Original ads, historic design drawings, and factory photographs tell the definitive story of the American tractor's development, mechanical innovations, groundbreaking designs, and company histories. Best-selling author Randy Leffingwell researched and photographed restored classics and one-of-a-kind experimental models from coast-to-coast to deliver the goods on American farm tractor. This is the book that started it all! Previous hardcover edition (0-87938-532-4 pub 1991) has sold a staggering 150,000!
By the end of the twentieth century there were some half-million tractors on British farms - more machines than people to drive them. Brian Bell's encyclopaedic book traces the evolution of the farm tractor from the days of starting handle and pan seat to current 4-wheel drive machines with air-conditioned cabs and computer management systems. He deals in particular with developments of the classic period from the 1950s to the 1990s. The book is arranged alphabetically by manufacturer from Allis-Chalmers to Zetor, one hundred marques in total. These are all machines to be found on British farms irrespective of their country of manufacture. Brian runs concisely through the histories of the companies and their major models, illustrated with a wealth of photographs and extracts from sales literature. He adds some special features on items such as hydraulic systems and cold-starting aids. He includes a glossary and full index. This book replaces the author's earlier, successful, Fifty Years of Farm Tractors. Many of the photographs are new and the text has been brought up to date to include developments of the early twenty-first century.
By the end of the twentieth century there were some half-million tractors on British farms - more machines than people to drive them. Brian Bell's encyclopaedic book traces the evolution of the farm tractor from the days of starting handle and pan seat to current 4-wheel drive machines with air-conditioned cabs and computer management systems. He deals in particular with developments of the classic period from the 1950s to the 1990s. The book is arranged alphabetically by manufacturer from Allis-Chalmers to Zetor, one hundred marques in total. These are all machines to be found on British farms irrespective of their country of manufacture. Brian runs concisely through the histories of the companies and their major models, illustrated with a wealth of photographs and extracts from sales literature. He adds some special features on items such as hydraulic systems and cold-starting aids. He includes a glossary and full index. This book replaces the author's earlier, successful, Fifty Years of Farm Tractors. Many of the photographs are new and the text has been brought up to date to include developments of the early twenty-first century.
DIVIf you’re a tractor enthusiast with a passion for tractor photography, Legendary Farm Tractors is a dream-come-true pictorial produced with you in mind. Containing more color photographs of more types of farm tractors than any other book in print, Legendary Farm Tractors presents tractors from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan—models from the 1880s to today—along with detailed captions, together offering a comprehensive photographic history of tractors. Organized alphabetically by make so that readers can find their favorites easily, the tractors covered here include everything from familiar manufacturers like John Deere, Ford, Farmall, Case, Caterpillar, and International Harvester to obscure tractors that have seldom been seen, such as the special streamlined Porsche coffee plantation tractor that looks more like a sports car than a piece of farm equipment. The extensive variety and distinguished photographs by noted photographer Andrew Morland make this an exceptional book for tractor buffs and the perfect gift book for any machine enthusiast./div
Farm Machinery has long been the standard book on current theory and practice for both students and farmers. This fully revised 5th edition incorporates new text and photographs which reflect the many changes and developments that have taken place over the last decade. This new text has been added to complement earlier material concerning the working principles, operation and maintenance of vast array of the somewhat less sophisticated farm tractors and farm machines in use on British farms in the twenty-first century. There are chapters on tractors, cultivation and drilling machinery, crop treatment and harvest machinery. Further sections deal with farmyard and estate maintenance machinery, mechanical handlers, dairy equipment, irrigation, farm power and the farm workshop.
"Mr. Dahlstrom...has written a superb history of the tractor and this long-forgotten period of capitalism in U.S. agriculture. We now know the whole story of when farming, business and the free-market economy diverged, divided and conquered." —Wall Street Journal Discover the untold story of the “tractor wars,” the twenty-year period that introduced power farming—the most fundamental change in world agriculture in hundreds of years. Before John Deere, Ford, and International Harvester became icons of American business, they were competitors in a forgotten battle for the farm. From 1908-1928, against the backdrop of a world war and economic depression, these brands were engaged in a race to introduce the tractor and revolutionize farming. By the turn of the twentieth century, four million people had left rural America and moved to cities, leaving the nation’s farms shorthanded for the work of plowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and threshing. That’s why the introduction of the tractor is an innovation story as essential as man’s landing on the moon or the advent of the internet—after all, with the tractor, a shrinking farm population could still feed a growing world. But getting the tractor from the boardroom to the drafting table, then from factory and the farm, was a technological and competitive battle that until now, has never been fully told. A researcher, historian, and writer, Neil Dahlstrom has spent decades in the corporate archives at John Deere. In Tractor Wars, Dahlstrom offers an insider’s view of a story that entwines a myriad of brands and characters, stakes and plots: the Reverend Daniel Hartsough, a pastor turned tractor designer; Alexander Legge, the eventual president of International Harvester, a former cowboy who took on Henry Ford; William Butterworth and the oft-at-odds leadership team at John Deere that partnered with the enigmatic Ford but planned for his ultimate failure. With all the bitterness and drama of the race between Ford, Dodge, and General Motors, Tractor Wars is the untold story of industry stalwarts and disruptors, inventors, and administrators racing to invent modern agriculture—a power farming revolution that would usher in a whole new world.
This comprehensive guide to both agricultural mechanization and road transport is divided into two parts, one following the development of the tractor and farming machinery and the other focusing on the origins and functions of different kinds of trucks. Written by two transport enthusiasts, this guide includes historic accounts of transport development, A-Z guides to all the major manufacturers and over 1,500 color reference photographs.
The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors explores the range of iconic “green tractors” with which Illinois-based John Deere has become one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Part of Motorbooks’ Complete Book series, this fact-packed volume takes you through dozens of John Deere farm models, beginning with the 1892 Waterloo Boy and ending with the game-changing New Generation and Generation II lines. With selected text from The Bigger Book of John Deere by late legendary Deere historian Don Macmillan, this book details year-to-year model changes within each series and offers comprehensive specs charts compiled by Deere authority John Dietz. In addition to the Waterloo Boy, you’ll witness the entire 40-plus years of two-cylinder “Johnny Poppers,” from the 1924 Model D through the 830 Series models in 1960, and the styled tractors of the prewar and postwar years. Also featured heavily are the groundbreaking New Generation tractors launched to much fanfare in 1960 and their successors, the New Generation II lineup with their Sound-Gard cabs. Standard, row-crop, orchard, and even a selection of experimental models…they’re all here. In addition, you'll find coverage of John Deere’s rich international heritage, with tractors produced in Spain, Germany, and Australia. Illustrated with incredible color photography and period advertising, The Complete Book of Classic John Deere Tractors isan essential edition for the library of any Deere fanatic.
The definitive visual history of the tractor The complete history of farm machinery, from steam and vintage tractors to the latest combine harvesters is showcased in this lavishly illustrated volume. Packed with images and tractor data on more than 200 iconic machines, The Tractor Book explores the entire range of tractors and farming machines from around the world, such as Fordson Model F and Massey-Harris GP. Histories of famous marques, such as John Deere and Massey Ferguson, sit alongside immersive visual tours of celebrated machines. The Tractor Book covers how tractors work, their history, major marques and catalogues tractors from every era making this a must-have for anyone fascinating by these extraordinary machines.
The Complete Book of Farmall Tractors details the complete evolution of the popular marque's iconic models. The engaging text includes series evolution, historical context, and technical details, accompanied by beautiful contemporary and historic images. In 1923, International Harvester revolutionized the tractor world by conceiving the Farmall brand, a revolutionary new line of all-purpose tractors designed for small- to medium-sized farms. Eventually offering an array of engine and equipment options, by the 1930s Farmalls were bestowed with letters as their model names, from the compact A, B, and C models to the larger H and M tractors. Fittingly known as the "Letter Series," the tractors were even given a streamlined design by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Not surprisingly, they went on to become some of the most widely produced and best-selling American farm tractors of all time, to be followed beginning in 1954 with the numbered Hundred Series models. By 1947, Farmall had built over 1 million tractors. Amazingly, many are still in use today, not just as collector vehicles, but often as working farm tractors. In The Complete Book of Farmall Tractors, tractor historian Robert Pripps explores the entire range of Farmall tractors, from their inception to their final model year in 1973. Pripps includes all models, from Diesel and LPG versions to orchard tractors. Pripps also explains the evolution of Farmall lines and gives coverage to the entry-market Cub unveiled in 1947, as well as the Hundred Series, right up to the cancellation of the Farmall name in 1973. Through engaging text and fascinating photography, The Complete Book of Farmall Tractors preserves the story of the legendary pioneering machines in detail. The book's content is organized chronologically, and its detailed text shines a light on Farmall's long history and evolution. Beautiful images, both modern and historic, bring the story to life and thorough spec tables highlight key technical and performance specifications. The result is the ultimate reference to some of the most popular farm tractors in history.
