Farm Tractors

After the first tractors appeared on the scene in the late 1890s, it took another two decades and plenty of modifications for farmers to embrace this once-crude technology in favor of the steam engine, further advancing the power-farming revolution. Written by an international expert in agricultural machinery, Farm Tractors takes readers back to the nineteenth century to look at the precursors to modern tractors and travels through the years to follow the machine’s evolution as tractors became indispensable equipment on farms across America. INSIDE FARM TRACTORS: •How steam-powered machinery gave way to tractors, and how tractors changed the way that farmers worked •Prominent early manufacturers and models, including Henry Ford’s legendary Model F, International Harvester’s Farmall, the Waterloo Boy, John Deere, and many more •The use of hydraulics, the advent of diesel engines, the availability of four-wheel drive, and other technical breakthroughs •The introduction of new fuel sources as alternatives to gasoline •Specialized tractors for orchard work, high-acreage operations, carrying loads, cultivating, and other scenarios •The tractor industry’s major expansion following World War II •Modern-day tractors and an outlook on the future of farm machinery

Describes how tractors work and the different jobs they perform on a farm.

Describes how tractors work and the different jobs they do on a farm.

The farm tractor brought the Industrial Revolution to the farm. It lifted the burden from the horse power to horsepower and brought mechanized power into the hands of all farmers. This book tells the fascinating story of the development of the farm tractor with more than 250 color photos of tractors from across the United States.

The history of the tractor is a short one of rapid development. In this book John Carroll charts this exceptional history, the machines and their manufacturers from the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company in 1892 to the JCB Fastrac, one of the numerous state-of-the-art machines on the market today.

The ultimate visual history for farm machinery enthusiasts, featuring tractors from AGCO Allis to Zetor.

The Big Book of Farm Tractors is the first large-format volume to chronicle the entire timeline of American farm tractors, from the steam power of the 1850s to the current offerings from New Holland, AGCO, John Deere, Caterpillar, and more. Detailed descriptions of tractors especially significant to the period, short essays on events defining the times, personal vignettes, collectibles, sales memorabilia, ads from old farm magazines, and old black & white photos of farm scenes make this a complete look at one of America’s greatest innovations. Whether you’re someone who has farmed, or someone simply with a love of the land, this book will give you a new perspective on the enormous influence of the tractor upon the American farm and culture.

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!