Ohio-Built Farm Machinery: Huber, Silver King, Leader, Centaur and General
Collector focuses on antique tractors and equipment built by the five best-known manufacturers in the Buckeye State
James N. Boblenz
March 2010
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Art Gruber with his pride and joy, a 1934 Plymouth, long used as a grounds tractor at The Ohio State University.
James N. Boblenz
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Occasionally one comes across a specialized collection of antique farm tractors, and Art Gruber’s fits that description.
The Marion, Ohio, man began collecting antique tractors about 20 years ago. It didn’t take him long to realize he needed to narrow his scope. He decided to focus on Ohio-made tractors. Once he discovered the existence of more than 120 tractor manufacturers in Ohio, he further narrowed his collection, concentrating on the five most well-known: Huber, Silver King, Leader, Centaur and General.
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Today, Art’s collection includes more than 80 tractors, most of them Silver Kings and most still in their work clothes. He likes Silver Kings because they are more widely recognized and easy to transport to shows. He has at least one tractor for every year Silver Kings were produced (even when the assembly operation was relocated to West Virginia). He shows the tractors often, most frequently in Ohio and Florida.
Royal heritage
Silver King was a product of the Fate-Root-Heath Co., Plymouth, Ohio. FRH named its first tractor Plymouth in honor of the town where the company was based. Alas, the company immediately ran into trouble: Carmaker Chrysler took exception to use of the Plymouth name. The lawsuit was settled in Fate-Root-Heath’s favor, but the company sold its rights to the name to Chrysler anyway. That necessitated a new name for the FRH tractor. Company officials believed their product to be the “king” of tractors, and the Plymouth had been painted silver with blue trim. The Silver King was born.
The 10-20 Plymouth tractor was introduced in 1934. Powered by a Hercules Model 1XA 4-cylinder engine, it had a 4-speed transmission with a top speed of 25 mph. The name Plymouth was prominently cast vertically on the radiator nose.
Art has two 1934 Plymouth/Silver King tractors. One was once used as a grounds tractor at The Ohio State University. The other was produced just after FRH sold the Plymouth name to Chrysler Corp. Although still a Plymouth, it also carries the Silver King nameplate on the nose of the radiator grille.
Silver King introduced an unusual 3-wheeled tractor in 1936. The new model was sold as a cultivating and general purpose farm tractor. Art says three rear-end gear ratios were offered: low ratio for general farm work, medium ratio for combination hard work and speed, and a high ratio used primarily for highway mowing tractors. These tractors reportedly traveled at highway speeds approaching 30 mph. The first 1,000 produced had cast iron frames; later models used steel plate frames along each side of the engine.
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