Car/tractor dealers

fixerupper

Well-known Member
Grandpa Love s post about the Farmall C reminded me of the car dealers that sold tractors years ago. Are any of these dealers left? One that I can think of was Johnson Chevrolet/ John Deere in Newell, Ia. Dad bought a new 51 Deere A and a new 62 chevy from that dealer. The dealer retired in the late 60 s and no one took over the dealership.
 
I know of no establishments that sell both cars and tractors but it is not uncommon for a single person, partnership, LLC, or corporation to own both automobile and tractor dealerships.

Relatedly, there was once a long established automobile dealership near me that had all GM franchises: Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC Trucks. I've never heard of any other such dealership. The dealership operated into the 1980s or 90s before it was dissolved after the owner(s) retired.

Dean
 
Lived in Chilton, Wisconsin in the mid 60?s. The Hingiss family owned a combination Chevrolet/International Harvester dearship at that time. Don?t
know how long it lasted as we moved away in 1966.
 

A local John Deere dealer at one time also sold Dodge cars and trucks, as well as Minneapolis-Moline. That was a long time ago.
 
Timperman IH sold caddys and Pontiacs. I can remember dad buying a new 986 there was I was real little.
 
In Reedsburg Wisconsin Koenecke Equipment sells Ford cars and trucks in front and Caseih in back also are Mf,Kubota,Agco and alot of short lines.Not sure of the tractor line that they carried in the 1950,s but guessing iH
 
There used to be lots but the bigger farm equipment got
dealers had to either run separate enterprises or choose one
or the other.
 
There were many years ago a couple of Ford dealers that had both automotive and farm equipment. A Chrysler dealer that also had IH trucks. Anything else that may have
been locally I am unaware of.
 
Where I grew up there was Taylor Implement in one direction that sold International trucks and farm equipment. In the other direction was Dodd's Motors that sold everything that Ford offered.
 
Dont know of any now, but Tom Tabola Ford in Cadott, WI sold both Ford ag and car/pickup lines. Went there a couple times as a
kid... closed 25+ years now.
 
Bought a couple Allis off of Wilbur back in 80s and 90s. Kind of weird have 2 MF dealers in town now. Link Fraley told me he is going to build a museum, he has collected all the toy tractor and implements from way back in the 40-50 up. Ask me about my TO35?
 
Schmidt Ford,downtown Baltimore,Md.,before it became a jungle. Ford cars,trucks,and tractors. Dad bought a new 3000 Ford tractor there,in 1965.
 
Rocklake, ND had Oakland and Knutt Implement with IHC and Chrysler. Cando, ND had Cando Sales and Service with Case and Chevrolet; Cando also had Atkins Implement with Minneapolis-Moline, Oldsmobile and GMC.
 
Up to the mid 1970's Fowler's in Charolotte, Michigan sold Chevrolet and Oliver.
In the 50's and 60's they also sold Case equipment.
 
The dealer I retired from had all the Gm line, Chevy, Pont, Olds, Buick, Caddys and GMC on one lot. He had to put up another show room about a hundred foot from the original show room to satisfy GM. He also had another Chevy/Buick dealer ship about 25 miles west and a Ford/Chrysler dealership about 25 miles southwest. Even had a Toyota dealership 30 miles south for a few years.
 
Kilmarnock, Va used to have one, although it operated side by side in seperate buildings. One building
was the Gm dealership in and in the other was the John Deere dealership. To get from the Deere office and
showroom to she shop and parys dept., you had to walk through the GM bodyshop.

Watkins Motor Co. in South Hill, Va was Chevrolet and JD.

At one time Loving Motor Co., in Ashland, Va., had Ford cars, trucks, and tractors. They eventually built
a new tractor dealership across the street. It was later sold, and has been closed for more than 20
years. The auto dealership was sold, built a new dealership in town, was sold again and built yet another
new dealership!

Also in Ashland, Noland & Stiles had IH trucks and Ferguson tractors. That dealership went out before the
MHF merger, and Joe Stiles was married to the daughter of the owner of Luck Chevrolet in town, which was
a livery stable and blacksmith shop, before getting the Chevrolet franchise in 1916! It's still there,
and still family owned!
 
I remember seeing a FUll GM line dealership here and there

they were NOT common. most only sold a couple lines and rarely had cheevy and gmc on the same lot.

seemed like many had chevy and one or 2 of of the others. usually saw gmc by them selves or with buick or cadilacs

i grew up in Laurel DE. we had Russels garage in town that was a GMC dealer. they never had more than 1 or 2 new trucks on the lot. don't really remember any used ones either.

had a plymouth dealer too. they never had more than 2-3 cars on the lot IF that many. of course neither are in business now.


if i recall it wasn't real common for IH dealers to even carry the truck line with the tractors.
 
Nerhaugen Chevrolet in Zumbrota, Mn. sold chev & other gm products as well as Allis Chalmers farm equipment in the 50's.

Pete
 
Mr Carter in Madison use to sell Pontiacs and IH Farmalls and all kind of farm equipment probably in the 70's when he retired. If he gave you a price on
a car you wouldn't get anybody to match it. I ordered a 66 Pontiac when I was 19 and he gave me a price. He couldn't find my car in a 66 so he ordered
a 67 for me. When it came in he had cut the price on it. He told me it didn't cost quite as much so he gave me the difference. Try finding a dealer like
that now.I traded with him till he retired.
 
Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealerships were common as were GMC/Pontiac and Buick/Cadillac.

Dean
 
Jim in Rush Co,

Floyd Kirklin sold Cadillac, Buick and Massey Harris. It was located where Gettingers (Dawson's) carwash is now.
 
A friend of mine worked for an Oliver /GMC truck dealer in
Wisconsin in the 1970?s . I believe Nortz and Virkler Ford in
Lowville NY sold Ford tractors along with Ford cars and trucks
in the 9-2-8n days.
 
Easson sales and service, pontiac,gmc and oliver
tractors and machinery . Lockwood,mo they closed
oliver,sold it to an inlaw in 73,closed gmc
pontiac about 6 years ago shop is still open as
well as a parts store
 
Marzolf Implement in Spring Valley, Minn., sold Allis Chalmers and Studebaker. They are still in business, but obviously without the Studebaker part!
 
Back in 1955, local Buick dealer also sold Evinrude outboard motors. My dad bought the biggest and smallest Evinrude , a Big Twin 25 Hp, and the light twin 3 Hp. I got to run both much later. joe
 
44Wheatland did you ever bowl up above the old Coke plant? I still have a few of the Coke bottles with Rushville IN on the bottom, been a lot of years since the location was on the bottles and not sure when they shut down Kirklin's neighbor.
 
Old friend Brent and sister Ronda Martin Dove Creek Co sell Ford auto line. Used to sell Allis
Chalmers. Now New Holland. His father Mr Martin just retired or at least comes in once in a while.
Talked with Ronda a while ago just to make sure they still had auto and farm lines. Good honest
family to deal with.
 
Yep, there's Lochen Ford (auto) just down the road from me. The sell Kubota as their main line now. Was Case IH & IH before that. I know they started
with Buick in & about 1912. I'll have to ask if they had a FE line back then. There's also Koenecke Equipment over in Reedsburg that has Ford & Case
IH.

Mike
 
60 years ago this week my dad bought the 52 Merc from a GM dealer's lot. That dealer also sold Massey Ferguson farm equipment. Our IH dealer
sold a full line of IH trucks as well. The Case dealer also sold Chrysler products. I think in the fifties pretty well every implement dealer
had a line of automobiles as well.
 
In Gallatin Mo early 70s Moore Motor Co sold Ford tractors and American Motors. The Case dealer sold Oldsmobile and Caddilac. In Princeton Mo the JD house sold Buick or Pontiac and Trainer Imp had sold Ramblers along with Ford tractors. Trainers had been Oliver, AC,
 

Local Old's/Cadillac dealer has brought out all the other GM dealers around and sell's every GM make... They rock I have never seen them slow its always packed with buyers and the repair/ body shop is always full... The unusual its rare his help leaves It happens but when they do they always come back...

There use to be a Ford Lincoln dealer here that sold Fordson tractors that was before my time... The building is still standing the signage is still on the building...



https://www.flickr.com/photos/army_arch/2047428044

There was a International truck dealer that sold IHC/ Farmalls but a Walgrees brought it and dozed it down...
 
Man, am I getting forgetful! In 1973 I bought a new Plymouth Satellite at Grau motors in Newell Iowa. Grau sold Chrysler Plymouth out of the same building he sold Allis Chalmers. Tractors and cars were serviced side by side in the same building. I gained a lifelong friend when I took the Satellite in for service work and I got to talking to the young mechanic working on an Allis in the next stall while the Satellite was being worked on. He and I hit it off Right and the rest is history.
 
chadwick il dealer sold Chevrolet cars and truck case tractors and new idea
Shannon il dealer sold Chrysler products international tractors and trucks sols dodge roll back truck to the case,new idea,
new Holland in same town
 
I worked in north central Iowa at a farmer owned co-op and we were the International Harvestor dealer until the mid 70's.
 
I don't know if they still are or not but 3 years ago my wife and I were in Sturgis, South Dakota I believe and there was a big New Holland/ Chevrolet and maybe GMC dealer all together. Might have had something else car wise but that is what I remember seeing for sure. I think we saw another car/tractor dealership somewhere else on that trip but I can't remember where now. The one in Sturgis was the first one I'd ever seen myself.
 
Schaffer & Bierline sold John deere and Dodge in Frankenmuth MI. Land lord bought a new 4020 and later a 4000 They never liked the
4000 said it just did not have the weight for traction.
 
Don't remember the name but the GMC/Olds dealer in Junction City KS was also the JD dealer. First saw them in 74/75 1st time I was at Ft Riley and they were still in business on my last tour there 93-96. I bought an engine kit for an Onan CCK from them in 95. Was cheaper to get the JD kit than to go through ONAN.

In 74-78 in Wakefield KS the Chevy dealer sold IH tractors. Same thing, I never did business with them so don't recall the name. By the 90's of course IH was gone but the Chevy dealer was gone too.

Here in MN Stan Moe Ford in Battle Lake sold the Ford automotive lineup as well as Ford AG and new Holland. When Stan retired Ford pulled the dealership. That would have been in the late 80's when he retired.

So back in the day it wasn't really uncommon I don't think.

Rick
 
wasn't saying there weren't as many combinations as possible... seems like GMC was "more common' to see with buick or caddy

our local chevy dealer was a chevy/olds dealer until GM dropped the oldsmobile line they are a very small dealer (25-30 new cars max) so i'm surprised they survived but the next closest GM dealer of any flavor (GMC/Buick) is about 20 miles.
 
(quoted from post at 12:34:00 10/14/19) Where I grew up there was Taylor Implement in one direction that sold International trucks and farm equipment. In the other direction was Dodd's Motors that sold everything that Ford offered.

We had a Dodd's Motors up here that sold Ford. Are you talking Gouverneur?
 

We had an IHC/Jeep dealer that sold everything IHC made- trucks, Travelalls, tractors, freezers, etc. You'd have an IHC Travelall sitting next to a Jeep Wagoneer. True Comparison shopping!

It was before my time but I've seen ads in old newspapers for Ford dealers that sold car's/trucks and tractors. I've also seen advertisements from Ford talking about being able to access Ford tractor parts at any Ford auto dealer.
 

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