The Skid Steer Loader History.
History on tractors, hydraulics, attachments,
the evolution revolution of farm equipment and and the modern day Skid
Steer loaders and the companies and individuals that invented and produced
them.
History Segments :
Melroe
Manufaturing Company The Bobcat Story "Birth of The Skid Steer Loader"
Loegering
Mfg. Inc.George and Marilyn Loegering Track History
Harry
Ferguson Hydraulic 3-piont Hitching System
Henry
Ford "Fordson "Automobile Plough to "New Holland" Tractors
The Case Company
THE HARRY FERGUSON
STORY
Harry Ferguson Hydraulic 3-piont Hitching System
Harry Ferguson, the son
of an Irish farmer, was born in Belfast in 1884. He started experimenting
with tractors and ploughs in his early years. Harry's main contribution
to tractor development was the invention of a hydraulically controlled
3-point hitching system for implements drawn behind the tractor. It was
called the "Ferguson System". The first tractors to use the Ferguson System
were produced by David Brown in 1938. The Ferguson Brown Type A.
Harry Ferguson met with Henry Ford in 1938 and, over a handshake, it
was agreed that the 3-point hitch would be installed on the Ford tractors
being built at that time.
It was also agreed that the tractors would carry the Ferguson insignia.
Ford 9N (1939-1942)
Ford 2N (1942-1947)
In 1947 the handshake agreement was terminated by Henry Ford's grandson.
Although the 3-point hitch was used, the Ferguson Insignia was not carried
on the next line of Ford tractors: Ford 8N
Ferguson sued and received a substantial settlement. Ferguson also
brought out his own tractors, starting with the TO-20 in 1948. They looked
remarkably similar to the Ford 9N and 2N, and of course, they had the 3-point
hitch.
In 1953, Ferguson and Massey-Harris merged to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson.
Some time later, the company name was shortened to Massey-Ferguson.
THE FORD TRACTOR
STORY
Henry Ford "Fordson "Automobile Plough to "New Holland" Tractors
From the first Fordson in 1917 through the latest and most modern Ford
tractors of Fiat Agri, the Ford farm tractors held an important role in
changing the way agriculture and other work was conducted. The Ford tractors
were not the first such machines, and not always the best such machines,
but they were the first to be produced on a massive scale and the first
farm tractors to be affordable by average farmers and rural citizens. Henry
Ford believed that his tractors were the key to eliminating war and improving
the human condition, and perhaps in the end he was partially correct. The
Ford tractors have provided food enough for the population of the world
to grow exponentially and have improved the standards of living beyond
anything that could have been imagined in 1917. In the final analysis his
farm tractors did indeed change the world. Now read about their history
below and see for yourself how they evolved over the course of several
decades.
Henry Ford was the son of an Irish
farmer. His main achievement was to make cars affordable to a large number
of people. He achieved the same with tractors.
He built his first tractor in 1907,
but never actually called it a 'tractor'. It was an 'automobile plough'.
The other board members of the
Ford company were not very enthusiastic about building tractors, so Henry
set up a separate company, called 'Fordson'. His first mass-produced tractor
was the Fordson Model F. It was built at Dearborn (USA) from 1917 to 1928,
and in Cork (Ireland) from 1919 to 1922.
The Fordson Model F Tractor
All tractor production was stopped in
1928, but the factory in Ireland was re-opened, where the Fordson Model
N was built from 1929 to 1932, mainly to serve the Russian market! This
production line was moved to Dagenham in England in 1933.
Harry Ferguson met with Henry Ford in
1938 and, over a handshake, it was agreed that the Ferguson 3-point hitch
would be installed on the Ford tractors being built at that time. It was
also agreed that the tractors would carry the Ferguson insignia.
Ford 9N (1939-1942) Ford 2N (1942-1947)
In 1947 the handshake agreement was
terminated by Henry Ford's grandson. Although the 3-point hitch was used,
the Ferguson Insignia was not carried on the next line of Ford tractors:
Ford 8N (1947-1952)
Ferguson sued and received a substantial
settlement.
To avoid further trouble, Ford deleloped
their own new hydraulic system which was used on the Golden Jubilee Ford
NAA tractor (1953-1954).
Ford only offered one model to the
public at any time. This tractor was always aimed at the 'average' farmer.
Only in 1954 did they first produce a range of tractors for different needs.
By providing a reliable and affordable tractor, Ford made an enormous contribution
to the growth in tractor use on farms around the world.
In 1986, Ford Tractors merged with
Sperry New Holland to form a new company called Ford New Holland. Fiat
bought Ford New Holland in 1991, and merged it with the Fiat agricultural
machinery division to form New Holland Geotech, which had its name shortened
to New Holland in 1993.
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