a try; you’ll probably love it! If not, if this is simply something you cannot get into, then you should look for a day camp. Day camps can run multiple days but you’re picked up and dropped off each day.

2. Is a church-focused camp a main factor? If yes, then you must make sure you’re searching with the specific church focus in your query. Even the most devout of campers can enjoy a non-church focused camp. Directors and counselors alike have great respect for people of all backgrounds, so don’t allow this factor to keep you away if the camp is perfect in all other respects.

3. Does the camp need to be an all-boys (or all-girls) camp? If so, then make sure you are searching for all-boys camps. If coed is preferred make sure you keep an eye out for this as well. We cannot say which, if either, is better, as we have had experiences with both types of scenarios.

4. This is your summer vacation, so if there is something you want to explore, then look for that in a camp. If you want underwater basket weaving, then you should not enroll in a sea kayaking camp. With this in mind, it is important to look at the activities different camps offer, especially as you begin to narrow your search. Similar camps can still pose great differences. For example, here, in Northern California, there are two water-based camps that are not far apart. One camp is on a lake, the other on a river. They are both priced nearly the same. The river-based camp does nearly all that the lake-based camp does, but the river-based camp also rafts, has off-site excursions such as water parks, pro sporting events and local attractions, at no extra charge! Be sure to really take a look at the camps and compare. And as we always encourage, contact the camps and ask them questions. You can tell quite a bit about the camp by how they respond to you. Always choose the one that makes you the most comfortable.

5. Most importantly, don’t assume that you cannot do something. If you find something that peaks your interest but you are unsure of whether it is a good fit for you, then ask the camp! Most camps were designed with your joy in mind; therefore, the activities they offer are ones they are pretty sure you would enjoy. So, if you think a rafting adventure camp sound exciting and somewhere you would like to be, but you are not confident in your ability to participate, then contact the camp. Ask them what is required, tell them your concerns, and dialogue with them. If you are getting the feeling that they would rather not talk with you, then that is a place you do not want to be. If, however, you find they are engaging and care about your concerns, it is probably a good fit.

6. Email the camp, call the camp and dialogue with the camp! I cannot stress this enough. Anyone can write about how great their camp is, and everyone WILL write about how great their camp is, but the decision as to which camp fits you is yours and yours alone. The only way you are going to answer questions and get comfortable with your decision is to make contact. Camps should welcome your email and/or call. You are important, and so is your summer vacation. The right camp will recognize this and help you to find the best fit. The tips above are a good starting point toward finding that camp that is going to help you make BFFs and provide you with memories for years to come. As you see, there is a tremendous variety in summer camping from adventure overnight camps to day camps focused on arts and crafts. This is your time to live it up, take the time to research, be bold, and take a risk on something new. Reach out via email, and go with the camp that responds in a way that speaks to you.

Christopher Pyle is the owner/director of adventure summer camp and whitewater rafting company in Northern California. His entire company philosophy focuses on creating the safest and most encouraging environments for campers and rafters alike. We focus on TEAM, we focus on KINDNESS, we focus on SAFETY, we focus on personal EMPOWERMENT, we focus on COMMUNITY, we focus on SUPPORT. We’re family run, family oriented and wanting to share our place with you.