The Aultman & Taylor Company
May/June 2002
Dr. Lorin E. Bixler
The Debut of the Steam Engine and the Aultman & Taylor
Tractors
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This issue of the Iron-Men Album bring us to the 10th
installment of Dr. Bixler's history of the Aultman & Taylor
Company, as edited by Dr. Robert T. Rhode. The Album is serializing
Dr. Bixler's book. Dr. Bixler, a professor at Muskingum College
in New Concord, Ohio, passed away before he could publish the
manuscript on which he had labored for many years. This installment
looks at the debut of the steam engine and the Aultman & Taylor
tractors.
CHAPTER 10
Allusion has already been made to the fact that the vibrator
thresher required a steady power that was impossible to secure with
the horse powers. Then, too, there arose in the major grain growing
areas of the country a demand for a larger separator, but
horsepower's were inadequate to operate those machines
efficiently.
Under the pressure of these demands the companies began to build
steam engines. At first portables then a few years later traction
engines came into general use.
In spite of the skepticism that prevailed among the farmers, the
demand for steam engines continued to grow apace. Among the first
manufacturers to recognize and meet that demand was C.&G.
Cooper Company of Mount Vernon, Ohio. During 1868-69 they built an
experimental traction engine that was steered by horses.
Keenly aware of the changing conditions of the time, the Aultman
& Taylor Manufacturing Company had no intention of permitting
other companies to preempt the market. They quickly came to the
realization that it would be necessary to build steam engines if
they were to remain in business.
Consequently, during 1876 they selected a portable engine that
was deemed the most perfect of all those proposed for their
consideration. The design of the Aultman & Taylor engine was
similar to that of the Cooper engine. They were built in 6 and 12
HP sizes and were mounted on horizontal boilers. The steam chest
was placed at the rear on the left side of the boiler with the
flywheel on the right side near the front of the engine. It was
mounted on wooden wheels and drawn by horses. It was named 'The
Aultman & Taylor Farm Engine.'
The Aultman & Taylor Manufacturing Company was not among the
first to produce traction engines but designed and built its first
traction engine during 1880.1 It was a bevel gear
engine, one of many of those engines built by the company and that
contributed significantly to the reputation and success of the firm
. The traction engine followed the same design as the portable
engine. The company continued to use this design until 1906. That
year they built only four of the engines so designed, and that was
the last year that they built them.2 Shortly before, the
firm had introduced a spur gear traction engine that differed
greatly from the bevel gear style and that proved quite successful.
The firm's building of bevel gear engines extended over a
period of 26 years. Aultman & Taylor built steam engines for a
period of 39 years.
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