The Fate-Root-Heath Co.: Not Just Silver Kings
Let's Talk Rusty Iron
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Advertisement from the 1920 Farm Implement News Buyers' Guide.
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In the March issue of Farm Collector was a letter from Bryan McKillip asking about a hand-cranked corn sheller he recently bought.
Bryan wrote that the sheller was built by the Root & Heath Mfg. Co. of Plymouth, Ohio, and asked for information about the firm and its products.
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Root Brothers Co.
The Root Brothers Co. was founded by Clayton F. and George A. Root in Medina, Ohio, to manufacture and sell such items as shoe repair kits and horse harness. The business grew and ran out of space at the Medina facility. The Root brothers were buying castings from a foundry in Plymouth, a small town in north central Ohio, and heard of a two-story brick building that was standing empty near the foundry. The village of Plymouth offered the building to the Root brothers as an inducement to move their operation to Plymouth.
George A. Root opted not to make the move, selling his share to Charles E. Heath, who had married Clayton Root’s daughter. The move was made in 1895, and in 1904, the Root Brothers Co. became the Root-Heath Mfg. Co., and began building hardware items such as corn shelters, grist mills and lawn mower sharpening machines, in addition to the cobbler’s tools.
J.D. Fate Co.
The J.D. Fate Co. built machinery for the clay tile and brick making-business, and was located in Plymouth. In 1909, owners Harley and Harry Fate organized the Plymouth Motor Truck Co. to build Plymouth trucks from 1/2-ton to 3-ton capacity, as well as Plymouth observation cars, or buses, in sizes from 9 to 20 passengers. Plymouth trucks and buses were powered by 4-cylinder Wisconsin engines, and used a double-friction type transmission, with a roller chain drive to each rear wheel.
In 1910, a touring car bearing the Plymouth name was built, using the same drive line as the trucks. The big car was driven to New York City, and then south to Atlantic City, where it broke down and was sent back to Plymouth by rail. Although it was a failure, that single Plymouth car would be important to the company’s future.
The Bigelow Clay Co. of New London, Ohio, used mules to pull mine cars around its property. The owner was weary of the trouble and expense of the stubborn beasts, and asked the Fate people if they could build a gasoline-powered substitute. Fate engineers designed a small rail engine using the same motor and transmission as the Plymouth trucks.
The little engine was successful, and in 1912, the J.D. Fate Co. began building small gasoline-powered yard locomotives, a product that became so popular that the truck and bus line was dropped in 1915, after less than 200 had been built.
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