The American Farm Tractor

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!

This is truly an American story. A story of individuals struggling to achieve a goal espoused by National Leaders, a story of a struggle to find a faster, cheaper and more humane way for farmers to plow their ground. This book presents a glimpse into the long American saga of developing machines to cultivate the land. To the extent possible, the words of the people observing or directly involved in America's development of mechanical cultivation have been used. Many of the images in this book are contemporary to the story being told. This saga starts in the 1830s, and spans several generations of American inventors, and stops at the end of 1916, the start of the final phase in the development of the American farm tractor. 1917 was when America entered the First World War, and was the eve of Henry Ford's entry into the tractor business. Both events significantly advanced the mechanization of American agriculture.

Traces the history of the farm tractor, its development, designs, and manufacturers, and discusses how it revolutionized American agriculture

Andrew Morland's beautiful photography captures choice examples of classic American farm tractors. Nick Baldwin provides details on the makeup and histories of these classics, which bear brand names such as Waterloo Boy, John Deere, Farmall, and Oliver. Pictured here are the true pioneers -- the great models from the great manufacturers that broke new technological ground at a time when some farmers still clung to their plow horses. These machines changed the face of farming in America.

"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 nostalgic look at the fascinating industry will appeal to tractor and farm machinery enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the activities of the farm implement business. Farm equipment dealers have been supplying the needs of farmers, and through them the nourishment needs of the world, for well over the century. This well-researched reference documents the evolution of these dealerships and their equipment, through the personal accounts of many dealership owners and managers, as well as parts persons, servicemen, salesmen, and customers. Included in American Farm Tractor Dealerships: &break;&break;Vintage photos of showroom floors, building exteriors, service areas, and parts departments &break;&break;Illustrations of floor plans &break;&break;Marketing and promotional items businesses used, such as newspaper ads, giveaways and more

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 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.