Lanz Bulldog Tractor

The metal moster mows an unmistakable path through the farm fields with the voracious appetite that only modern technology can muster. You sit atop the towering machine, trying not to notice the midday sun, a sign that soon sumptuous sweet corn and fresh buttered bread will be waiting for you on the table. You can almost hear the lunch bell being rung, but first the last few fields must be taken care of. The Lanz Bulldog was a tractor manufactured by Heinrich Lanz AG in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Production started in 1921 and various versions of the Bulldog were produced up to 1960. John Deere purchased Lanz in 1956 and started using the name "John Deere-Lanz" for the Lanz product line. A few years after the Bulldog was discontinued the Lanz name fell into disuse. The Lanz Bulldog was one of the most popular German tractors, with over 220,000 of them produced in its long production life. The name "Bulldog" is widely used in Germany as a synonym for tractors even today, especially in Bavaria. The Bulldog was an inexpensive, simple, and easily maintained vehicle due primarily to its simple power source: a single cylinder, horizontal, two-stroke, hot bulb engine. Initially the engine was a 6.3 litre, 12 horsepower unit, but as the Bulldog evolved the engine was increased to 10.3 litres and 55 horsepower. While hot bulb engines were crude they were easy to maintain and could burn a wide variety of low grade fuels – even waste oils.