User:JoshuacUK/Fordson tractor
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Fordson was a brand name used on a range of mass produced all-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford and Son from 1917 until 1920 when it was merged into the Ford Motor Company, which used the name until 1964. American engineer, inventor and businessman Henry Ford built experimental tractors from automobile components during the early 1900s, and launched a prototype known as the Model B in August 1915. He formed Henry Ford and Son in 1910 in Dearborn, Michigan, taking his young son Edsel Ford as a partner, which was later incorporated on July 27 1917. The first Fordson Model F was completed in 1916 and was the first lightweight, mass produced tractor in the world, making it possible for the average farmer to own a tractor for the first time. It went into mass production in 1917 and sold for $750. The original Fordson used a 20 horsepower, four-cylinder vaporising oil engine, a three-speed spur gear transmission (the three forward speeds ranged from approximately 21⁄4 to 61⁄4 mph), and a worm gear reduction set in the differential.
Fordson Series | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Henry Ford & Son Ford Motor Company |
Production | 1917—1964 |
Assembly | United States (1917—1928) Cork, Ireland (1919—1932) Dagenham, UK (1933—1964) |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Tractor |
Despite several early design flaws and reliability issues such as engine failure and unbearable heat, the Fordson established a firm foothold on U.S. farms, with more than seventy percent market share in earlier years. By mid-1918, more than 6,000 Fordson tractors were in use in Britain, Canada and the United States. Annual production reached 36,781 in 1921 and 99,101 in 1926. By 1925, Ford had built its 500,000th Fordson tractor. Ford was the only automotive firm to sell cars, trucks and tractors simultaneously from 1917 to 1928, during which time 552,799 Fordson tractors were built at the Dearborn, Michigan factory. An economic recession and plummeting farm income depressed the market in 1925. Ford Motor Company ended its U.S. tractor production on February 14 1928 and transferred manufacture to Cork, Ireland in 1929 and later Dagenham, Essex, England. The Fordson brand was used on several other models manufactured in England including the 9N, 8N and later the Major, Dexta, Power Major, Super Major and Super Dexta until 1964. Afterwards, the Fordson brand name was discontinued and replaced with the Ford marque. Ford continued to manufacture and sell tractors until it sold the division to Fiat in 1991.