Tractors used for hauling machines or trailers used in the construction industry or agriculture are specifically designed vehicles that are made to deliver high torque or tractive effort at low speeds. Commonly, this term describes the distinctive farm vehicle. This is because they are used to tow agricultural implements and also may be used to supply power to mechanized implements.

When, at slow speed, you want higher tractive effort or as it is commonly known as torque, then there is a specially designed vehicle called the tractor. The purpose may be hauling of machinery or a trailer that is used in agriculture as well as in the construction industry. However, this term is commonly used for describing a distinctive farm vehicle.

The term tractor implies “farm tractor” in Germany, Argentina, Ireland, Britain, Spain, Australia and India. In the US and in Canada, farm tractor also tends to include various other implements that can be attached to the tractor.

The origin of the name tractor is Latin. It is the agent noun for trahere which means “to pull”. Its use was firstly recorded in 1901 as “a vehicle or engine used for pulling ploughs or wagons”. It displaced the term used earlier called “traction engine” (1859). In Australia, Argentina, India, Ireland, Britain, Germany and Spain, the word or name “tractor” is a term that implies “farm tractor”.

Ploughing engines powered by steam were the first tractors that were used. These were utilized in pairs on each side of the field for hauling a back-and-forth plough using wire cabling. In places where the soil conditions were favorable – often in the US, the use of a steam tractor was made for direct haul-ploughing. But ploughing engines were used in the United Kingdom and other places for cable-haul ploughing.

It was well into 20th century that agricultural engines powered by steam were used, before being replaced by engines with internal combustion that tended to be more reliable.