Magazine Claims

Don Hopf

Member
The front cover of the March 1924 edition of "Farm Mechanics" claim the 75% of the farm tractors are Fordsons. Also shows advertising for ensilage blowers being belt powered by Fordsons. I've also attach the webpage.

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Farm Mechanics Magazine
 

75% MIGHT be accurate enough, but in 1924 not too many farms had made the move to mechanization, so maybe that claim really doesn't mean very much?
 
I have no idea if it's correct, but: Old Henry was darn near giving them away, in an attempt to beat out the competition.

The gentleman that hired me out of high school, was originally a Model T mechanic, in his older brothers Ford garage. They would receive a boxcar loaded with Model T's, standing on end inside, and one Fordson tractor. They could not get anymore cars, until they sold the tractor.

I loved listening to his stories of his early years, surviving in business through two wars, and the depression.
 
When you think about it Deere had not yet built a tractor of that size, Not sure if IHC built the 10-20 yet either, The 8-16 not much of a tractor. No AC, Wallis had one of that size before it was Massey. I cannot think of any other company in the mainstream made a tractor of that size. Deeres Waterloo Boy was just way to big for most farmers. So when nothing else avaible not supprised it was not a higher number.
 
Guys go research a bit. You will find that maybe 15-20% of farms had tractors in the early 40's. Most farms back in the day fed the farmer and his family and maybe gave a little cash. But not the kind that bought tractors. Even when prices dropped to 395 that was a ton of money for most farms. Look at the numbers of tractors produced total by all makers in the US prior to WWII. Keep in mind that the depression and the "dirty thirties" put a stop to a lot of farm borrowing. But a lot of farms where still using horses in 1941. My wife's grand father never owned a tractor. Retired from farming in 1953. Late 40's to mid 50's was when tractors really took over. Gotta remember, farmers were and are an independent lot. Back in the early 1900's clear up and through WWII most of them had little or no mechanical skills because they didn't own anything that they needed those skills for. So that would be another reason to stay away from a "newfangled contraption" that WHEN it broke meant they were going to have to pay someone to fix it.

Rick
 
Grandpa must have been one of the exceptions to all this. He had a Cat 60 before he had his D-4 Cat. He bought the D-4 New in 36or 37. I know not the 20's but not that much later when you figure he had the 60 prior to that. The Cat was the tillage tractor while the doodlebug was for all else. Then along came an IHC H to replace the doodlebug.
He never owned a ford tractor I know of. He did have a Sheppard and Nichols threshing tractor in the 20's with a I think Red River Threshing machine. Also some where along there had a beaner for threshing beans.
 

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