Horses vs. Modern Machines
In the early days of farming, horses served as the powerhouse of farm work. Many farms had several horses used to pull their plow or haul a wagon of grain. Steam engines and tractors eventually replaced horses on farms.
• When tractors were first introduced, 1 tractor had the pulling power of 5 horses.
• The term “horsepower” is used to measure the engine power of modern machines.
• Today’s large tractors can have as much as 600 horsepower to pull farm implements.
• Modern semi-trucks average 400 horsepower for pulling grain trailers.
