Bob Oakes of Casstown, Ohio, had two objectives when he got involved in restoring Custom and Wards tractors. First, he saw restoration as a way to preserve his family’s farming tradition. And second, it served to capture the heritage of a rare tractor brand.
Bob’s mechanical aptitude evolved through hands-on experience working on farm machinery at home and military equipment during his time in the service. Bob has restored eight antique farm tractors, including two Wards Model HR tractors and a John Deere Model 120 patio lawn tractor.
New Wards tractor delivers a life-long memory
Bob learned to drive on a Wards Twin-Row tractor at age 9. With that handy tractor, he admitted to enjoying farm chores. Bob soon graduated to a Farmall Model F-20 to help prepare ground for planting.
“After a few years driving those two tractors, I had a bit of excitement with the Wards Model HR,” he recalls. “When the tractor arrived at the Montgomery Ward farm store in Springfield, Ohio, Dad had me drive it home. The drive was 25 miles from the store to our family home in Tipp City. As a young guy, driving a new tractor that distance was a great thrill.”
That 1950 Model HR became the Oakes family favorite. To help launch his farming operation in 1954, Bob purchased a few pieces of field equipment from his dad – and the Model HR.
By 1995, the tractor was showing wear from extensive use. Bob restored the tractor from the ground up. Custom Mfg. Corp., and later, Harry A. Lowther Co., Shelbyville, Indiana, builders of Wards tractors, produced very little of the tractors’ mechanical systems. Fortunately, the parts were standard and readily available. Custom and Lowther built the basic tractor, including the framework, front end, drawbar, operator’s platform, seat and sheet metal.
“Most of the metal was in tough shape,” Bob says. “That meant extensive work to locate and shape the metal like new. When the project was started, I was working off the farm full-time. So, the restoration took 10 years.”
Bob later acquired two more Custom tractors. He completely restored a second 1950 Wards Model HR, and then stumbled onto a 1951 Custom Model EW tractor in Vermont. “When I first saw it, I was determined to buy it,” he says. The tractor was in original condition but mechanical components needed a lot of work. “Thank goodness, the paint was still in good condition.”
Wards tractors enter the market
Cleveland Tractor Co. (Cletrac) of Cleveland, Ohio, produced tractors for Montgomery Ward & Co. from 1940-’42. The General Model GG, the only wheeled tractor built by Cletrac, was also sold by B.F. Avery & Sons and Massey-Harris.
The General was labeled and marketed by Wards as a Wards Twin-Row. The only difference between the General and the Twin-Row was the color. The Twin-Row was red; the General was orange.
B.F. Avery, based in Louisville, Kentucky, produced implements for both the General and the Twin-Row. They were called Tru-Draft in the General line and Tru-Pull in the Twin-Row line.
With the onset of World War II, American manufacturing output was redirected to the war effort. In 1942, B.F. Avery acquired the tooling and equipment from Cleveland Tractor to produce the General as its own tractor.
The Wards and Custom connection
In the early 1950s, Montgomery Ward began marketing tractors produced by Custom Mfg. Corp., Shelbyville, Indiana. The marketing agreement stipulated that the tractor carry the Wards name.
When a farmer bought a tractor from Montgomery Ward, it was shipped to the customer’s nearest Ward’s Farm Store. With a limited number of Ward’s Farm Stores, some of the tractors may have been shipped by rail to the buyer’s nearest railroad depot.
Custom’s early tractor lines included four models marketed by Montgomery Ward & Co. At the factory, the Custom HR, the Wards Twin-Row and the Custom EW tractors were equipped with the Chrysler Gyrol fluid-drive torque converter. Years later, that feature would make these tractors very competitive in pulling events.
With the torque converter, clutching is still required to select gears, but the fluid coupling acts both as a drive train shock absorber and a torque amplifier of sorts. When the tractor is under a load, torque converter slippage helps keep the engine rpm up. The downside to the system is that torque slipping generates heat and wastes fuel.
What’s in a name?
The Custom HR with row-crop configuration was powered by a Chrysler Industrial 6 flathead engine with 235-cubic-inch displacement. The Model HW was the standard version of the Model HR. The 6-cylinder engine was rated at 56hp. The Model ER was equipped with a Chrysler Industrial 8 engine (251-cubic-inch displacement) rated at 62hp. The Model EW was the standard version of the Model ER.
Both the Model E and Model H have a belt-driven governor, Vickers hydraulic pump and hydraulic brakes. Engine power is delivered to the Timken rear axle and final drives through a five-speed heavy-duty truck transmission, dry automotive-type clutch and torque converter.
The tractors sold by Montgomery Ward were identical to the Custom tractors, including model identification. However, the iconic Wards name was embossed on the tractors marketed through the company’s catalog.
Custom’s production included two additional models – the 96 and 98 – built from 1952 into 1954. Neither were marketed by Wards. Custom would change ownership several times with final production in Hustisford, Wisconsin. However, with no dealer organization, the company struggled financially. Custom’s assets were eventually sold to a Mexican firm in 1954.
The end of the line
Bob’s hobby has been more than a shop project. “By restoring antique tractors, I’ve learned a lot about each tractor brand’s history,” he says. “I find great enjoyment tinkering on old tractors. Hopefully the tractors will be around for a long time to preserve their history.”
Bob finds shop work to be a wonderful break from everyday activities. When he finishes a project, he appreciates the feeling of accomplishment. But as a self-described “seasoned citizen,” he’s working on his final antique tractor.
“It’s a 1969 John Deere Model 2520 diesel Power Shift. This Model 2520 version is very rare, as only 356 were built,” he says. “When I pass on, the tractors will go to my sons. The future of the tractors will be determined by them.”
For more information: Bob Oakes, (937) 689-0344.
Freelance writer Fred Hendricks of Mansfield, Ohio, covers a vast array of subjects relating to agriculture. Email Fred at fwhendricks@gmail.com.
Originally published as “The Custom Connection” in the June 2023 issue of Farm Collector magazine.
