Hand or Horse Powered
Up until the 20th century, farmers either operated their own machines, pulling or pushing them through the fields, or hitched up horses to do the work.
Below is a simple hand plow that was used during the 19th century. Although horses were used to pull plows more frequently during the second half of the 19th century, the hand plow was still used.
Hand Plow: Image courtesy of Dave Arnold, Vintage John Deere, 1995
Below is the popular sulky plow - a plow upon which the driver is seated that is pulled by horses. A patent was issued in 1844 for a two wheel sulky. In 1884, another patent was issued for a three wheel sulky, seen in the image below.
Horse Drawn, Three Wheel Sulky: Image courtesy of Dave Arnold
