Doug Harke

Tractor Mile Stones: Part I 

Ad for the Arcade cast iron Fordson.

As I write about the toy farming hobby, I often think about the real tractors which are the inspiration for the toys. One of my frequent mental exercises is to decide which of the tractors brought significant new concepts to the development of the modern machine. After reading many of the books on real tractors and especially the ones with much text by engineers and not just the ones with primarily nice color pictures, I made some preliminary choices and then began to talk with farmers and dealers who sold, serviced and used these tractors since the 1920’s.

The first tractor with high volume, low price, and good performance was the Fordson F which was introduced in 1918. Prior to this model, farm tractors were little more than an engine, simple drive train, and some wheels. The Fordson F was cheap at $395 and was the first mass-produced tractors that was ideal for plowing and other heavy fieldwork. For this low price you got a modern four-cylinder L-head engine, three-speed transmission, and a maneuverable compact size in comparison to the steam engine sized tractors of the day. Both ease of use and low price prompted many farmers to switch from horses for their heavy fieldwork. During the mid-1920’s Fordson had almost 60% of the market in spite of competition from more than 100 competitors. There are a number of nice models to represent this milestone including the cast iron Arcade Fordsons of the 1920’s, the 1970 Ertl replica of this early toy, and the later properly scaled Fordson F introduced by Ertl in 1989

Ertl diecast replica of the Arcade Fordson was introduced in 1970 and was made for more than fifteen years.

Later version of the Fordson was brought out by Ertl in 1989.

Early tractors used a standard or wheatland design with a fixed tread and a low center of gravity. This was ideal for plowing and grain farming but not useful for row crops such as corn and beans which needed cultivation. International Harvester brought out the first Farmall Regular in 1926 and this narrow front design survived until the late 1960’s. Basically, the narrow front went between the rows and the rear wheels could be adjusted to go between other rows. Other designs, such as the John Deere GP tried to straddle the row and this was not very satisfactory. Farmall also used an offset rear axle to raise the axle high enough to clear the partially grown crops. A 20 horsepower, four cylinder engine, coupled to a three-speed transmission, could handle a two-bottom plow. Separate brakes for each rear wheel ensured tight turns. International provided a wide variety of implement for the rear, front and side of the tractor and soon Farmall almost owned the row crop tractor market. The earliest toy to model the Farmall Regular was the gray cast iron Arcade on steel. This is a very pricey toy to use as a model so you can spring for $25 or less for one of the Ertl shelf model regulars made in the late 1980’s. The first IH Precision was the Farmall Regular and this is the ideal model for your historic display.

Farmall Regular by Arcade on the left and Ertl Precision model on the right. Note that the Arcade version is closer to 1/20 scale.

Arcade Farmall M on the left and plastic Product Miniature Farmall M on the right.

There is a connection between the second and third milestone because the Farmall Regular later became the F-20 and many of its concepts were used to develop a larger row crop tractor, the F-30 which in turn served as the predecessor to the Farmall M which was brought out in 1939. The new streamlined design served as the new standard until the next major change to the 460 and 560 in 1958. Featured in the M were a modern four-cylinder engine, five speeds forward transmission, easy steering, comfortable seat for the era, and a foot clutch. Most M’s were narrow front but wide front and high clearance models were also available and a diesel model was introduced in 1940. Farmall M’s were a true three-plow tractor and they could handle a four-bottom plow in some soils. An upgraded model, the Super M, was brought out in 1952 and this was a four-plow tractor. MTA versions, introduced in 1954 provided two speeds in every gear and a live PTO. Shortly after the introduction of the MTA, IH changed the sheet metal and called the new tractor a 400. A white grill and a few more horsepower resulted in the 450 which was introduced in 1956. There is good selection of toys and models of the Farmall M starting with the Arcade cast iron M which was made when the real tractor was introduced. This was followed by the plastic M made by Product Miniature from 1946-53. Many plastic M’s were made because one million of these toys were sold by the end of 1947 according to an IH employee magazine. If you want almost as much detail as the real tractor, choose the Precision M made by Ertl.

Precision Farmall M on left and Anniversary M on right are nice models to represent your Milestone collection.

Ford 9N was one of the TTT’s tractor’s.

During the same time that the Farmall M was being brought to market, an Irish investor and industrialist, Harry Ferguson, had perfected a design to mount implements on the rear of a tractor. This was placed on a new Ford tractor design and introduced in 1939. To keep the development time short and price low, the four cylinder engine in the new Ford Ferguson tractor was one cylinder bank of the famous Ford V-8 car engine. Officially, this all gray model was known as the 9N. In 1948, Ford decided to market their own tractor and kept the hood and fenders gray and changed the underbody to red to come up with the 8N model. Ferguson countered with its own tractor, the TO-20, which was all gray and powered by a Continental engine. The Ford Ferguson utility tractor design with a low center of gravity and good ground clearance is still copied today. Ferguson’s three-point hitch system, with its weight transfer, allowed this small, light tractor to handle a two-bottom plow in 1940. This is quite significant because a two-bottom plow was a full load for the much larger 1940 John Deere A or Allis-Chalmer WC. It wasn’t until Ferguson’s patent expired that other companies were able to market three-point hitch systems. By the late 1950’s, most other manufacturers had their own utility models with more power and live PTO and hydraulics. Arcade made the first toy 9N which was a 1/16 scale cast iron toy and came with or without a working mounted two-bottom plow. Product Miniature made a plastic 1/12 scale 8N from the late 1940’s through 1952. Ertl made 1/16 scale models of both the 8N and 9N with and without plows in the mid and late 1980’s. However, the ultimate model of the Fords are the Ertl Precisions which came in 2N, 8N, and 9N versions.

Ford 8N Precision model closely resembles the real tractor.

Next month, I will give you my remaining four milestone picks to end the millennium.

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