The Massey Harris Co
The Massey-Harris Company
Daniel Massey, a successful farmer, began manufacturing simple farm implements in 1847 at Newcastle, Ontario. The business
was joined in 1891 by Alanson Harris, a skilled mechanic and competitor, to form Massey-Harris Limited. With the Harry Ferguson
merger in 1953, the company became Massey-Harris-Ferguson Limited; this was shortened in 1957 to
Massey Ferguson
Limited. With the company's headquarters based in Toronto Canada.
Daniel Massey 1798 - 1856
In 1847 Daniel Massey (pictured below), established a small business in Ontario In 1870 the Massey Manufacturing Co. was formed, under the management
of Daniel's son and successor, giving the business its first corporate identity.
Later Massey Manufacturing Co would become, Massey-Harris, It subsequently became
Massey Ferguson, one of the world's
leading agricultural
equipment firms surviving until the late twentieth century. |
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In the 1990s Massey Ferguson was taken over by AGCO who continue to produce and market a large range of Massey Ferguson tractors and equipment.
Alanson Harris 1816 - 1894
Ten years after Daniel Massey started his business, Alanson Harris (pictured
right), started a similar business which sold the same type of farm equipment as Massey's.
Like Massey, Harris's company was also based in Ontario.
Harris's business was so successful that he became the main competitor to Massey even
though Harris was smaller in the binder business. Eventually the two companies became locked in Candia's version of 'the battle of the binders',
similar to the battle Deering, McComick and others waged in America.
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Right
Prior to the merger that created Massey Harris the two companies success had much to do with their recognition of the good products being made by
other manufacturers which they then acquired the rights to market or produce. In 1861 Massey obtained from Walter A. Wood of Hoosick Falls, New York,
the rights to make and sell the combined reaper and
mower. The Wood name was well-known and one of the largest America farm equipment manufacturer. The back of the lithograph
advertisement on the right states. The Walter A Wood Binders, Mowers and reapers have captured more first Prizes than all
the other harvesting machines that have been contrived by the busy brains of man also boasting of holding the largest sales volume.
click on image to enlarge
Below
The officers and staff of Massey Manufacturing
Company, photographed in the early 1880's. In the
front row (left to right) are Chester D. Massey,
Presidet 1901-03; Hart A. Massey, President,
1891-1896, father of Chester and Charles; and
Charles A. Massey, Vice-President, 1871-1884.
click on image to enlarge |
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Massey Harris 1891 - 1953
On July 22 1891 Massey and Harris merged to form the Massey-Harris Company Ltd.
Following the same pattern that
John Deere
used so successfully to become a full line farm equipment company Massey Harris would acquired the rights to
market or produce industry leading farm products. After the merger this trend would continue. The merger and the products acquired considerably
strengthened Massey-Harris. Throughout the lifetime of Massey-Harris this pattern continued. When Massey-Harris purchased the Wallis tractor
company in 1928 Massey-Harris instantly became an important power in the farm tractor industry. A merger with Ferguson in 1953 would help propel
Massey-Harris into became a major international agricultural company with many factories outside Canada.
Patterson and Co. of Woodstock were the first
company taken over by Massey-Harris shortly after their merger
in 1891. Pattersons brought seeding, tillage, and haying
equipment to the M-H portfolio.
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The Bain Wagon Co, Woodstock Ontario
When Massey-Harris purchased the Bain Wagon Co. of Woodstock, Ontario,
in 1895 it gave them access to a remarkable range of wagons
and sleighs for agricultural, forestry and general use.
In addition to wagons and sleighs, it produced
street sprinklers, dump carts and delivery wagons. The
Bain name was retained on the products.
Right
The Bain Triple Box Farm Wagon. The Bain Wagon Company joined Massey-Harris as an associated
company in 1895. In addition to wagons and sleighs, it produced
street sprinklers, dump carts and delivery wagons.
click on image to enlarge
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The Verity Plow Company
Massey Harris continued to grow and in 1892, Massey-Harris acquired a 40 per cent interest in the Verity Plow Company, which had already
penetrated world-wide markets for its farm equipment The remaining Verity Plow Company shares were purchased in 1914.
Left
When Massey Harris acquired the Verity Plow Co it gained a complete line of farm plows
including this 12 disc plough made for the large Prairie-type tractors.
click on image to enlarge
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Massey Harris Self-Propelled Grain Combine
A combination of perfect timing and brilliant marketing Massey Harris would become a pioneer in the
self-propelled grain combine. Wartime rationing of steel placed limits on the number of farm machines
manufacturers could produce.
Joseph M. Tucker, vice president of Massey-Harris Co., Ltd .saw an opportunity.
Tucker sold the War Food Administration and the Canadian Government on the idea of allocating to Massey-Harris
enough engines and steel over it's regular quota to build 500 of the self-propelled combines. The one
condition: that Massey-Harris would sell the machines to farmers who would agree to cut no less than
2,000 acres of wheat per machine during the 1944 season.
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With the War Food Administration, calling on U.S. farmers to plant 13.8 million additional acres of wheat many farmers
questioned the sense of planting more acreage unless they could get machinery to harvest it, Tucker's idea won quick approval.
The Brigade was a huge success.. And the project generated large amounts of free publicity local newspapers, farm magazines, and
even Time magazine covered the Harvest Brigade and it's success.
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The
Massey Haris 30 |
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Massey Harris Pony |
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Introduced in 1948, the Pony was designed to compete with the John Deere Model L,
Allis Chalmers B, and
Farmall A.
Since the Massey-Harris Pony was released 10 years after
the industry leading small tractor the Allis-Chalmers B it never reached American
tractor sales numbers of the competition. However,
overseas the Pony was a smashing success. Massey-Harris's French factory in Marquette-lez-Lille, Nord, began producing the Pony in
1951 and around 90,000 of the Pony tractors manufactured were built in the French factory. The small
Massey Harris Tractor was the companies first real European success.
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Farming Tractors |
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The 1913 Bull Tractor
When the Bull tractor came onto the market in 1913 it was an instant
hit. Here was the first successful small
farm tractor to be offered,
and farmers bought them by the thousands. Old-timers in the farm tractor
business found that farmers were far more interested in the small Bull
than in their heavyweight
farm tractors
and within the year, virtually
every manufacturer, and those aspiring to be so, were attempting to
build a "small" tractor.
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Massey Harris Pacer |
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Massey Harris Pacer
Four post-war
Massey Harris Tractors
bore horse theme names the Pony, Pacer, Colt and Mustang. The Pacer was an improved model over the Pony,
and although they looked the same, the pacer had a padded seat,
hydraulic lift and the frame was a bit longer. It had a 91 cu. in. engine, while the Pony a 62 cu. in. engine.
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FORD
Ferguson 9N |
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Ford Ferguson 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 a unique three-point-hitch system. |
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Massey Harris
Wallis Tractors |
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1928
The Massey-Harris Co,
took over the J.I. Case Plow Works of Racine, Wis. Operation of the newly purchased
plant was continued. The acquisition of the Case business gave the Massey-Harris Co. a well-known line of farm implements including
the Wallis tractor. By agreement between the Massey-Harris Co. and the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., Racine, Wis., the latter
acquired the exclusive right to use the names "Case" and "J.I. Case" on farm equipment.
Case Tractor read more
Massey Harris Tractors read more
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Massey Harris 22 |
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Massey Harris 22
Massey's 2 plow tractor offered in standard or row crop configurations
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Massey Harris 55 |
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Massey Harris 55
When Massey Harris released the M-H 55 in 1946 it was the biggest wheel tractor on the market. The tractor delivered nearly 60 horse power.. options included the choice of Gasoline or Diesel however in the nine years of production it was only offered in standard tread form.
Massey Harris Tractors read more |
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