Steamroller

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A steamroller (or steam roller) is a form of road roller - a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields - that is powered by a steam engine. The levelling/flattening action is achieved through a combination of the size and weight of the vehicle and the rolls: the smooth wheels and the large cylinder or drum fitted in place of treaded road wheels. The majority of steam rollers are outwardly similar to traction engines as many traction engine manufacturers later produced rollers based on their existing designs, and the patents owned by certain roller manufacturers tended to influence the general arrangements used by others.