The History Of Farm Tractors
Farm tractors are fascinating both as machines and because of the history they represent. From the moment the first gasoline farm tractor appeared in 1901, every new model chugging across a field in agricultural North America represented some interesting technological improvement. Of course, there were a number of early farm tractors that were impractical or unsafe, but even these machines frequently had innovations that an enterprising engineer could analyze, refine, and improve. Advancements in farm tractor engines, transmissions, steering, and ignition systems all made the farm tractor a more useful tool. The development of such innovations as the power take-off system, the hydraulic lift, and the three-point hitch were tremendous advantages to the average farmer. But history and technology aside, old farm tractors are interesting just to see, hear, and smell. Many farm tractor enthusiasts have a certain "brand loyalty" preferring one tractor manufacturer over another. Others are intrigued by farm tractors built before 1935, the year the first "styled" farm tractor appeared. And still others enjoy rare and exotic farm tractors or limited production farm tractors. Putting aside personal preferences in farm tractors, consider for a moment just how farm tractors fit into the great cosmology of American agriculture. Development in the farm tractor industry depended on related businesses. The gas-powered farm tractor was very dependent on improvements in the petroleum industry. Although the potential power of gasoline as a fuel was known in the nineteenth century, the quality and quantities of this critical fuel were not reliable. There were dozens of petroleum-powered engines patented before 1900, but few were put into mass production simple because there was no adequate system to process and distribute this marvelous fuel. So the average American farmer could benefit from this new invention, the farm tractor, entrepreneurs like John D. Rockefeller had to build a reliable gasoline distribution system for automobiles. A good gasoline sales network was only part of the equation. The fuel itself needed to be processes into standardized grades. The early mechanics and inventors who built cars, trucks, and farm tractors had to understand a great deal about the properties and limitations of various grades of petroleum fuels. It should not come as a surprise to discover that Charles Hart, the co-developer of the first production farm tractor, was a petroleum engineer. The gasoline powered farm tractor was a marvelous mechanical achievement; but so was the development of the petroleum industry that helped make it possible. There were other factors that contributed to the early success of the gasoline farm tractor and here are a few of them. These factors are business networks and they include the agricultural machinery distribution network, the advertising industry, and the credit industry. All three industries were already present when the farm tractor appeared and all were to play a critical role in the survival and success of the farm tractor. |
