Fordson Model F Dearborn, MI 1917

The story of Fordson tractors begins The Fordson name was selected for Ford stopped tractor production in with Henry Ford. Born in 1863 in two reasons. First, there was already a the U.S. in 1928, choosing instead to Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford’s company in Minneapolis using the name focus on the new Model A automobile parents had moved to the U.S. from “Ford Tractor Company,” trying to that would be replacing the Model T. near Cork in Ireland and now ran a large capitalize on the name of very successful However, Fordson production continued farm of several hundred acres. Young Ford Model T by tricking customers into in Cork, Ireland, and later in Dagenham, Henry soon found farm work hard and believing the tractor was made by Henry England. After Fordson production was preferred tinkering with machines to Ford. Second, the shareholders of the transferred to Cork, exports to the U.S. laboring on the farm. Fortunately, his Ford Motor Company did not approve of were limited to 1,500 a month, which father approved of Henry’s inclination to tractor production and wanted nothing restricted sales at Ford dealerships. take machines apart and put them back to do with it. So in 1920, Henry Ford and together. In 1903, Ford formed the Ford his son, Edsel, established an entirely The original Fordson Model F tractor Motor Company using his knowledge new firm, “Ford and Son, Inc.,” which was was eventually outsold by International of machinery to turn his hobby into a later shortened to just “Fordson”. Harvester, which offered a more efficient business, and he subsequently employed alternative and subsequently became principles of mass production in one of Under this new company, the Model F market leader. Competition from the early such efforts to keep costs down. flourished with 34,000 tractors being International Harvester and General produced in its first full year of production. Motors forced Ford to reduce the price Ford did not want to stop there. He It overtook by a considerable margin all of the Model F from $750 to $395. To wanted to mechanize the drudgery of the other tractor manufacturers then in compensate for the lower price, the farming, so he started work on a small, existence. At a hurriedly built factory in company had to cut costs and strive for affordable tractor for the small farmer. Dearborn, Michigan, Ford used the same larger-volume production. Ford hoped to popularize small tractors assembly line techniques he had used to by mass producing them, just as his mass-produce the Ford Model T. It took The Model F itself did not change much Model T had done for automobiles. A 30 hours and 40 minutes to convert the during its production life. Fordson growing need for tractors caused many raw materials into the 4,000 parts used production at the Rouge factory in small manufacturers to begin converting for the tractor assembly. the U.S. dominated the tractor market Ford’s cars into tractors. Basing the throughout the world during much of the design on a car meant the tractor would When the Fordson was first released, 1920s. It is interesting to note that the be limited in its usefulness – what was each tractor sold for $750 and cost “Hoyt-Clagwell” tractor on the TV sitcom really needed was a purpose-built $567.14 to manufacture, which included “Green Acres” was a Fordson Model F. machine. materials, labor, and overhead costs, It was known to randomly “explode,” leaving a profit of $182.86 per tractor. followed by one or both of the rear In 1907, Ford began the design of what Originally constructed in Dearborn, wheels falling off. Also in 1926, Fordson today we call an internal- combustion the Model F production was eventually demonstrated a Model F converted engine for the tractor, an idea that would moved to a large new Rouge River plant into a snowmobile, which they dubbed one day revolutionize farming. Ford was outside Detroit with a second factory the “Snow-Motor.” They were used, said to have built more than 50 different also opening in 1919 in Cork, Irelan. unsuccessfully, by Richard Byrd’s first prototypes until the development of the Another smaller plant in Hamilton, Ohio, Antarctic expedition. Fordson F in 1917, more than 10 years also built the Model F for a number of after he started. years.

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