Online Catalogue last updated 17th of September 2023
In 1892, John Froelich built the first practical gasoline-powered tractor in Clayton County, Iowa. Only two were sold, and it was not until 1911, when the Twin City Traction Engine Company developed the design that it became successful. In Britain, the first recorded tractor sale was the oil-burning Hornsby-Ackroyd Patent Safety Oil Traction engine in 1897, but the first to be commercially successful was Dan Albone's three-wheeled Ivel tractor of 1902. In 1908, the Saunderson Tractor and Implement Company of Bedford introduced a four-wheel design and went on to become the largest tractor manufacturer outside the USA. The very first traction engines were developed around 1850 and the classic farm tractor is a simple, open vehicle with two very large wheels on an axle below and slightly behind a single seat. Recently, Bobcat's patent on its front loader connection has expired, and compact tractors are now being outfitted with quick-connect attachments for their front-end loaders. And today, articulated or non-articulated steerable 'multi' tractors are in use.
Paperback with hundreds of colour photos of examples throughout.
Code No. 015353, 256 pages, ISBN 9780785825258, $28.00