OT original Ford tractor

[JFLingg]

This one is in the museum in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The engine appeared to be in running order, but the rest would have needed work. Antique Power Magazine, Volume 18, no. 5 had an article, cover picture. The engine is an opposed design boat motor made in Ludington, Michigan.

[sid pileski]

Speaking of Ford and the Ford Estate, one MUST go visit the Henry Ford Museum just outside Detroit. One of the best museums in the country.
There's an indoor museum and an outdoor museum. Only been to the indoor one, requires a full day. Both are on the same property.

Agreed! Did both of them with the family years ago.
Plan to go back at some point. Did Fairlane estate too.
Estate is being refurbished.

Sid

[SLK001]

That tractor is also why Ford’s tractors were called Fordson. The jerk with the ford trademarked the name.

When did Henry Ford finally get to use the "Ford" name on his tractors? We use to have a Ford 9N tractor with the Ford name on it.

[Ohio Mike]

When did Henry Ford finally get to use the "Ford" name on his tractors? We use to have a Ford 9N tractor with the Ford name on it.

Ford made the Fordson tractor domestically in the USA from 1917 until about 1928 when they stopped production. Like the Model T it had become an antiquated design and International Harvester's introduction of the Farmall in 1924 totally changed the market. I believe the UK Fordsons lived on a bit longer but I don't know how long. Then Ford reentered the tractor market in late 1939 with the Ford 9N incorporating the Ferguson system 3 point hitch.

[SVS]

I look at that “Ford” tractor and think “Whyinthehell would that seem like a good idea!” Many others of the time were as bad or worse.

Designers were trying to replicate how horses were used I suppose.

[RB211]

I look at that “Ford” tractor and think “Whyinthehell would that seem like a good idea!” Many others of the time were as bad or worse.

Designers were trying to replicate how horses were used I suppose.

Makes sense, the farm implements were designed around how horses were used, so naturally the tractor is to replace the horse, it needs to have the same compatibility of the implements. Why the first cars were literally "horseless carriages".
To diverge from the norm back in the day would have taken extreme brazen nerves of steel and thinking outside the box. It's not like we came to what we have today overnight. Everything is a natural progression. The 3 point hitch was truly innovative at the time, especially considering it's the standard today.

[Jerrythepilot]

Harry Ferguson's invention wasn't just a three point hitch, it was draft control. If a plow pulled behind the tractor started to go too low it operated a hydraulic valve that would lift the hitch up to raise the plow back to its set draft depth. Conversely, if the hitch rose up so that your plowed furrow would be too shallow the calve would dump hydraulic pressure and the weight of the plow would lower it deeper into the earth. The Ford 9N and 2N, had this system, the later 8N added position control, so that an implement like a rake or mower could be held at a certain height.

[SVS]

I’ve spent thousands of hours in tractors and have never used “draft control” even once. It serves no purpose for any implement I’ve ever pulled.

Plowing with a marginally sized tractor is best rationale for draft control, but it’s always humored me how many accolades Sir Harry got for the invention, and how much effort other manufacturers put into duplicating without infringing, for something a lot of customers didn’t give a hoot about.

[Dave C]

I've overhauled many early Ford hydraulic systems and will tell you that getting the valve adjustments set right is a huge pita. You can think your measurements are done by the book. but when the cover is put back on the tractor, the sob may not hold the lift position steady, and you have to start the whole process over again. The job would be a lot simpler if the draft control mechanism was not in there.

[Ohio Mike]

The design of the tractor was just a continuation of the decades long evolution of steam. Early on steam units were portables designed to be pulled by horses. Later they evolved into self propelled units and rather quickly someone realized if we beef up the drive train on this thing we can pull a load. So it wasn't that the concept of the "tractor" was totally new, steam traction engines had been around while but they were neither affordable or useful for a small farmer. If you look at tractor progression (early on the term gasoline traction engine was used) the combined work gravitated towards a light weight multipurpose tractor the average farmer could use which is to say it would replace a team of horses. And early on there were in fact tractors based designed around the existing use of horses. Those designs like the "Line Drive" and "Rein Drive" tractors that actually used reins like a horse to steer the tractor. The idea was this would be familiar to the farmer and he could ride his existing equipment as he had before. While early on companies like International Harvester dominated the market the total market was rather small. It was the introduction of the Fordson that really lit the market on fire. In a few short years Ford produced more than half a million Fordson tractors.

[SVS]

I’ve heard that’s tough. The seals on the draft sensing shaft are a week point on the Deere.

[The Metal Butcher]

I’ve spent thousands of hours in tractors and have never used “draft control” even once. It serves no purpose for any implement I’ve ever pulled.

Plowing with a marginally sized tractor is best rationale for draft control, but it’s always humored me how many accolades Sir Harry got for the invention, and how much effort other manufacturers put into duplicating without infringing, for something a lot of customers didn’t give a hoot about.

I've used it with rakes and stuff. Pretty handy for avoiding gouges and taking out washboards which only get worse with a rear mounted implement in position.

[Jerrythepilot]

All I know is that around here little Fords pulling two bottom plows fed a lot of families. The few dairy farms left now all use much bigger machines, but most of them started with small Fords or Deeres.

[tom_d]

I’ve spent thousands of hours in tractors and have never used “draft control” even once. It serves no purpose for any implement I’ve ever pulled.

Plowing with a marginally sized tractor is best rationale for draft control, but it’s always humored me how many accolades Sir Harry got for the invention, and how much effort other manufacturers put into duplicating without infringing, for something a lot of customers didn’t give a hoot about.

All my thousands of hours the lift links were always set to positive depth control. Never had a load control implement that would work worth a damn. Standard operating procedure is to set a "dead" hitch. Hand is near the three point lever anyways, so I can make fine adjust settings as I see fit. "Draft control" is pouring a beer without getting excess foam in the mug..........

[Black Forest]

I am no professional farmer for sure but have always owned tractors. I also have never used the draft feature on any of my tractors. I never felt the need.