The Fordson F was the first tractor released by the company. It was produced from 1917 until 1927, and is often looked at as the most influential tractor of all time. Tractors of competitors were becoming very complex, and were fairly expensive. Fordson created the model F with the simple farmers in mind. They kept things very simple, and most importantly, inexpensive. This allowed small farmers who may have been a bit skeptical to buy a tractor for the first time.
The majority of the Fordson Fs were manufactured in Dearborn, MI, but about 7,600 were manufactured at a factory in Cork, Ireland. For the first three years of production, the Model F had a Hercules engine. This engine had four cylinders, natural aspiration, and was run on distillate fuel. The engine was liquid cooled, and put out about 20horsepower. In 1920, Fordson changed the engines to a nearly identical Ford engine.
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Twenty-one years after Henry Ford first revolutionized the farming tractor industry with the Fordson F, he did it again with the Ford 9N. Produced from 1939 to 1942, the Ford 9N was the first tractor to be designed with the three-point hitching system. This new system, developed by Harry Ferguson, allowed tractors to easily be attached to implements, making farming quite easier.
As for the power behind the 9N, the gasoline engines were produced by Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. The engines had four inline cylinders and were liquid cooled. Oil baths served as air cleaners. Eighty-four pounds of torque were produced at 1500 rpms.
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The Massey-Ferguson 240 was a general farming tractor that was manufactured in Coventry, England and released to the public in 1983. The 240 had great success and was produced until 1999. The standard edition of the Massey-Ferguson 240 had a two-wheel drive chassis, but a four-wheel drive chassis was optional. Power assisted steering and open, dual valve hydraulics added to the 240’s appeal. The braking system consisted of a drum and shoe design that was operated by two, lockable foot pedals and a hand lever.
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While Massey-Harris had success with larger tractors, they wanted to try to help out the small farmers, too. With this new endeavor in mind, they released the Massey-Harris Pony. Produced from 1947 to 1957, the Pony was a 4×2 two-wheel drive tractor with a single plough. It had the same general styling as other Massey-Harris’, but the width between the front two wheels could be adjusted. The tractor was five feet tall and had a wheel base of sixty-six inches.
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