John Froelich
Encyclopedia
John Froelich was an American inventor who lived in Clayton County, Iowa
, and invented the first gasoline
/petrol-powered tractor
in 1892.
John Froelich attended school at the College of Iowa. There he learned a lot about machinery. After college, he decided he would build the very first gasoline powered tractor to go both forward and reverse.
Designed by Mann and himself, Froelich was able to build a 16 horsepower
(12 kW) tractor that could go both forward and backward by the year 1892. After completing the tractor Froelich and Mann brought it to Langford, South Dakota
, where they would connect it to a J.I. Case threshing machine
, and thresh 72,000 bushels in 52 days.
Clayton County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 18,129 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,999 housing units, of which 7,599 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, and invented the first gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
/petrol-powered tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
in 1892.
John Froelich attended school at the College of Iowa. There he learned a lot about machinery. After college, he decided he would build the very first gasoline powered tractor to go both forward and reverse.
Designed by Mann and himself, Froelich was able to build a 16 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(12 kW) tractor that could go both forward and backward by the year 1892. After completing the tractor Froelich and Mann brought it to Langford, South Dakota
Langford, South Dakota
Langford is a town in Marshall County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 313 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Langford is located at ....
, where they would connect it to a J.I. Case threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
, and thresh 72,000 bushels in 52 days.