General Information

Serial #

7228

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

ALL METAL WITH 4 METAL WHEELS/ RUBBER HOSES

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

248.0 cm

Width

139.0 cm

Height

157.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Power sources

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Ford

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Michigan

City

Dearborn

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

1918-1945

Canada

The Fordson tractor was introduced towards the end of the First World War. Its production was spurred by the British government which, anxious about food production and wartime labour shortages, ordered 6,000 tractors. The Canada Food Board also bought and distributed Fordsons, including this tractor which was shipped to the McKay farm in Seaforth ON in 1918. See page 73 of Wilkins and Hill "American Business Abroad: Ford on Six Continents" (2nd ed. 2011) for footnote referring to Canada Food Board purchase of Fordsons. "To help sell product, Ford produced dozens of promotional films for screenings by dealers and traveling sales agents. Fordson Tractors is one of the earliest." This promotional film (much damaged by decomposition) was shot near Windsor, Ontario (not Waterloo as the source indicates) and shows two Fordson tractors in operation. http://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/fordson-tractors-1918

Function

The tractor is a motorized vehicle used to pull and actuate other vehicles or implements that are not power-driven. Tractors are primarily designed for agricultural work: for cultivation, spraying, and harvesting operations. The first tractors, developed in the mid-nineteenth century, were steam-powered and were not very mobile: their main purpose was to power threshers and other equipment. The development of gas-engines in the late 19th century, and their integration into tractors, gave the machines more mobility and flexibility. Robert C. Williams writes in "Fordson, Farmall, and Poppin' Johnny: A history of the farm tractor and its impact on America" (1987) that "Of all the farm implements, the tractor has had the greatest impact on rural life...In one generation between 1920 and 1950, most farms in the United States changed from dependence on draft animals to dependence on mechanical power."

Technical

The Fordson was the first tractor to be manufactured on an assembly line and to feature a cast-iron frame. Like the Model T, the Fordson was an affordable ($750) mass-produced machine. The Fordson was produced from 1917 until 1928. The brand name Fordson is a contraction of Henry Ford & Son Inc.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

MFR'S EMBOSSING ON FRONT & ON SEAT READS: 'FORDSON'/ MFR'S EMBOSSING ON TANK READS: 'Henry Ford & Son, Inc.,/ DEARBORN. Mich., U.S.A.'/ ON BLOCK READS: '[ENGRAVED] F 133/ NO [EMBOSSED] 2/ [EMBOSSED] 4'11'18/ [ENGRAVED] 7228'/ PLATE ON GOVERNOR

Missing

MFR'S PLATE From CA of 08/27/1997 by Tony Missio: No - Complete

Finish

PAINTED GRAY (NOT ORIGINAL) WITH 4 WHEELS PAINTED ORANGE (NOT ORIGINAL)

Decoration

N/A