A Rare Pair of Walk Behind Tractors

Early Ward walk-behind tractors add a unique touch to a Michigan man's collection.

By Leslie C. McManus
Published on September 25, 2021
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by Dennis Merlau
Both of these units are driven by wide flat beltsinstead of the V-type, which is common today. “That’s justa neat touch of the old ways,” Dennis says.

When we think of farm equipment today, we don’t think of department stores where we can buy everything from clothes to appliances – but that is where some of us would have gone looking for such things in the past.

In the mid-1800s, salesman Aaron Montgomery Ward traveled through rural America, selling wares to the country and farm folks with no convenient source for “the nicer things” unavailable at small local stores. Over the years, he paid close attention to his customers’ wants and needs. He sought sources to provide the products and then made arrangement for delivery direct to the customer.

Ward did this for some time before founding the Montgomery Ward & Co. mail order and department store in Chicago in 1872 (the company closed its doors in 2001). As the years passed, Ward continued to listen to his customers’ needs and find suppliers to fill those requests, which included varied types of machinery. The fact that Ward offered a line of credit and a new catalog every year sweetened the deal.

First Bolens, then Simplicity

In the 1930s, farming was a major business in rural America. Ward was quick to identify the need for smaller farm equipment. Details on one particular deal are in short supply, but it seems Ward contacted Bolens Equipment Co. in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Bolens was already an established manufacturer of small tractors. Ward negotiated a deal to have Bolens build a walk-behind tractor for him in late 1937 for the 1938 season. From what is known, the deal did not go well, as few units were built.
Still wanting a small tractor, Ward approached Simplicity Mfg. Co., also in Port Washington, about building a series of units for the 1938 season. It appears that Simplicity did, in fact, build a series of tractors for Ward, as well as for themselves.

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