This book covers the story of British tractors from the early years of the 20th century, through World War 2 to the present day. It was only really in the postwar years that the tractor became the universal symbol of farm equipment, and in this era that all of the famous manufacturing names in Britain could be seen in farms all over the country. Manufacturers include giants such as Ferguson and Fordson, which operated on a global scale although they did build tractors in the UK, to British manufacturers such as Morris or Massey, and other specialist companies. Some of these names still survive today and many thousands of historical vehicles are preserved and can be seen at shows, often in action or in agricultural competitions. The text is complemented with photographs of many of the tractor types built in Britain in these years, from the earliest days pre-war days to the more recent era. Although written by an expert this highly accessible and affordable title will appeal to both enthusiasts and those with a general interest in the subject.
Agricultural technology has moved on, inexorably, from broad-cast seed and the sound of the threshing flail, via the portable steam engine and the threshing machine, right through to the modern world of giant tractors and efficient farming methods. This book traces the broad sweep of the whole industry over 200 years. Beginning with the pre-modern world of the horse-drawn plough and the flail, it tells the story of the British agricultural engineering industry, and how it has revolutionized British farming - a revolution which is still going on today. A central theme of the book is technical innovation - the replacement of the wooden plough of the eighteenth century with the iron plough, the triumph of the steam engine and the threshing machine in the late Victorian era, and the tractor and combine harvester revolution of the twentieth century. Along the way we meet the inventors, form Jethro Tull to Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson. Apart from the larger issues of business history, the personal is not neglected. We enter the worlds of the Victorian factory laborer, the local employer dynasties of the later nineteenth century, the women workers of the First World War, the office politics of the 1920s, and of the enigmatic Harry Ferguson. We uncover the treachery of the Russian agent at Odessa in 1918, and find out why the attempt to create a massive industry-wide combination after the First World War failed so disastrously.
"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.
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.
Farm Machinery is the standard book on the current theory and practice of farm mechanisation for students and farmers. First published in 1979, this new sixth edition incorporates much new text together with 280 new colour photographs illustrating the steady flow of developments in farm mechanisation that have taken place over the past decade. Recent advances in computer technology and satellite field mapping are included and new content enriches the earlier material dealing with the working principles and operation of the vast array of the somewhat less sophisticated farm tractors and machines still in use on British farms. There are chapters on tractors, cultivation and drilling equipment, crop care and harvest machinery. Further chapters deal with farmyard and estate maintenance equipment, mechanical handlers, dairy equipment, irrigation farm power and the farm workshop. References are made to the UK Health & Safety at Work Act and other safety regulations. These summarise their main requirements, but they should only be taken as a guide. Brian Bell has had a long involvement with farm machinery that started with an apprenticeship in a tractor dealership. After a teaching career on farm machinery at Otley College in Suffolk he retired as Vice Principal in 1993 when he was awarded the MBE for services to agriculture. Brian Bell has written a number of books and made seventeen DVDs on modern and vintage tractors and machinery.
Austin is most famous for their cars, but the company played an important part in the history of agriculture too. This is the first study of the tractors from Austin.
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.
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.
