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John Froelich introduced the first gas powered tractor to the farming industry. Froelich is from Iowa.
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A Holt steam traction engine was used in the construction of the San Francisco cable car system.
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Henry Ford produced his first gasoline powered tractor model, in collaboration with chief engineer Joseph Galamb. Ford called his design the “automobile plow” which means tractor.
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The Bull Tractor Company introduced the first tractor manufactured for small farmers. Standard features included a single “bull” wheel, a two-cylinder 12 hp engine, and a cone clutch instead of a transmission gearbox.
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The Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company produced the first Waterloo Boy Tractor, also called the Model R single-speed tractor. Sales slowly climbed to 118 tractors within a year.
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The Farmall tractor, a light-duty, all-purpose, row-crop tractor advertised to “farm all,” was produced by International Harvester. According to The Big Book of Farmall Tractors, the Farmall revolutionized power farming in the U.S.
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John Deere was able to survive the Great Depression by focusing on product development; Model A and Model B tractors remained the most popular Deere models in company history, produced until 1952. Caterpillar Inc. also experienced growth through the Great Depression.
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Four-wheel-drive tractors were introduced within the decade. Caterpillar expanded to manufacture in Brazil, which continues to the present day.
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GPS was installed into modern tractors. GPS allows you to drive straighter more efficient lines.
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Case invents fully autonomous tractor.
