Chapter 32

Yang Yuanzhao is an engine engineer, and he is quite familiar with the structure of tractors. However, applying the small BMW 999 engine to a tractor is a very challenging task, even for him, with his extensive experience.

After thinking for a long time, Yang Yuanzhao slowly organized his thoughts. He added some components to the engine that are typically only used in high-end cars, completing the mechanical transmission and power equipment. The most important parts are the engine and the transmission system. After completing these, he felt that the entire design was more than halfway done. The rest was just the appearance and the operating system.

In the future, Yang Yuanzhao had seen many tractors. Relatively speaking, small tractors are not very suitable for large farms like Baotou. Baotou has vast fertile lands, and although the 220 hectares of land are not contiguous, they are divided into two large plots, each belonging to a major landowner. Clearly, when choosing the land, they specifically consolidated it. Therefore, the land of the Baokeng Company consists of two large plots, each exceeding 10,000 mu, making it a true large farm.

Since it is a large farm, to achieve the best efficiency, only a large tractor will do. The 193 horsepower of the BMW 999 engine is barely sufficient, but the tires are a big problem. The massive tires are a significant obstacle.

At this time, vulcanized rubber technology already existed, but it was considered high-tech. In the early 20th century, the United States already had a large number of cars, and the famous Ford became one of the leaders in the American automotive industry with the T-model, the most affordable car of its time, which led to the rise of the Ford family. However, even Ford cars did not use true tires; they used wooden wheels. Most cars of this era used wooden wheels or wheels wrapped in rubber or other materials. Pneumatic tires were still a fantasy and would not be used in cars until about 20 years later.

The all-in-one machine is powerful but cannot create things out of thin air. Rubber, in Yang Yuanzhao's view, might be an organic material, and whether it can be replicated is uncertain. Therefore, he had only one choice.

Caterpillar tracks. To some extent, caterpillar tracks are the foundation of tanks and would not see significant development until one or two decades later, or even during World War II. After World War II, they would see rapid advancements. Generally, caterpillar tracks are used in large machinery, such as large excavators and bulldozers.

Yang Yuanzhao had some experience with early caterpillar tracks, which were very simple and did not consider speed, only the efficiency and functionality of entering the fields. Caterpillar tracks are acceptable because the large contact area reduces the pressure on the ground, which is beneficial for improving functionality.

It seemed he had been thinking in a narrow way. Caterpillar tracks could also solve the problem. Caterpillar tracks essentially use a transmission system to run the tracks wrapped around the outside. In the absence of large tires and special tires, caterpillar tracks are a necessary component for tanks, distributing the pressure of a several-ton tank across the tracks, reducing the pressure on the ground and roads. Most importantly, they can navigate most battlefield environments, especially those with craters and obstacles, such as trenches not exceeding the length of the vehicle, slightly steep slopes, and not too high steps.

Using caterpillar tracks might be a bit premature for this era, but after careful consideration, Yang Yuanzhao realized that caterpillar tracks were the only solution to the tractor problem. After recalling and calculating a few issues, he found that he had limited experience with caterpillar tracks but could勉强 make them. Although they might be far inferior to modern caterpillar tracks in terms of speed and flexibility, they would still be much better than what was available in this era.

Since the caterpillar tracks solved the chassis problem, he no longer needed to consider tires. Next, he needed to integrate all the components, using some fixed structures to imagine the various parts of the tractor. After a thorough inspection and ensuring there were no omissions, Yang Yuanzhao asked, "Dingdang, how do I generate the blueprints, or should I just imagine them?"

"Yes!" Dingdang replied affirmatively.

Yang Yuanzhao began to sketch the tractor blueprints in his mind, which looked a bit strange but could achieve all the functions of a tractor. It took about 10 minutes to complete the sketch. He believed he could successfully replicate the blueprints, but as soon as they were generated, a purple light suddenly appeared and the blueprints turned to ashes.

"What, what is this?"

"Verification failed!" Dingdang said calmly.

"Failed, why did it fail?" Yang Yuanzhao asked, slightly dazed.

"Of course, the blueprints you imagined could not even complete 30% of the tractor. How could they pass?" Dingdang's words were calm and unapologetic, making Yang Yuanzhao feel embarrassed. Indeed, he was not familiar with tractors and had only勉强 completed the imagination of the different components and their integration, which looked strange and might not last long even if it succeeded. Moreover, he could not even complete 30% of the overall design.

Looking at the empty space, Yang Yuanzhao asked, "Dingdang, how can I improve the completion rate?"

"According to the rules, I cannot guide you!"

Dingdang's words made Yang Yuanzhao slightly disappointed, but he noticed a smile on Dingdang's lips and suddenly realized, "What should I do now?"

"You have a book about engines, try it!" Dingdang said casually, but Yang Yuanzhao understood. Dingdang, due to certain rules, could not directly guide him, but he could find the answer by asking in a different way.

When he was transported by the all-in-one machine, he brought many things, including a small bookshelf next to his workbench. The bookshelf contained some reference books, mostly about engines.

Leaving the blueprint area, Yang Yuanzhao searched the bookshelf and quickly found the book, "The History of Engine Cars," which detailed the development of engines from Watt's improved steam engine. It included some simple diagrams, which gave Yang Yuanzhao significant inspiration, especially the sections on engines developed after the founding of the country, which discussed the specific history of engine development in detail.

Clearly, to determine the success rate, this book was the key. Holding the book, he quickly flipped to the section on Watt's steam engine, imagined it, and entered the blueprint area to start a new verification process.

Watt's improved steam engine was outdated for this era and even more so for Yang Yuanzhao's time. Following the book's descriptions and his imagination, he formed the blueprint, but the light flashed again, and it failed once more.

This failure did not discourage Yang Yuanzhao; instead, he remained calm and continued to verify other diagrams. The book contained over 30 different engines, and only 5 of them passed the verification and formed blueprints. The rest failed.

Yang Yuanzhao was delighted; he had finally found the reason. Whether the engine was advanced or not, like Watt's steam engine, the early diesel engines, and internal combustion engines, they had already been manufactured in foreign countries and had very low technological content. However, Yang Yuanzhao still failed to complete them, the reason being his unfamiliarity. On the other hand, he successfully completed the blueprints for the old Jiefang 88-horsepower engine, the Santana engine, and two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycle engines. This indicated that the blueprints were more dependent on familiarity. In terms of engine performance, whether it was the old Jiefang 88-horsepower engine, the Santana, or the two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycle engines, their performance indicators were far superior to the engines of this era. However, they succeeded because he had frequently encountered them in school and at work, and he was familiar with every component. With the help of this book, he could clearly recall and successfully verify them. As for the others, even the simplest Watt's engine, he could not generate the blueprints out of thin air.

Yang Yuanzhao smiled bitterly. He had found the reason for the tractor's failure. Although he had the BMW 999 engine, it was a motorcycle engine, and the tractor's structure was simple. However, applying the BMW 999 engine to a tractor required many modifications, and he had not fully understood many of the components, so the failure was understandable.

It seemed that designing the tractor directly on the train was not feasible. Without a qualified diesel engine for the tractor, he could not rely on his previous mechanical knowledge. The modifications he made might work or might not, and he would need to conduct experiments step by step to complete the design. This was the fundamental reason for the failure of his blueprints.

Unfortunately, although he could not use the BMW 999 engine to complete the tractor's transformation and design, he unexpectedly obtained blueprints for 5 engines. Although they were only manufacturing blueprints without material blueprints, the engines produced would have some differences from the original versions. However, with the treasure trove of the BMW 999 engine, he could still solve the problems by applying the right knowledge.

Finding the reason, Yang Yuanzhao calmed down. For now, he could only continue researching the tractor. Fortunately, the engine and chassis were almost complete. He just needed to become more familiar with the various components of the tractor, the combine harvester, and the tillage parts. He needed to continue refining the images from his future to complete the design.

It seemed he would have to return to Baotou to conduct the next experiments. Only through practical operations could he gradually improve the tractor. Although he could not complete the entire blueprint at once, he had achieved significant progress and had a clearer understanding of the design.

During the rest of the journey, Yang Yuanzhao continued to refine the design. The hope of completing it in one go was almost gone, but he could still improve the various systems. Just as he was about to start, Dingdang's voice suddenly interrupted, "Someone is touching the owner's body in the outside world, please go out immediately!"