Written by Larry Gay
The “Minneapolis Ford” is the name generally given to the Ford tractor built by the Ford Tractor Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most books and articles about Henry Ford’s tractors state that the existence of this tractor before Henry Ford started manufacturing a tractor is why Henry couldn’t name his tractor Ford. However, that is not true as was explained in my blog of February 2014. As a brief review, the other shareholders of the Ford Motor Company didn’t want their rich dividends diluted by a tractor project, so Henry Ford created a separate company which he named Henry Ford & Son to develop a tractor and build a tractor factory. Henry Ford’s two companies were officially divided at a Ford Motor Company board of directors’ meeting on February 2, 1916. As part of the agreement, Henry Ford gave up the right to use only the word Ford in his tractor business. Therefore, he created the name Fordson for his tractor, a contraction of the Henry Ford & Son company name.
The Ford Tractor Company of Minneapolis was created in 1915 by W. Baer Ewing and a patent for the design of the tractor was filed on October 18, 1915. In his famous “Black Book” report of his visits to 98 tractor companies in 1915, Phillip Rose said, “This company is another stock selling proposition. The name Ford is probably assumed for its trade value. A young man named Paul Ford is manager. Until recently, I was informed he worked as a hardware clerk in one of the city stores. He was given a block of stock presumably for the use of his name.” Rose also said, “The tractor is small and light and does not look to have enough metal to stand up to the work for which it is intended. The workmanship is not good and there are many faults of design. The selling price is $350 and the weight about 4,000 pounds.”
The Minneapolis Ford tractor was a unique design with two large 54-inch diameter drive wheels in front and one 28-inch diameter steerable wheel in the rear. The sales literature for the tractor said it developed 16 horsepower on the belt and 8 horsepower at the drawbar and could pull a 2- or 3-bottom plow. This seems to be questionable for a tractor with only 8 drawbar horsepower. The 2-cylinder opposed horizontal engine and the drive train were located between the drive wheels with the engine to the left of center and the drive train and belt pulley located to the right of center. The operator’s seat and steering wheel were located above the steerable rear wheel which was on the centerline of the tractor. A U-shaped drawbar with a sliding clevis was located behind the steerable rear wheel which probably made the tractor difficult to steer when it was pulling a load. The sales brochure said the tractor was “absolutely guaranteed as to workmanship and material for one year.”
The Minneapolis Ford tractor was not a success and Louis Oliver, a stockholder, filed an equity suit asking for the appointment of a receiver for the Ford Tractor Company, because the company did not have sufficient funds to continue in business. A Mr. Johnston was appointed the receiver in December 1917 by a judge in New York City and the Ford Tractor Company soon disappeared.
Although the Minneapolis Ford tractor wasn’t responsible for causing Henry Ford to name his tractor Fordson, it does have another claim to fame. Wilmont Crozier, a Nebraska farmer, bought one and was severely disappointed in its performance. Eventually he replaced it with a used Rumely OilPull tractor which exceeded its ratings and Crozier’s expectations. As a result of his experience with the Minneapolis Ford tractor, when Crozier was elected to the state legislature he helped write the law that required all tractors sold in the state of Nebraska to be tested by a state agency. The law resulted in the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory which is still functioning today.
Larry Gay is the author of four tractor books published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, including Farm Tractors 1975-1995 and Farm Tractors 1995-2005. The four books may be obtained from ASABE by calling 800-695-2723.
