Lanz HL

Lanz HL
Lanz HL Gummibuldog
TypeAgricultural
ManufacturerHeinrich Lanz & Co. OHG
Production1921-1927
Length2250 mm
Width1370 mm
Height2195 mm
Weight1850...2360 kg
PropulsionSteel or rubber wheels
Engine model"Bulldog" single-cylinder Akroyd engine
Engine displacement6238 cm3
TransmissionNone
Wheelbase1390 mm
Flywheel power12 PS (9 kW)
Belt power12 PS (9 kW)
Speed4.2 km/h
Succeeded byLanz HR

The Lanz HL, also known as Lanz Bulldog HL and Lanz Bulldog HL 12, is an agricultural machine and tractor made by Heinrich Lanz & Co. OHG. It was developed by German engineer Fritz Huber and is the first Lanz tractor to feature the "Bulldog" Akroyd engine. Thus, it is the first series production Lanz Bulldog. The Lanz HL was introduced at the 1921 DLG agriculture fair in Leipzig and stayed in production until 1927.[1] In total, more than 6,000 units were made.[2] The HL Bulldog engine was also sold as a stationary engine;[1] this article primarily describes the HL agricultural tractor.

Technical description

The Lanz HL is an agricultural machine that resembles, in its default configuration, an agricultural tractor. Nonetheless, the Lanz HL was not primarily designed as a tractor; it is rather a self-propelled farm implement motor. Various different versions were made, with rubber or steel wheels.[3] It uses a frameless design with the rear axle flange-mounted to a housing shaped like a "hull" that spans to the tractor's front. This "hull" contains the water tank for the cooling system and a toolbox.[4] The rear axle is a live 90°-portal-type beam axle with a single-speed reduction gearbox and a differential gearbox; the front axle – that the "hull"-shaped housing sits atop on – is a dead boogie axle that does not have steering knuckles.

The Lanz HL has a worm-and-sector steering system and a conventional steering wheel. The engine is top flange-mounted to the "hull". Torque is sent to a pulley and torque take-off disc that can be engaged or disengaged through a simple lever-operated jaw-type clutch. From the pulley and torque take-off disc, torque can either be sent to a farm implement through a belt, or to the rear axle's reduction gearbox through a chain. This means that the drive chain has to be uninstalled when the Lanz HL is to be used as a farm implement motor. In its original configuration, the Lanz HL has no gearboxes other than the rear axle's reduction and differential gearboxes, which limits its top speed to 4.2 km/h. From 1923, Lanz offered an additional shiftable gearbox as a factory option. This gearbox has two speeds and has to be shifted while the vehicle is standing still. Due to the engine's design, it can run either clockwise or counterclockwise, which eliminates the need for a dedicated reverse gear or reverse gearbox.[5] With the two-speed gearbox, speeds of up to 12 km/h, either forward or reverse, are possible. The brakes are simple shoe brakes that act directly on the wheels' treads.

The engine is a single-cylinder, two-stroke Akroyd engine designed by German engineer Fritz Huber (hence the name "HL", Huber Lanz). It is named the "Bulldog" engine because of its ignition device's characteristic appearance that bears resemblance to a bulldog.[6] The Bulldog engine of the HL has intake ports instead of valves and uses simple evaporative cooling. The water vapour leaves the engine through the exhaust of the engine.[4] With its bore of 190 mm and its stroke of 220 mm it displaces 6238 cm3. The rated power output is 12 PS (ca. 9 kW) at 420/min. Later versions of the same engine were also offered with 15 PS (ca. 11 kW) at 500/min for stationary applications. The Bulldog engine can burn a huge variety of liquid fuels, most notably cheap fuel oils.[7] The fuel is sprayed into the ignition device – an uncooled portion of the cylinder head – where it vapourises and eventually gradually combusts. Thus, the engine needs no carburetor like Otto engines, and no high compression like Diesel engines (in the Bulldog engine, the compression is ε≤5). Prior to starting the engine, the ignition device has to be brought to ignition temperature using a blow torch. The engine is then flywheel-started by hand.[8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lanz HL.

References

  1. ^ a b Gebhardt, W.H. (2003). Deutsche Traktoren seit 1907. Motorbuch Verlag. p. 290. ISBN 978-3-613-02346-8.
  2. ^ Gömmel, R.; Denzel, M.A.; Wagner-Braun, M. (2009). Wirtschaftlicher und sportlicher Wettbewerb: Festschrift für Rainer Gommel zum 65. Geburtstag. VSWG.: Beihefte. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 122. ISBN 978-3-515-09373-6.
  3. ^ Herrmann, K. (2000). Traktoren in Deutschland: Firmen und Fabrikate von 1907 bis heute. VerlagsUnion Agrar. VerlagsUnion Agrar. p. 244. ISBN 978-3-7690-0582-0.
  4. ^ a b Herrmann, K. (1985). Ackergiganten: Technik, Geschichte und Geschichten. Westermann. pp. 91–93. ISBN 978-3-07-508992-7.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Sam; Van Zyl, Miezan (2015). The tractor book : the definitive visual history. London. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-241-01482-0. OCLC 910345406.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Paulitz, U. (2008). Traktor-Klassiker: die schönsten historischen Schlepper in Deutschland. GeraMond. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-86517-091-0.
  7. ^ Macmillan, D. (2019). The Field Guide to John Deere Tractors: 1892-1991. Motorbooks. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7603-6726-1.
  8. ^ Herrmann, K. (1987). Traktoren in Deutschland 1907 bis heute: Firmen und Fabrikate. DLG-Verlag. p. 126. ISBN 978-3-7690-0450-2.