Waterloo Boy Tractor Made its Mark in the UK – Under an Alias

By Sam Moore
Published on March 6, 2018
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A near-side view of an Overtime tractor plowing at the 2009 Onslow Park rally, Shropshire, England. Unfortunately, the operator of this well-restored example is unknown.
A near-side view of an Overtime tractor plowing at the 2009 Onslow Park rally, Shropshire, England. Unfortunately, the operator of this well-restored example is unknown.
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A restored 1918 Waterloo Boy Model N owned by the Bates family, Middlefield, Ohio.
A restored 1918 Waterloo Boy Model N owned by the Bates family, Middlefield, Ohio.
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An off-side view of an Overtime tractor at the 2009 Yorkshire Vintage Association Rally at Newby Hall, Yorkshire, England.
An off-side view of an Overtime tractor at the 2009 Yorkshire Vintage Association Rally at Newby Hall, Yorkshire, England.
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An Overtime ad from the back cover of the March 1920 issue of The Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture.
An Overtime ad from the back cover of the March 1920 issue of The Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture.
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An early ad for the Waterloo Boy tractor.
An early ad for the Waterloo Boy tractor.

One of the first tractor companies in this country – with the unwieldy name of The Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Co. – was started in 1893 in Waterloo, Iowa, to make John Froelich’s tractor.

Based on its 52-day threshing run in the fall of 1892, the Froelich machine is credited with being the first successful gasoline-powered traction engine.

Froelich’s first tractor may have been satisfactory, but his subsequent efforts were less so. According to one source, four tractors were built that first year and only two of those were sold, both to be returned as no good. John Froelich kept tinkering, but the other principals in the company prioritized the manufacture of Waterloo Boy stationary gas engines since they sold well. A tractor guy, Froelich left the firm, which subsequently changed its name to Waterloo Gas Engine Co. and became quite successful with its line of stationary gas engines for farm use.

Eventually, in 1911, Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. did build a tractor, a 9,000-pound, 25 hp machine with a 4-cylinder, cross-mounted engine and an exhaust-induced draft-cooling system similar to that used in many of its contemporaries. This model was available with standard rear drive wheels or with crawler tracks, in which case it was called the Waterloo Boy “Sure Grip, Never Slip” tractor.

Third time’s a charm

A lightweight (3,000 pounds) Model L (soon renamed the Model LA) was produced with a 15 hp, 2-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine. The opposed engine didn’t work out, but the lightweight, 2-cylinder design seemed ideal, so by 1914 Louis B. Witry had designed a horizontal, 2-cylinder engine with side-by-side cylinders.

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