Monday, July 21, 2008

FORD MODEL 9N & THE FERGUSON SYSTEM


Ford’s 9N was light, small, less expensive than most of its competition but what made it revolutionary was Harry Fergusen’s hydraulic-controlled Three Point Hitch system. Up to this time the various tractor manufacturers used different methods of implement attachment. The changing of implements, which were heavy, usually required more than one man to perform but with the Fergusen System the farmer could back-up to the implement, attach at three points with pins, lift the implement by use of hydraulic arms and move on out to work. At the field, the implement was lowered to the ground, again hydraulically, and its design geometry would control the depth of soil penetration referred to as draft.The hitch also prevented the tractor from flipping over backward which had been a problem with the Fordson. Farmers could even share implements with their neighbors to reduce their operating cost.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

2008 FARM POWER OF THE PAST

Here are a few tractors that were displayed at this year's
"Farm Power Of The Past Show"
held in Greenville, Ohio July 10-13, 2008.


In the Minneapolis-Moline area was this 1917 Moline Universal

and this 1934 Twin City 21-32.

Huber of Marion, Ohio was a featured manufacturer. Among their displayed models was this 1938 LC

and a 1936 Huber separator.

Here's an old photo taken about the turn of the last century that shows some of my relatives in front of their Huber during threshing time.

Among other old tractors seen at the show was this
1928 McCormick-Deering 10-20.


A 1929 Case 25-45.

One not often seen, a 1950 Love. It was built by Love Industries of Eau Claire, Michigan. J. B. Love sold the rights to manufacture the tractor to David Friday of Hartford, Michigan who continued to build his version under the name
Friday Tractor until 1959.


There were several Wards tractors shown such as this 1950 model. Wards were actually Custom tractors built to be sold by the Montgomery Wards mail order catalog company. Like the Custom they were powered by a 230 cu.in. Chrysler 6 cylinder industrial engine.

This is a Custom Model B.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

2008 DARKE COUNTY STEAM THRESHERS ASSOCIATION SHOW


Pictures from the Darke County Steam Threshers Association Show that took place over the July 4th weekend in Darke County, Ohio.


The Port Huron was this year’s featured steam traction engine. The history of the company started in Battle Creek, Michigan with William Brown in 1851. In 1858, it became Upton, Brown, & Company and then the Upton Manufacturing Company. In 1884, the firm moved to Port Huron, Michigan and a few years later the name changed again to the Port Huron Engine & Thresher Company. Among Upton’s employees had been the Dodge Brothers who would become famous in the Detroit world of automobile manufacturing.


In 1842, Abraham Gaar started building stationary steam engines and threshing machines in Richmond, Indiana. In 1870, William Scott joined the company to create Gaar-Scott. Gaar-Scott would eventually be bought by Rumley which then became the Advance-Rumley Company, which became part of Allis-Chalmers.


The Advance Thresher Company of Battle Creek, Michigan was founded in 1881. A producer of threshers and traction engines, their straw burners were especially popular in the Northwest. In 1915, Advance along with Gaar-Scott and Mansfield, Ohio’s Aultman-Taylor Company became the base that formed Advance-Rumley a company that became well known for the OilPull tractor.


Nichols & Shepard was another Battle Creek based company. They started in 1848 as a foundry and blacksmith shop, moved into producing sawmill machinery, threshing machines, traction engines and with the acquisition of John Lanson Manufacturing Company of New Holstein, Wisconsin, gasoline tractors. In 1929 they were bought out by Oliver Farm Equipment Company.

Sawing boards during the sawmill demonstration.

Another traction engine from the show was this A.D. Baker. Abner D. Baker incorporated his company in 1901 in Swanton, Ohio and produced steamers into the 1920s. He was best known for his invention of the radial reverse valve gear.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

OLIVER HART-PARR MODEL 70

The Oliver Hart-Parr "70" was one of the first styled tractors. It was given the Model "70" designation because its' Waukesha six cylinder engine could be run on 70 octane gasoline.

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Later "Fleetline" styled 70s featured the option of pneumatic tires. The Oliver 70 was also sold in Canada as the Cockshutt "70".

Thursday, June 26, 2008

THE CASE MODEL RC

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The RC was a general purpose tractor designed to compete with International Harvester's Farmall. Powered by a four-cylinder Waukesha engine it produced 17hp at the belt. It also had a three-speed transmission and the unusual "chicken roost" steering arm.

Monday, June 23, 2008

THE INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER FARMALL


The Farmall was the first all-purpose tractor made by International Harvester. Produced from 1924 to 1932, it could pull plows and cultivate crops. On many farms it would be a tricycle row crop Farmall that replaced the horse and set the style of tractors for years to come.With the introduction of the Farmall 20 the original Farmall came to be referred to as the "Regular".

Saturday, June 21, 2008

THE ALLIS-CHALMERS MODEL U

In 1847, Edward P. Allis started a company in New York that sold millstones and water wheels. In 1869, they went into building steam power engines and pumps. Then in 1901, Edward P. Allis & Company merged with Fraser and Chalmers along with the Gates Iron Works to form Allis-Chalmers. The company moved to Wisconsin and there, in 1914, they built their first tractor but it wasn't until the introduction of the 15-30 in 1918 that the company had a really successful tractor. In 1928, A-C aquired the Monarch Tractor Company; in 1931, Advance-Rumely of LaPorte, Indiana; in 1953, the Buda Engine Company of Harvey, Illinois; in 1955, the Gleaner Harvester Company; and in 1959 the French company Vendeuvre. A-C's manufacturing plants became such a landmark in the Milwaukee area that one city even took on the name "West Allis".

In 1929, the company introduced the United tractor which would later be renamed the Model U. The "U" was the first Allis-Chalmers tractor to be painted "Poppy Orange" rather than dark green and was also the first production farm tractor to offer pneumatic tires. Although they were an added expense, pneumatics made for a more comfortable ride and let the tractor be driven at higher speed on roads but most importantly they required about half the power to do field work. Soon all tractor manufacturers would be offering them.

Friday, June 20, 2008

J. I. CASE'S "OLD ABE"


"Old Abe" was the name of the eagle used in the Case trademark. He was a real American Bald Eagle that served as the mascot of Company C of the Eight Wisconsin during the Civil War. He survived 38 battles during the war and for years appeared with his fellow veterans in numerous parades after it had ended.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

MASSEY - HARRIS

Both Daniel Massey and Alanson Harris were Canadians who had established successful farm implement companies in the mid 1800s. In 1891, the Massey Manufacturing Company and A. Harris Son & Company Ltd. merged to form Massey-Harris. However it wouldn't be until 1917 that the company began selling tractors. Their first attempt was a marketing agreement for the Bull tractor that ended in failure. In 1919, they formed another agreement, this time with the Parrett Tractor company of Chicago, Parrett went out of business in 1922. M-H tried again in 1928 with the acquisition of J.I. Case Plow Works and the Wallis tractor line. The Wallis was a success and established M-H in the tractor business. In 1953, Massey-Harris merged with Ferguson to become Massey-Ferguson.

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Henry Wallis started the Wallis Tractor Company in Cleveland, Ohio in 1912 but he soon moved to Racine, Wisconsin where his firm merged with the J.I. Case Plow Works. Wallis tractors were known for their fuel efficiency and U-shaped steel frame. When Massey-Harris bought the J.I. Case Plow Works Company they sold the Case name back to the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company. In 1929, the Wallis 12-20 was introduced, it was also sold as the Massey-Harris 12-20, Certified 12-20 and provided the base on which the later Massey-Harris Pacemaker and Challenger tractors would be built.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS-MOLINE

Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company was formed in 1902, first they built steam engines then later a line of tractors under the Twin City name.


They introduced the Twin City 12/20 in the year 1919, it was a major move by the company toward lighter tractors. It featured unit construction and a novel engine that had four valves per cylinder. Based on the 12/20 concept the 21/32 was introduced in 1929. That same year, M.S.& M merged with the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company and the Moline Implement Company to form Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

THE JOHN DEERE MODEL D


Leon Clausen, head of Deere manufacturing, knew that the company needed something more modern than the Waterloo Boy. In 1923, the Model D, the first tractor to carry the name John Deere was introduced. Although the D lacked many features of some of its competitors it was simple and reliable and remained in production for 30 years with over 160,000 having been sold. The styled version of the D was introduced in 1936. The distinctive sound produced by its’ twin horizontal cylinders gave rise to the name “Johnny Popper”. Looking back, the D has to be considered as the most important tractor in John Deere’s history as it, more than any other, was responsible for the Company becoming a major tractor manufacturer.

Monday, June 16, 2008

THE FORDSON

The son of a farmer, for many years Henry Ford experimented with prototype tractors such as his 1907 “Autoplow”.

Even though several companies were producing kits to convert Model Ts into light farm tractors the Ford Motor Company’s corporate board was opposed to putting a Ford tractor into production. Henry didn’t much care for having to abide by board decisions so he started a separate company. There was already a firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota that was named the Ford Tractor Company. The tractor they produced was of poor design and it was said that their main reason for being was to hold the Ford name in hopes of a buy out. Instead Henry called his new venture the “Henry Ford and Son Company” and when production started in 1917 the tractor would be called the “Fordson Model F”. By 1923, 77% of the tractors being sold in the U.S. were Fordsons. It has been called the most important design in the history of tractor manufacturing. Approximately 750,000 were sold in ten years and its success provided Ford with the money he needed to buy complete control of the Ford Motor Company. With no board opposition to contend with the two companies were then merged.


The Fordson Model F was produced in the United States from 1917 to 1928 and in Cork, Ireland from 1919 to 1932 before production was consolidated to Dagenham, England. The Fordson more than any other tractor introduced farmers to power equipment and is given credit for saving the people of Great Britain from food shortages in both world wars.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

International Harvester had been formed in 1902 with the merger between the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Deering Harvester Company, and three smaller agricultural equipment firms: Milwaukee Harvester Company, Plano Manufacturing Company, and the Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner Company of Springfield, Ohio which had formerly been the Lagonda Agricultural Works of Warder, Brokaw & Child.

Both McCormick and Deering had their network of dealers and loyal customers so IH produced separate lines of tractors to keep both happy.

International had introduced the Mogul 8-16 for the McCormick buyers in 1914 and then replaced it with the smaller, more advanced Junior 8-16 in 1917. The Junior 8-16 featured an engine enclosed under a hood and the first commercially successful PTO.


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For the Deering customers, IH produced the Titan 10-20. As was common at the time, the Titan’s engine was started on gasoline and then when warm it would be switched over to kerosene. Water injection was used to prevent pre-ignition.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

THE UNHAPPY FARMER

In the mid 19-teens, smaller lightweight tractors began to appear in the market. Many of these manufactures were less than honest and made claims that to say the least were exaggerated. Many of the machines were unstable, others were prone to rapid wear and mechanical failure or just didn’t have enough power.


The Happy Farmer was one of these early smaller tractors. It was built in La Crosse, Wisconsin by the La Crosse Implement Company for the Happy Farmer Tractor Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most farmers who bought Happy Farmers were not and the make soon disappeared.

A Nebraska teacher and farmer Wilmot Crozier had bought a couple of lightweight tractors and found them to be so poor that he sponsored a bill which, when passed by the State Legislature in 1920, required that every model tractor sold in the State be tested to insure that farmers would have impartial data on which they could compare performance between makes and models. The University of Nebraska took on the task of performing these tests which are still the standard used today.

Friday, June 13, 2008

EARLY MANUFACTURERS

Many of the companies that are today best known for having made tractors such as John Deere, Oliver, International Harvester, Allis-Chalmers, Massey-Harris, J.I. Case, Minneapolis-Moline and others were already established agricultural implement builders before they ever built their first tractor. While there were almost no tractor manufacturers at the beginning of the century by 1917 there were somewhere around 260. J.W. Stoddard, a company from Dayton, Ohio well known for their hay rakes went in another direction.

John W. Stoddard, a cousin of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, began manufacturing farm equipment in 1869. Their “Tiger” brand name became known the world over. By 1890, more than 200,000 Tiger hay rakes had been sold.

In the mid 1890’s the company began building bicycles. Charles Taylor, who would become the chief bicycle mechanic for the Wright Brothers and builder of the engine that powered their 1903 airplane, first worked for Stoddard.


In the same year that the Wright's first flew Stoddard switched to building motorcars as the Dayton Motor Car Company. Their Stoddard-Dayton automobile won the first race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 and was the pace car for the first Indianapolis 500 held in 1911. After various mergers the company eventually became part of Chrysler Corporation.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

INTERNAL COMBUSTION

By the late 1800’s the internal combustion engine began to show promise for a more compact and affordable tractor. The Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company of Iowa and Huber of Marion, Ohio began building tractors that used the new Van Duzen engine. Hart-Parr of Charles City, Iowa introduced their "Old Reliable" 22-45 in 1903. Similar to the OilPull, the Hart-Parr looked much like a steam traction engine and weighed about 10 tons.


Deere & Company got into the tractor business with their purchase of the Waterloo Boy. Its twin-cylinder engine would serve as the foundation of John Deere tractors for decades.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

BETWEEN STEAM AND GAS

Along the path that would lead to the gasoline tractor were early kerosene powered machines such as the Advance-Rumely OilPull.

The OilPull name was derived from the fact that its’ huge twin cylinder engine was cooled with oil. With the cooling tower puffing out smoke they were and are often mistaken for steam traction engines. Turning at only 530 rpm, the OilPull was smooth in operation with plenty of torque. It continued to be popular for belt work and stayed in production until 1931. Built in La Porte, Indiana the OilPull sold new for about $2,600.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

THE TRACTION ENGINE

The 19th century was the century of steam. It was during this era that the “traction engine” came into being. Basically a land locomotive; they were big, powerful, and capable of doing the work of several horses. A traction engine could provide the power to run anything from a threshing machine to a saw mill but they required skill to operate safely and were too expensive for most small farmers.

Jerome Increase Case's company of Racine, Wisconsin built its first steam engine in 1869. By the year 1900 Case had become the largest producer of steam engines. Their largest engine was a 150 hp monster built in 1904 that weighed 20 tons. Steam tractor production peaked in 1912, the same year that the company ventured into the gas tractor business.


This Case traction engine produced 110 horsepower, weighed seven tons and could pull a 14 bottom plow. It featured a locomotive type cab, rear wheels that measured seven feet in diameter and, a first for steam engines, power steering.



The Buffalo-Springfield Steamroller was a traction engine used in road building.
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