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Ford Tractor
The Fordson Tractor
Two years after leaving the Ford Motor Company to pursue his tractor interest, Henry Ford incorporated his new Henry Ford &
Son tractor company in 1917. Ford tested his competitor’s tractors on his family farm and then took them to his new Dearborn plant to be examined
by his engineers. Ford wanted his tractors designed to be strong enough to support the entire machine without needing a separate frame. In December
of the same year that Fords company was incorporated the company started production of the Fordson tractor. Britain ordered 5,000 Fordsons at $50
above cost, which came to about $700 each. By the spring of 1918 seven thousand Fordsons had been shipped to England. By July 1918, 131 Fordson
tractors were rolling out of the Dearborn Ford Plant and by 1923 production rose to nearly 102,000.
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Harry Ferguson invented the simple, effective and economical three-point hitch; however,
it was Henry Ford’s
tractor company that got the invention to the farmer. Ferguson took his drawings to Ford’s London representatives and explained his
theory that efficient farm mechanization required the implement to become part of the tractor when hitched on, but easily detachable
again. This concept changed tractor farming drastically. The Duplex Hitch was attached to the tractor by two sets of struts with one
above the other.
click here or on
image to
enlarge
The demand for tractors was so great because of war time farming needs that several
companies made adaptations for the Ford model T and Ford Model A along with other
cars so they could serve as tractors |
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Ford 9N
The first Ford 9N tractor was built in 1939. It used the company's own four-cylinder engine,
which carried a 3-3/16 x 3-3/4-inch bore and stroke. The unique feature of the 9N tractor was
the fact that it was equipped with Harry Ferguson's unique three-point-hitch system.
Ford 8N
Ford 8N tractors made their debut in 1947, with
production continuing until 1952. This model
used a Ford-milt four-cylinder engine with a 3-3/16 x 3-3/4-inch bore
and stroke. |
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In 1938 Ferguson and a small staff took his plow-tractor combination to Ford and the two formed a partnership that favored both sides. It provided Ferguson a manufacturer for his idea and Ford an idea to manufacture. Ford invested $12,000,000 in tooling costs and helped Ferguson finance his new distribution company. In 1939 Ford introduced the 9N tractor that became known as the
Ford Tractor with the Ferguson System. The 9N had rubber tires, power takeoff, Ferguson hydraulics, an electric starter, generator, and battery and it was priced at $585.
The Ford 9N Tractor and the Ford 2N tractors certified the engineering ideas
Harry Ferguson had struggled for decades to prove. Yet when Ford introduced the 8N that utilized
Ferguson’s invention Ferguson’s name was no longer on the tractor and no royalties were paid to
Ferguson. The handshake agreement between Ford and Ferguson was dissolved and Ferguson filed a
law suit against Ford that dragged on for four years and resulted with Ferguson receiving a $9.25
million settlement from Ford. |
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FORD
8N |
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Ford 8N tractors made their debut in 1947, with production continuing until
1952. This model used a Ford-milt four-cylinder engine with a 3-3/16 x
3-3/4-inch bore nd stroke. |
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Fierce
competition
By the end of World War I the competition between several tractor manufacturers
was fierce. International Harvester could no longer simply rely on their past successes. Chief competitors included Massey-Harris,
Case, and Deere who had just entered the tractor business in 1919 when they purchased the Waterloo Boy outfit. In addition to these
established companies, the automaker Henry Ford had established a separate company called Henry Ford and Son for the purpose
of producing farm tractors and in 1917 Ford’s tractor company introduced the Fordson. This smaller, lighter tractor was so well
accepted that in 1923 Ford produced more than 100,000 of them.
International Harvester countered with the 10-20
McCormick-Deering
in 1922. This was a smaller version of the 15-30 that they had introduced in
1921. Case and John Deere also brought out new, smaller, lighter, less expensive models. However Ford still had more than 60% of the market.
Tractors in 1910 averaged 500 lbs per horsepower and the American farmers were ready for smaller tractors. International Harvester Co. took
the lead ahead of Hart-Parr. Competition was fierce. Henry Ford had shipped 7, 000 small Fordsons to England by 1918. In 1918
International Harvester come out with the International 8-16 which weighed 3,300 lbs or 206 lbs per hp. The Fordson tractor that Ford
introduced that same year weighed 2,700 lbs or 150 lbs per hp. Fordson passed International Harvester’s tractors in production. To
force a showdown, Ford cut his price by $230, to $395. International Harvester was forced to fight back by cutting the price of the
Titan 10-20 to $700 and the International 8-16 to $670, including a plow. At this point both companies were selling below cost.
International Harvester did not have the auto revenues that Ford had so they were fighting for their existence. Their salesmen
turned every Fordson demonstration into a field contest, and International’s tractors won each time. By the end of 1924,
International Harvesters sales increased as their engineers continued to test general purpose tractors targeted at the Fordson’s
failures which included low ground clearance and its wheel placement that required too much maneuvering room.
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1952 Ford 8N with
Dearborn Road Maintainer
Dearborn's catalog was
extensive and included
this Meili-Blumberg
Model 19-35 road grader
for mounting on Ford's
8N or 2N models.The
Model 19-35 stretched
out the small tractor,
yielding a 14-foot
wheelbase and a 39-foot
turn circle. Combined
weight was 6,900 pounds. |
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On April 9, 1952, Harry Ferguson accepted U.S.
Judge Gregory Noonan's settlement agreement with
Ford. Dearborn Motors reimbursed Ferguson $9.25
million for patent infringements. During the 54 weeks of the trial, many of
Ferguson's patents had entered the public domain. Ford agreed to discontinue
production of the hydraulic system using
Ferguson's reservoir-side hydraulic pump by the end of the 1952 model
year.
Ferguson, who had begun producing Ford 9N look a likes
that he marketed as Ferguson TE-20 and TO-
20 (for Tractor, Europe, 20 horsepower, and Tractor,
Overseas, 20 horsepower), suffered in the final settlement
for his success. He had manufactured nearly
140,000 of the 9N clones without Ford's permission
for the tractor design.
Dearborn Motors already had a successor waiting.
It was Henry II's idea, a tribute to his grandfather
and his devotion to farin tractors, in honor of the corporation's
fiftieth anniversary. DMC's product-planning
groups, always happy to have something new to
plan, produce, and promote, liked the idea and they
pushed for the Golden Jubilee model. |
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Antique Farming Member
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