Rise of the Tractor

By Ralph Hughes
Published on January 1, 2006
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Above: Henry Ford announced in 1915 that he was entering the small farm tractor field. Production tractors, however, were not available until 1918. A total of 34,000 Fordsons were sold the first year; 57,000 in 1919 and 67,000 in 1920. This plow is a John Deere No. 40, the only plow designed for the Fordson with a self-adjusting hitch – a draft-reducing feature appreciated by farmers who worked in wet, heavy soil conditions.Left: The John Deere Model D replaced the Waterloo Boy tractors in 1923. It was the first 2-cylinder tractor to bear the John Deere name and trademark. With improvements over the years, it remained in the John Deere line until 1953. The original Model D had 15 hp at the drawbar and could pull 14-inch bottoms in most soil conditions.
Above: Henry Ford announced in 1915 that he was entering the small farm tractor field. Production tractors, however, were not available until 1918. A total of 34,000 Fordsons were sold the first year; 57,000 in 1919 and 67,000 in 1920. This plow is a John Deere No. 40, the only plow designed for the Fordson with a self-adjusting hitch – a draft-reducing feature appreciated by farmers who worked in wet, heavy soil conditions.Left: The John Deere Model D replaced the Waterloo Boy tractors in 1923. It was the first 2-cylinder tractor to bear the John Deere name and trademark. With improvements over the years, it remained in the John Deere line until 1953. The original Model D had 15 hp at the drawbar and could pull 14-inch bottoms in most soil conditions.
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Right: This “will-fit” manufacturer offered a kit to convert a car to a tractor. It was claimed that a car of 20 to 25 hp could do the work of four horses; a 50- to 60-hp car could replace six to eight horses. This ad appeared in a 1918 issue of Farm Implement News.
Right: This “will-fit” manufacturer offered a kit to convert a car to a tractor. It was claimed that a car of 20 to 25 hp could do the work of four horses; a 50- to 60-hp car could replace six to eight horses. This ad appeared in a 1918 issue of Farm Implement News.
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Above: The kerosene-burning Mogul 8-16 tractor was first manufactured by the International Harvester Co. in 1914. A similar tractor won first place in the small tractor category of the Winnipeg plowing competition in 1910, plowing one acre in one hour and 15 minutes with a plow with three 12-inch bottoms.
Above: The kerosene-burning Mogul 8-16 tractor was first manufactured by the International Harvester Co. in 1914. A similar tractor won first place in the small tractor category of the Winnipeg plowing competition in 1910, plowing one acre in one hour and 15 minutes with a plow with three 12-inch bottoms.
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Above: Deere & Company bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in 1918 and continued to sell Waterloo Boy tractors until 1923. The tractor shown delivered 12 hp at the drawbar, “enough to pull a 3-bottom plow,” and 25 hp at the flywheel, “ample power to operate most economical-sized belt machinery,” according to claims in company sales literature.
Above: Deere & Company bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in 1918 and continued to sell Waterloo Boy tractors until 1923. The tractor shown delivered 12 hp at the drawbar, “enough to pull a 3-bottom plow,” and 25 hp at the flywheel, “ample power to operate most economical-sized belt machinery,” according to claims in company sales literature.
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Below: Because they were often built using the same wheels, chassis and steering mechanisms as steam traction engines, early gasoline-burning tractors, such as this Avery, resembled steam traction engines. Avery was the first to offer an electric starting and lighting system.
Below: Because they were often built using the same wheels, chassis and steering mechanisms as steam traction engines, early gasoline-burning tractors, such as this Avery, resembled steam traction engines. Avery was the first to offer an electric starting and lighting system.
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Left: This poem appeared in a 1918 issue of The Furrow, a farm magazine published by John Deere. It illustrates one of the many methods farm equipment companies and the federal government used to encourage farmers to increase crop and livestock production during World War I.
Left: This poem appeared in a 1918 issue of The Furrow, a farm magazine published by John Deere. It illustrates one of the many methods farm equipment companies and the federal government used to encourage farmers to increase crop and livestock production during World War I.

Prior to 1914, a good team of horses or mules provided
all the power the typical Midwestern farmer needed. If his tillable
land exceeded 100 acres, he may have had more than one team. At
harvest, when belt power was needed to drive a threshing machine,
the farmer hired a steam engine. Horses pulled wagons loaded with
bundles to the threshing site and hauled the separated wheat,

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