Figure 1.--Here we see a little girl with the family's powerful International Harvester Farmall tractor. The photograph is undated, but was probably taken in the 1930s. She of course is too young to actually drive it, but many farm kids were actually driving motor vehicles well before city kids. .

European companies led by the Germans began building automobiles (1890s). These were expensive hand crafted luxuriously appointed vehicles for wealthy individuals. The idea of low-cost vehicles for farmers was far from their imagination of European automobile enthusiast. Americans had different ideas. And they created the tractor--the major power revolution in 20th century agriculture. Henry Ford changed that dynamic with the Model T-Tin Lizzie and very much had farmers in mind. Some companies did begin to build what might be called tractors. The Fordson Tractor was the first mass-produced, light, inexpensive tractor. He was the first to tap the market for an inexpensive automobile. He was also the first to mass produce a working vehicle or small- and medium-sized family farms. As with the Model-T, the design was brilliant, perfect for maneuverability and the low cost that family farmers could afford. The Fordson had one weakness, it was not good at cultivating rows of young row-crop plants to kill weeds at an early point. International Harvester (IH) recognized this as a market niche to be exploited. IH needed a 'Fordson beater' to prevent Ford from dominating the entire farm market.

Early Efforts

Tractors began with steam power which was highly developed for rail roads and shipping. Down heavy scaling steam engines for farm use proved to be a problem, but efforts began in the United States. The first engine-powered tractors were introduced (1868). These engines were built as small road locomotives and were handled by one operator for engine under 5 tons. They were not for family farmers, far too expensive. These were used by companies for general road haulage and were specially important in the timber industry. Small-scale steam engines could not generate the power needed. The most important steam tractor was the Garrett 4CD. The first internal combustion engine (ICE) was built by Charter Gasoline Engine Company in Sterling, Illinois (1887). Thus ICE meant using gasoline to generate power. This was before the term 'tractor' had been coined. 【Sanders】 Other tractors followed. Internal combustion engines mean that small vehicles suitable and affordable for a family farm were possible. An important early tractor was built by John Froelich, a custom Thresherman from Iowa. He used a Van Duzen ICE on a Robinson chassis, and developed his own gearing for propulsion. Froelich used his creation to power a threshing machine in South Dakota (1892). The Froelich tractor was the basis for the later Waterloo Boy tractor. It was the first successful gasoline-powered internal combustion engine tractor. This led to several stationary gasoline engines and ultimately the impressive John Deere two-cylinder tractor. J.I. Case's got into the gas-powered ICE traction engine (1894). The Case ads claimed 1892, but patent dates show 1894. These early tractors functioned, but not well enough to justify mass production. Charles W. Hart and Charles H. Parr weer other early tractor pioneers (late-19th century). They were studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison--a Land Grant University. They formed the Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company of Madison (1897). They moved to Hart's hometown of Charles City, Iowa after obtaining financing to make gas traction engines based on their work (1900). It was their they opened the first American factory producing ICE engines. It was here tht the word 'tractor' was coined, replacing 'gas traction engines' The firm's Hart-Parr No.1 engine appeared (1901).

Frick Tractors

The Frick Company was located in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. George Frick founded his business (1853). He became a major manufacturer of steam engines. The Frick Company branched out into sawmills and refrigeration units. They produced steam-powered tractors, but they could which could not compete with ICE tractors.

Intrnatioanl Harvester (1905)

International Harvester (IH) was a pioneer in agricultural machinery. Cyrus McCormick patened his horse-drawn reaper (1834). This was the foundation for IH. McCormick begins mass production in Chicago, expanding his business (1848). The McCormick Harvesting Machine Company merges with other firms to form International Harvester (1902). IH began manufacturing tractors (1905). The company history is intertwined with the development of mechanized farming, starting with the McCormick Reaper and culminating in iconic tractor models like the Farmall. IH's tractors played a significant role in transforming agriculture and building post-World War II American infrastructure. The IH Chicago Tractor Works was completed (1910). IH introduces the Farmall, a revolutionary tricycle-configured row-crop tractor (1920s). The first Farmall tractor was introduced, it proved to be a legendary model (1923). IH adopted 'Harvester Red' for all tractors, crawlers, and power units (1936). The J.I. Case Company acquired IH's agricultural division (1980s).

Deere (1907)

John Deere was a talented blacksmith and innovator. He first became known for his sturdy steel plows, but then founded a company making all kinds of farm equipment (1837). Founder John Deere passed away (1886). This was long before the invention of the tractor. The Deere & Mansur corn planter, which was red and cream, was one of the first implements in the John Deere line to be changed to a green frame and yellow wheel combination (1870s). After the turn of the 20th century, increased competition with the new IH company caused Deere to expand its offerings of farm implement business, but the production of gasoline-powered ICE tractors and mechanized equipment would define the company's operations during the 20th century. Deere began an expansion into the tractor business (1907). The Company briefly experimented with its own models. The most successful was the Dain All-Wheel-Drive, but Deere eventually purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company (1918). They manufactured the popular Waterloo Boy tractor at its facilities in Waterloo, Iowa. Deere continued to sell tractors under the Waterloo Boy name for a few years. Finally they introduced the John Deere Model D (1923). The company continues to manufacture a large percentage of its tractors in Waterloo, Iowa. Deere produced its first combine harvester, the John Deere No. 2 (1927). The company is proud of never repossessing any equipment from American farmers during the Great Depression (1930s). Unlike cars, Deere did not end the production of farm equipment during World War II because of the importance of producing food. Deere also manufactured military tractors, and transmissions for the M3 tank. They also made aircraft parts, ammunition, and of all things mobile laundry units to support the war effort. 【Ganze】 Over the years Deere acquired many devoted customers with high quality technology and workmanship. Many of its customers have been angered by the company's refusal to let them work on it computerized equipment if it beaks down.

Allis Chamlers (1914)

Allis Chamlers might be credited with the fist practical tractor. It had a ICE, a unicorn hitch, and a tight turning radius, important for when the farmer reached the edge of his field.

Ford

Henry Ford produced the Model-T Tin Lizzie (1907). It was an immediate, enormous success. And Ford was soon dominating the market. He also had what we now call the tractor on his mind. Ford came from a farm family. Ford was a farm kid and fully aware of farm life and what farmers needed. Creating a practical and inexpensive tractor was high on his priorities. Ford created his first experimental gasoline-powered tractor (1907), the same year he launched the Model-T. Ford's chief engineer, Joseph Galamb, was in charge. Ford called it an 'automobile plow'. He worked for a decade on it with .Galamb and his son Edsel. Ford's goal was o create a light-weight, inexpensive, and reliable tractor. By 1910, gasoline-powered tractors were being used in farming, but there were issues with the many different models. The Fordson tractor that came out of their efforts was a smashing success. It could be purchased for $750. They sold 600,000 tractors worldwide. But Ford exited the tractor business (1928), but not before entering a joint venture with the Soviet Union. The tractors Stalin used for collectivization were Fordson tractors. The Fordson tractor had initially been very successful, but was become outdated and was facing increasing competition from several other companies offeing increasingly innovative products. Ford seems to have lost interest in tractors and wanted to focused on automobiles, thi led to the closure of U.S. production. He would come charging back after meeting Harry Fergusson (1938). The partnership ended acrimoniously (1946).

Fegusson

The Ferguson-Brown Company was a British agricultural machinery manufacturing company formed by Harry Ferguson in partnership with David Brown. They produced tractors in Britain on a relatively small scale. Ferguson formed an agreement with Ford who was impressed with Fergussson three-point hitch system (1938). This put Ford back in the tractor business. Ford parted from Fergusson after World War II (1946), but not without protracted law suits. Fergusson merged with Massey-Harris of Canada to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson (1953) eventually becoming Massey Ferguson (1958).

Sources

Ganze, Bill. Farming in the 1940s: Tanks AND Tractors."

Sanders, Ralph W. Vintage Farm Tractors (Barnes & Noble: 1998).

Created: 12:58 AM 4/24/2025
Last updated: 12:58 AM 4/24/2025