User:JoshuacUK/Fordson tractor

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Fordson Series
Overview
ManufacturerHenry Ford & Son
Ford Motor Company
Production1917—1964
AssemblyUnited States (1917—1928)
Cork, Ireland (1919—1932)
Dagenham, UK (1933—1964)
Body and chassis
ClassTractor

Fordson was a brand name used on a range of mass produced all-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford and Son from 1917 until 1920 when it was merged into the Ford Motor Company, which used the name until 1964. American engineer, inventor and businessman Henry Ford built experimental tractors from automobile components during the early 1900s, and launched a prototype known as the Model B in August 1915. He formed Henry Ford and Son in 1910 in Dearborn, Michigan, taking his young son Edsel Ford as a partner, which was later incorporated on July 27 1917. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916 and was the first lightweight, mass produced tractor in the world, making it possible for the average farmer to own a tractor for the first time. It went into mass production in 1917 and sold for $750. The original Fordson used a 20 horsepower, four-cylinder vaporising oil engine, a three-speed spur gear transmission (the three forward speeds ranged from approximately 21⁄4 to 61⁄4 mph), and a worm gear reduction set in the differential.

Despite several early design flaws and reliability issues such as engine failure and unbearable heat, the Fordson established a firm foothold on U.S. farms, with more than seventy percent market share in earlier years. By mid-1918, more than 6,000 Fordson tractors were in use in Britain, Canada and the United States. Annual production reached 36,781 in 1921 and 99,101 in 1926. By 1925, Ford had built its 500,000th Fordson tractor. Ford was the only automotive firm to sell cars, trucks and tractors simultaneously from 1917 to 1928, during which time 552,799 Fordson tractors were built at the Dearborn, Michigan factory. An economic recession and plummeting farm income depressed the market in 1925. Ford Motor Company ended its U.S. tractor production on February 14 1928 and transferred manufacture to Cork, Ireland in 1929 and later Dagenham, Essex, England. The Fordson brand was used on several other models manufactured in England including the 9N, 8N and later the Major, Dexta, Power Major, Super Major and Super Dexta until 1964. Afterwards, the Fordson brand name was discontinued and replaced with the Ford marque. Ford continued to manufacture and sell tractors until it sold the division to Fiat in 1991.

History[edit]

Early development[edit]

American engineer, inventor and businessman Henry Ford grew up on a small farm outside Detroit, Michigan in the late 1800s. As his interest in automobiles grew, he also expressed a desire to "lift the burden of farming flesh and blood and place it on steel and motors."[1] In the early 1900s, he began to build experimental tractors from automobile components. Four years after founding the Ford Motor Company in 1903, Ford finished his first experimental factor in 1907 on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, referring to it as the "Automobile Plow".[1] Approximately 600 gasoline-powered tractors were in use on American farms in 1907.[2] Fordson tractor design was headed by Eugene Farkas and József Galamb, both involved in the design of the successful Ford Model T automobile.[3]

Henry Ford introduced a newly designed tractor known as the Model B in August 1915 at a plowing demonstration in Fremont, Nebraska.[2] It used a 16 horsepower, two-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine, a spur gear transmission and three wheels - two front drivers and one rear steerer.[1] The Model B was never produced, but did gain enough publicity to let the world know Ford was interested in developing a tractor.[1] Knowing there was demand for a Ford-built tractor, a group of entrepreneurs in Minneapolis organized The Ford Tractor Company.[1] The company did build and sell some tractors, but anticipated a settlement with Henry Ford for permission to use his name.[4] However, Ford did not give permission and formed his own separate company called Henry Ford and Son in 1910 in Dearborn, Michigan, taking his young son Edsel as a partner.[4]

F Series[edit]

An early Fordson discing a field in Princess Anne County, VA in 1925.

The Fordson Model F was completed in 1916 and was the first lightweight, mass produced tractor in the world, making it possible for the average farmer to own a tractor for the first time.[4] Ford incorporated his private company, Henry Ford and Son, Inc, to mass produce the tractor on July 27 1917 using the same assembly line techniques he used to mass produce the Ford Model T.[5] It took thirty hours and forty minutes to convert the raw materials into the 4,000 parts used for the tractor assembly.[6] The Fordson sold for US$750 ($14,124 in 2007 dollars); and each unit cost $567.14 to manufacture (including labor, materials and overheads), leaving a profit of $182.86 on each unit.[6]

It used a 20 horsepower, four-cylinder vaporising oil engine, a three-speed spur gear transmission (the three forward speeds ranged from approximately 21⁄4 to 61⁄4 mph[6]), and a worm gear reduction set in the differential.[7] Brakes were not provided on early Fordsons because high-ratio worm sets generally transmitted rotation from the worm element to the gear element. In order to stop the tractor, the driver depressed the clutch.[7] Ford engineer Eugene Farkas successfully made the engine, transmission and rear axle a stressed member of the frame. By eliminating the need for a heavy separate frame, this saved costs and simplified manufacturing.[8] The Fordson succeeded in being cheaper to maintain than horses, as the Ford Model T had previously done. A government test concluded that farmers spent $.95 per acre plowing with a Fordson compared to feeding eight horses for a year and paying two drivers which cost $1.46 per acre.[9]

Reliability[edit]

An early Fordson harvesting beets during the early 1940s.

The Fordson Model F was not without flaws it shared with other brands.[10] These problems included lack of weight, which allowed wheel slippage in some conditions, and the habit of rearing over backwards if the plow encountered an obstruction.[10] Ford started shipping Fordson tractors to Ford Motor Company Limited in Britain in 1917 to meet an order from the British government for 5,000 tractors.[5] Between the time the order was accepted and when production started, Ford overhauled the design to solve several problems. The car-type radiator was increased in size so that its capacity was eleven gallons to cure overheating problems. The additional weight also helped hold the front down.[11] In early Fordsons, the worm drive was located at the top under the driver's seat. During heavy operation the heat became unbearable to the operator. The worm drive was relocated to solve this problem and also allowed larger rear wheels which improved traction.[11] Several changes were also made to simplify manufacture. The Fordson used the Model T coil magneto system; and water and oil pumps were eliminated in favor of the simpler thermocycle cooling and splash lubrication.[11]

Despite design and assembly improvements, Fordsons still required a high level of maintenance. A farmer near Atlanta in 1921 listed the cost of his Fordson repairs for the year as $1,246 ($12,795 in 2007 dollars).[12] He recorded problems in his diary, noting difficulty starting the motor, a broken wheel, engine failure and the rear end bursting throughout January, totaling costs of $1,301 ($13,361 in 2007 dollars) for 620 hours of work.[12] A Colorado farmer telephoned his dealer three times a day to complain about his Fordson. The most negative feature was the rear end which had a tendency to flip over backwards if sudden resistance on the drawbar created excessive torque in the transmission.[12] One Indiana farmer believed such a dangerous machine be banned by law. The Eastern Implement Dealer claimed Fordsons killed thirty-six drivers in 1918, while Pipp's Weekly insisted the tractor had killed 136 men prior to August 1922.[12] Ford spokesmen maintained the accidents resulted from inexperienced drivers, saying any tractor could be dangerous if improperly handled.[13] Satisfied customers praised the Fordson, saying it made farm work easier and performed ideally in orchards and truck farms.[13]

Production[edit]

A 1923 Soviet stamp featured the Fordson.

Ford established a policy in 1919 to loan Fordson tractors to educational institutions with vocational training programmes. Agricultural colleges could use a Fordson for six months and then exchange it for a new one. Under this arrangement, forty-two factors were loaned to such universities as Cornell, Idaho, Michigan, Maryland and Prairie View State Normal in Texas. Others went to the orphanage at Nacoochee Institute in Georgia, the Berry School at Rome, Georgia and Camp Dix at Hutchinson, Kansas.[6] Ford signed a contract for a large consignment of Fordson tractors to the Soviet Union in 1919, which soon became the largest customer of the company. From 1921 until 1927, the Soviet Union purchased over 25,000 Fordsons.[14] In 1924, the Leningrad plant "Red Putilovite" (Красный Путиловец) started the production of Fordson-Putilovets tractors (Фордзон-путиловец). These inexpensive and robust tractors (both American and Soviet models) became the major enticement for Soviet peasants towards collectivisation and were often seen on Soviet posters and paintings during the era.

By mid-1918, more than 6,000 Fordson tractors were in use in Britain, Canada and the United States.[8] After World War II finished, production began in Cork, Ireland in parallel with U.S. production.[8] Fordson tractors quickly shaped the U.S. tractor market, and held over seventy percent of the market in earlier years.[15] Henry Ford bought out all the minority shareholders of Ford Motor Company in 1919, and then consolidated ownership in the Ford family: fifty percent in his name, forty-two percent in son Edsel's name and the remaining three percent in wife Clara's name. He merged Henry Ford & Son into the Ford Motor Company in 1920.[10] Annual production reached 36,781 in 1921[16] and reached 99,101 in 1926.[17] The Fordson established a firm foothold on U.S. farms and by 1925, Ford had built its 500,000th Fordson tractor.[10] Total production figures reached 650,000 by May 1927.[6]

A severe economic recession and plummeting farm income depressed the market in 1925. Ford Motor Company ended its U.S. tractor production and sales on February 14 1928[16] and transferred manufacture to Cork, Ireland in 1929 and later Dagenham, Essex, England.[10] Fordson tractors continued to be sold in the United States, where George and Eber Sherman became the leading importers of English-built Fordsons.[18] Ford was the only automotive firm to sell cars, trucks and tractors simultaneously from 1917 to 1928, during which time 552,799 Fordson tractors were built at the Dearborn, Michigan factory.[19][13]

After Fordson production was transferred to Cork, Ireland in 1928, exports to the US were limited to 1,500 a month which restricted sales at Ford dealerships.[20] The original Fordson Model F tractor was eventually outsold by International Harvester, which offered a more efficient alternative and subsequently became market leader.[21] Competition from International Harvester and General Motors forced Ford to reduce the price of the Model F from $750 to $395. To compensate for the lower price, the company had to cut costs and strive for larger volume production.[22]

N Series[edit]

9N[edit]

A 1936 Fordson 9N tractor.

Development of new Fordson tractors remained mostly inactive for little over ten years after the end of its U.S. production in 1928, although Ford did experiment with a number of unsuccessful designs during the 1930s.[23] Ford's attention became consumed mostly by the development and introduction of his company's first V8 engine, which was introduced by Ford on March 31 1932 and installed into Ford Model A body cars.[20] Ten months later, he introduced a new 1933 Model B body to surround the engine. These projects were nearly all consuming, leaving Ford little or no time for tractor development.[20]

In Ireland, businessman Harry Ferguson had designed a tractor incorporating a hydraulic three-point hitch.[24] Eber Sherman, importer of Fordsons from Ireland to the US and a friend of both Ford and Ferguson, arranged to have Ferguson demonstrate his tractor for Henry Ford. In October 1938 the Ferguson tractor was put through a demonstration before Ford and his engineers. It was light in weight relative to its power, which impressed Ford.[24] Ferguson's successful tractor demonstration led to a handshake agreement with Ford in 1938, whereby Ford would manufacture tractors using the Ferguson three-point hitch system.[24]

Ford Motor Company invested $12 million in tooling to finance Ferguson's new distribution company.[25] The investment resulted in the production of the Ford-Ferguson 9N tractor which was introduced on June 29 1939.[25] It sold for $585 including rubber tires, power takeoff, Ferguson hydraulics, an electric starter, generator, and battery; lights were optional. Ford's 9N further improved the cantankerous Model F by updating the ignition with a distributor and coil. An innovative system of tire mounts for the rear wheels and versatile axle mounts for the fronts enabled farmers to accommodate any width row-crop work they needed.[25] The 9N weighed 2340 pounds and had 13 drawbar horsepower which could pull a two-bottom plow.[24] It was designed to be safe, quiet and easy to operate. Ford once said "Our competition is the horse.", the 9N was intended for farmers who were not mechanically minded.[24]

An immediate success, the 9N's configuration became an industry standard which was followed by other tractor manufacturers for fifteen years. Henry Ford passed leadership of his company to grandson Henry Ford II in 1945. By 1946 the younger Ford discovered that, despite its success, the Model N lost Ford Motor Company over $25 million dollars in six years.[24] He reacted by forming Dearborn Motors in November 1946 which took over tractor distribution from Ferguson.[24] Ford informed Ferguson that after July 1947 they would no longer supply tractors to his company.[24] Ferguson sued Henry Ford II, Dearborn Motors and Ford Motor Company and others for $251 million in damages on the basis of patent infringements and conspiracy to monopolize the farm tractor business.[26] Ford Motor Company claimed the patents had already expired by the time of Dearborn Motors incorporation.[26] Approximately 750,000 9Ns were built, and it was estimated in 2001 that nearly half of these were still in regular use.[23]

2N and 8N[edit]

In 1942 Ford introduced the 2N model tractor. This was surprising because so much steel was being used to manufacture products for U.S. and allied troops during World War II. In 1948 the very popular 8N tractor was introduced. More than 500,000 8Ns were sold between 1948 and 1952. The 8N was replaced with the 1953 "Golden Jubliee" tractor.

Tractors bearing the Fordson name were produced in England until 1964, after which they were simply named as Fords. After U.S. Fordson production ceased in 1928, Irish-built and later English-built Fordsons were imported to the U.S. This arrangement ended in 1939 with the introduction of the line of "Ford" tractors made in the U.S. for domestic sales. In the early 1960's, two models of Fordson were again exported from England to the U.S., although they were rebadged as Fords.

Later models[edit]

1947 Fordson Stegamajor

After 1964, all tractors made by the company worldwide carried the Ford name. In 1986, Ford expanded its tractor business when it purchased the Sperry-New Holland skid-steer loader and hay baler, hay tools and implement company from Sperry Corporation and formed Ford-New Holland which bought out Versatile tractors in 1988. In 1991 Ford sold its tractor division to FIAT with the agreement that they must stop using the Ford name by 2000. In 1998 FIAT removed all Ford identification from their blue tractors and renamed them "New Holland" tractors.

Impact[edit]

Models[edit]

  • Fordson Model F
  • Fordson Model 9N (Ford-Ferguson 9N)
  • Fordson Model 2N
  • Fordson Model 8N
  • Fordson All-Around (also called Fordson Row Crop)
  • Fordson Major E27N
  • Fordson New Major
  • Fordson Dexta
  • Fordson Power Major
  • Fordson Super Major (called the Ford 5000 in U.S.)
  • Fordson Super Dexta (called the Ford 2000 Diesel in U.S.)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Pripps & Morland 1990, p. 13
  2. ^ a b Flink 1990, p. 79
  3. ^ Bryan 2003a, pp. 105–123
  4. ^ a b c Pripps & Morland 1990, p. 14
  5. ^ a b Beemer & Peterson 1997, p. 10
  6. ^ a b c d e Wik 1972, p. 94 Cite error: The named reference "grassroots" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Pripps & Morland 1990, p. 17
  8. ^ a b c Klancher et al. 2003, p. 200
  9. ^ Leffingwell 1999, p. 331
  10. ^ a b c d e Beemer & Peterson 1997, p. 18
  11. ^ a b c Klancher et al. 2003, p. 199
  12. ^ a b c d Wik 1972, p. 95
  13. ^ a b c Wik 1972, p. 96
  14. ^ Leffingwell 1999, p. 336
  15. ^ Klancher et al. 2003, p. 195
  16. ^ a b Bryan 2003b, p. 77
  17. ^ Bryan 2003b, p. 79
  18. ^ Beemer & Peterson 1997, p. 23
  19. ^ Bryan 2002, p. 22
  20. ^ a b c Leffingwell 2003, p. 84
  21. ^ Gordon, John Steele (April 1992), "Henry Ford's horseless horse", American Heritage, vol. 42, no. 2, p. p. 14 {{citation}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  22. ^ Beemer & Peterson 1997, p. 24
  23. ^ a b Ertel 2001, p. 56
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Ertel 2001, pp. 54–55 Cite error: The named reference "ferguson" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  25. ^ a b c Leffingwell 1996, p. 99
  26. ^ a b Just Between Ex-Friends, TIME, January 19, 1948, retrieved May 29, 2008 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |publication-date= (help)

References[edit]

  • Beemer, Rod; Peterson, Chester (1997), Ford N Series Tractors, Osceola, WI: MBI, ISBN 978-0760302897.
  • Bryan, Ford R. (2002), Friends, Families & Forays: Scenes from the Life and Times of Henry Ford, Detroit: Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0814331084.
  • Bryan, Ford R. (2003a), Henry's Lieutenants, Detroit: Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0814332137.
  • Bryan, Ford R. (2003b), Rouge: Pictured in Its Prime, Detroit: Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0972784306.
  • Ertel, Patrick W. (2001), The American Tractor: A Century of Legendary Machines, Minneapolis: MBI Publishing, ISBN 0760308632.
  • Flink, James J. (1990), The Automobile Age, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, ISBN 0262560550.
  • Klancher, Lee; Leffingwell, Randy; Morland, Andrew; Pripps, Robert N. (2003), Farm Tractors: John Deere, Farmall, Ford & Fordson, Crestline Imprints, ISBN 0760317763.
  • Leffingwell, Randy (1996), Classic Farm Tractors: History of the Farm Tractor, Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, ISBN 978-0760302460.
  • Leffingwell, Randy (1999), America's Classic Farm Tractors, Osceola, WI: MBI, ISBN 978-0760308226.
  • Leffingwell, Randy (2003), Tractors: Icons of the American Landscape, St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, ISBN 978-0760315057.
  • Pripps, Robert N.; Morland, Andrew (1990), Ford Tractors: N-Series, Fordson, Ford and Ferguson, 1914-1954, Osceola, WI: MBI, ISBN 978-0879384715.
  • Wik, Reynold M. (1972), Henry Ford and Grass-Roots America, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, ISBN 0472061933.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fordson tractors.
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