Fordson Tractor Plentywood Montana

by Jeff Swan

Title

Fordson Tractor Plentywood Montana

Artist

Jeff Swan

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Fordson was a brand name used on a range of mass-produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son, Inc, 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 20th century, 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.
Contents

1 Fordson Model F
2 Success and economic recession
3 Production in Ireland and England
4 History
4.1 Early development
4.2 F Series
4.2.1 Reliability
4.2.2 Production
4.3 Fordson Model N Standard
4.4 N Series
4.4.1 9N
4.4.2 2N and 8N
4.4.3 E27N
4.4.4 E1A
4.5 Variants
4.6 Later models
5 Machine operation
6 Rail Conversions
7 Models
8 Notes
9 References
10 External links

Fordson Model F

The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916 and was the first small, lightweight, mass-produced, affordable tractor in the world,[1] making it possible for the average farmer to own a tractor for the first time. Thus Henry Ford and colleagues had done again, for the tractor, what they had recently done for the automobile with the Ford Model T. The Fordson tractor went into mass production in 1917 and debuted for sale on October 8, 1917,[1] 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 2� to 6� mph), and a worm gear reduction set in the differential.
Success and economic recession

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.
Production in Ireland and England

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
Early development

American engineer, inventor and businessman Henry Ford grew up on a small farm outside Detroit, Michigan in the late 19th century. As his interest in automobiles grew, he also expressed a desire to "lift the burden of farming from flesh and blood and place it on steel and motors."[2][3] In the early 20th century, he began to build experimental tractors from automobile components. Four years after founding the Ford Motor Company in 1903, Ford finished his first experimental tractor in 1907 on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, referring to it as the "Automobile Plow".[2] Approximately 600 gasoline-powered tractors were in use on American farms in 1908.[4] Fordson tractor design was headed by Eugene Farkas and J�zsef Galamb, both involved in the design of the successful Ford Model T automobile.[5]

Henry Ford introduced a newly designed tractor known as the Model B in August 1915 at a plowing demonstration in Fremont, Nebraska.[4] It used a 16 horsepower, two-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine, a spur gear transmission and three wheels - two front drivers and one rear steerer.[2] The Model B was never produced, but did gain enough publicity to let the world know Ford was interested in developing a tractor.[2] Knowing there was demand for a Ford-built tractor, a group of entrepreneurs in Minneapolis organized The Ford Tractor Company.[2] The company did build and sell some tractors, but anticipated a settlement with Henry Ford for permission to use his name.[6] 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.[6]
F Series
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.[6] Ford incorporated his private company, Henry Ford and Son, Inc, to mass produce the tractor on July 27, 1917. At a hurriedly built factory in Dearborn, Michigan, he used the same assembly line techniques he used to mass produce the Ford Model T.[7] It took thirty hours and forty minutes to convert the raw materials into the 4,000 parts used for the tractor assembly.[8] The Fordson sold for US$750; each cost $567.14 to manufacture (including labor, materials and overhead), leaving a profit of $182.86.[8]

It used a 20 hp (15 kW), four-cylinder vaporising oil engine, a three-speed spur gear transmission (the three forward speeds ranged from approximately 2� to 6� mph[8]), and a worm gear reduction set in the differential.[9] Brakes were not provided on early Fordsons as high-ratio worm sets generally transmitted rotation in one direction only, from the worm element to the gear element, because of the high power loss through friction. To stop the tractor, the driver depressed the clutch.[9] 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, costs were reduced and manufacturing was simplified.[10] 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.[11]
Reliability
An early Fordson harvesting beets during the early 1940s.

The Fordson Model F was not without flaws it shared with other brands.[12] 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.[12]

Ford began shipping Fordson tractors to Ford Motor Company Limited in Britain in 1917 to meet an order from the British government for 5,000.[7] Between the time the order was accepted and when production started, Ford overhauled the design to solve several problems. The car-type radiator was enlarged to 11 US gal (9.2 imp gal; 42 L) capacity to cure overheating problems. The additional weight also helped hold the front down.[13] 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.[13] 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 thermosiphon cooling and splash lubrication.[13]

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.[14] He recorded problems in his diary, noting difficulty starting the engine, a broken wheel, engine failure and the rear end bursting throughout January, totaling costs of $1,301 for 620 hours of work.[14] A Colorado farmer telephoned his dealer three times a day to complain about his Fordson. The worst thing was its tendency to flip over backwards if sudden resistance on the drawbar created excessive torque in the transmission.[14] One Indiana farmer believed such a dangerous machine should 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 up to August 1922.[14] Ford spokesmen maintained the accidents resulted from inexperienced drivers, saying any tractor could be dangerous if improperly handled.[15] Satisfied customers praised the Fordson, saying it made farm work easier and performed ideally in orchards and truck farms.[15]

The "Hoyt-Clagwell" tractor on the TV sitcom Green Acres was a Fordson Model F. It was known to randomly 'explode' followed by one or both of the rear wheels falling off.
Production

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March 7th, 2013

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