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Shifting Gears

Early tractor manufacturers experimented with cars, trucks

By Bill Vossler

Heck, why not make tractors and cars? It’s a question many American tractor manufacturers must have posed during the first two decades of the 20th century.

Those were heady years for manufacturers. How would a tractor look, or a car? Kerosene or gasoline? How many wheels? How much horsepower?

Design considerations like those are taken for granted today. Decades ago the answers were less obvious.

Tractor manufacturers did not shy away from the challenge; a surprising number manufactured cars and trucks. Some were normal vehicles; others were unique, bordering on bizarre. Success (or lack of it) in building tractors was no guarantee of success (or failure) with cars and trucks. Truly, it was a wide-open period, and several companies enjoyed success in the new venture.

Excerpted from the June 2007 issue of Farm Collector. Subscribe today to read the full article and more!