Antique Case Tractors
The company that has given farmers so many great tractors adorning the name Case got it’s beginning in 1842 from Jerome I. Case.1869 brought Case’s production of their first portable steam engine, and their first steam traction engine came in 1878. By 1886, Case was the largest manufacturer of steam engines worldwide. By 1892, Case had experimented with a gasoline traction engine, but they would not offer the first gas tractor for another twenty years when the 30/60 was released for sale in 1912, along with the 20/40. Quickly noticing the demand for smaller, easier to maneuver, more inexpensive tractors, the 12-25 was released in 1914 and the three-wheel 10-20 in 1915.
Case came out with a brand new line of tractors in 1939. The R series had been painted Flambeau Red, came with optional electric starting and lighting, and four forward speeds. The V Series, a one-plow tractor line, was offered in standard, row-crop, industrial, and orchard configurations. The R Series was replaced by the S Series in 1941. The standard model was the S, while the row-crop model was named the SC.
The 1950s brought about high demand for tractor hydraulics, due to the large amount of labor that was saved. Engine modifications in 1952 raised the SC’s horsepower dramatically, and the dual-valve hydraulic system was standard on the SC beginning the next year. Power continued to increase over the years, and thirty years later, Case introduced a line of four-wheel-drive tractors, the 94 Series, including the 4994, the most powerful of all tractors they had ever produced. In 1985, Case acquired International Harvester, and became the second largest farm equipment manufacturer. In 1999, Case became part of what is now Case New Holland.