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In the early 1800s, Jerome Increase Case sensed the need for a machine to assist farmers in threshing. His crude "ground hog" thresher was developed in the 1840s. By 1848, Case threshers were readily available, complete with horsepower unit, for between $290 and $325.
The first Case steam engine was produced in 1869. Ultimately, 36,000 were manufactured. "Old No. 1," now on display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., was wheel-mounted but still drawn by horses, and used only for belt power. Sales of Case steam engine threshers increased steadily through 1878, when a total of 220 units had been sold. The Mounted Woodbury, the Sweepstakes Thresher, the Agitator Thresher, and later, the Dingee Sweep, were representative of Case's technological advancement.
While the Case Corporation made significant contributions to threshing and threshing technology, Frick Manufacturing and its development of the steam engine were equally important.
An early Frick steam engine had a cylinder bore of six inches and a 13-inch stroke. It was rated at 10 horsepower and reached speeds of 75 to 90 rpm. Frick engines were transported on wagon wheels and "belted" to a thresher or farm equipment. The company introduced the portable steam traction engine, allowing a steam engine to be driven to and from the work site. An advertisement for the Eclipse Engine during that era:
"Look out For The Road Locomotive. The Eclipse Traction Engine Is Furnished With Link Motion And Steering Apparatus. When Horses Are Not Desired, Can Be Run Forward Or Backward And Stopped Instantly."
By 1888, the Frick Traction engine had made the rounds of state and county fairs, taking 39 prizes in one year alone, a hefty record at a time when transportation and manpower prevented simultaneous exhibits.
During the 1880s, the Frick company also entered into the refrigeration industry, and remains a leader in that field. Although the company discontinued tractor manufacture by 1930, its early history remains significant, particularly in the era when portable steam engines were developed. "No name in American agricultural implements stands higher or has survived longer than that of Frick," according to a 1940 article in the "Pennsylvania Farmer."
Jim Romeo is a freelance writer based in Chesapeake, VA. For information about his recent book, The Autograph Source, contact him at 1008 Weeping Willow Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23322.