HISTORY OF THE FORD N-SERIES TRACTOR

This is a very brief history of the Ford N-Series Tractor

It is difficult to write a brief history to describe the development of the Ford N-Series tractors. The span of years covered by this history includes two World Wars and The Great Depression. These world-changing events can only be mentioned here since it would literally take several textbook sized volumes to fully describe the many political, cultural, and economic factors affected by these events.

Many of the inventions Henry Ford is credited with were actually the work of others. Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, the assembly line, or the tractor. Perhaps it would be most accurate to say that a large part of Henry Ford's genius was an ability to select the right people and sponsor their best ideas.

The Ford Motor Company was not the first automobile company that Henry Ford started, but it was by far the most successful. The Model-T started production in 1908 and by 1915 innovations in the assembly process at Ford Motor Company allowed new cars to be produced with much less labor and the price to drop from $850 to around $440. At one point over half of all cars in he U.S. were Model-T's and another study shows that at one time 9 out of 10 automobiles worldwide were Fords!

Henry Ford was also very interested in developing a machine that could replace draft animals on the farm. He was raised on a farm, and was very much aware that a large percentage of the production on the farm was being consumed by the draft animals that were used to work the farms. Beginning in the 1800s many people had already made various attempts to harness mechanical engines to plows. These traction-engines were usually based on very large, heavy machines. Some were even stationary engines that operated plows or culwith a cable. All were very expensive to own and operate. What Henry Ford wanted was a more efficient design that would be easier and cheaper to build. The same formula that put the Model-T easily within the grasp of most working families should be able to make traction engines available to most farmers. The first prototype "automobile plow" by Ford was built in 1907.

Development continued for the next ten years but Henry Ford was never able to convince the other owners at Ford Motor Company to invest in mass-producing a farm tractor. So, Henry Ford decided to start a new company with his son Edsel Ford called Henry Ford and Son Company. Their first production tractor, the Fordson Model F, began limited production in 1917. The Fordson Model-F was the first agricultural tractor able to be mass-produced. It had many innovative design features such as bolted together castings in-lieu of a more conventional (expensive and heavy) frame. Timing is often everything. The outbreak of World War One caused food and manpower shortages in Europe. The British government had an urgent need for tractors, and the Fordson Model-F went into full-production in 1918 to meet that demand.

The immediate success of the Fordson Tractor was at least part of the reason Henry Ford was able to regain full control of the Ford Motor Company. Many of the innovations he implemented such as increased salaries, reduced work hours, plant expansions, and lower prices were not well received by his partners and shareholders. Henry Ford was even sued for mismanagement, and lost! The Court agreed that a business should be primarily concerned with the profits of it's shareholders. Extremely upset that a few shareholders could dictate his business decisions, Henry Ford vowed to buy out all of them.

In 1919 plans that Fordson might follow the success of their tractor with a new car even cheaper than the Model-T may have only been rumors, but it created a situation where Henry Ford was able to buy out all of the other shareholders. The Henry Ford and Son Company was then merged with Ford Motor Company and reorganized with all shares owned by the Ford family and son Edsel Ford taking over as president. The Ford Motor Company remains family owned to this day.

Edsel Ford was president but Henry Ford remained very much involved in management decisions and company direction. While they remained close, this arrangement was not without friction between father and son. The times were also not the most favorable for any business. American farmers were among the first to feel the effects of the depression that was soon to grip the entire country. Declining U.S. sales forced Ford Motor Company to suspend U.S. tractor production in 1928. After 1928, all Fordson tractors were being built in Europe. The Fordson tractors remained on top in Europe, but with no tractors being manufactured by Ford in the U.S. (1928-1938) and increasing competition from a variety of domestic manufacturers, Ford Motor Company dropped from the top of the U.S. tractor market to a low of about 5-percent. This situation was increasingly difficult for Henry Ford and he eventually set out with the intent to re-establish the Ford Motor Company as a leader in the U.S. tractor industry.

Most tractor designs were still generally based on very large heavy machines to provide traction and help reduce the tendency to rear-up and flip over when the plow hit something. The Fordson tractors, being smaller and lighter than most of the others, were even more likely to flip over. Very little was done to correct the problem for many years. At one point the rear fenders on the Fordson tractors were extended lower in back of the tires so the fenders would hit the ground and prevent a rollover. Other solutions such as tip switches on the ignition were also tried.

The new farm tractor that Henry Ford wanted to build in the U.S. would be even smaller and lighter than the Fordson. "Every small farm should be able to buy a tractor." Of course, a smaller-lighter machine would be even more likely to rear up and flip over. An engineering solution to this problem was needed badly. In my mind this quote defines Henry Ford's approach to most engineering or manufacturing problems. He was a man in search of solutions and did not care where they came from. "Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain." He also said "I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." and "It is all one to me if a man comes from Sing Sing or Harvard. We hire a man, not his history."

Henry Ford did not invent the fixed-mount plow and hydraulic three-point lift system for tractors. In this case, the invention is not even credited to other Ford engineers. Harry Ferguson, the son of an Irish farmer, had been working for years to perfect a plow that would solve the flipover problem. Plows of that time were simply dragged behind the tractor. If the plow encountered an obstruction, there was nothing to stop the tractor from flipping over backwards. Harry Ferguson believed there was a way to rigidly attach a plow that would both increase traction and solve the flipover problem. One of the early Ferguson designs from around 1917 could be attached to a Model T Ford automobile-plow conversion. Harry Ferguson's engineers continued to improve theIR hitch system and fitted it to the Fordson tractors and others.

The Sherman brothers were U.S. sales agents for Ferguson. Ferguson-Sherman Incorporated was created in 1925 to manufacture and sell the Ferguson Duplex Hitch for the Fordson tractors. The U.S. built Fordson was discontinued in 1927 but the Sherman brothers continued to operate by importing British-made Fordson tractors. The Sherman brothers continued to work closely with Ford during this period.

In 1936, Harry Ferguson entered into an agreement with David Brown in England to produce the Ferguson-Brown Type A Tractors with his plow. Around 1300 of these tractors were built from 1936 to 1939 but they were much moreexpensive than the larger Fordson tractor. In spite of the benefits of the Ferguson plow and hitch, most farmers were of-course unwilling to pay a premium price for a smaller tractor.

In 1938 the Sherman brothers arranged for Harry Ferguson to bring a Ferguson-Brown Tractor and a new 3-point hydraulic draft control system to the U.S. for a demonstration with Henry Ford. Henry Ford was greatly impressed. The famous "handshake agreement" between Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson resulted in a collaboration between Harry Ferguson's engineers and Ford Motor Company engineers. Much of the new tractor's engineering design can be attributed to Ford Motor Company engineers Eugene Farkas, Adolph Eckert, and Harold Brock. Ferguson engineers largely responsible for the 3-point lift and hydraulics were John Chambers, Archie Greer, and Willie Sands. Many others contributed to the merging of ideas that would result in a very economical tractor that was far safer and easier to operate than anything else available at the time. In spite of the difficulties assiciated with merging the efforts of two separate engineering teams, the new "1939 9N Ford Tractor with Ferguson System" was developed and produced very quickly. The first 9N models rolled off the assembly line for the 1939 model year.>

The Ford N-Series Tractors with the Ferguson System created new standards for the farm tractor that were later adopted by nearly all farm tractors. The Ferguson 3-point hitch and hydraulic system was a major improvement over the drawbars and other proprietary systems. The Ferguson three-point hitch allowed for easy attachment and removal of implements and introduced several new safety and performance features. The Ferguson System allowed implements to be transported to the work with the weight carried on the rear axle. Ground-engagement implements could safely add weight and traction under load, allowing a smaller, lighter tractor to perform better than a much larger machine. The Ferguson system allowed the new Ford tractor to be smaller, quieter, safer, and more efficient than most other tractors of the time. For the first time, a tractor could actually be operated by most women and even children! With the Ford Motor Company's mass-production manufacturing methods, the new Ford tractors could be built and sold at a price much lower than the competition.

The 9N tractors were originally marketed and sold through Ferguson-Sherman Inc. Starting in 1941 Ferguson split with the Sherman Brothers and the tractors were sold by Harry Ferguson Inc. The Ford-Ferguson 9N tractor was very successful, but the marketing arrangement often meant that Ford Motor Company was building the tractors at little or no profit. The agreement between Ford and Ferguson was strained even more when World War Two (1939-1945) made some materials and components difficult or very expensive to acquire. Ford made substantial changes to the design and created the new model designation 2N, for 1942 Model Tractor. The first 2N tractors had steel wheels, magneto ignitions, and were hand-cranked so items such as tires, batteries, and starters could be used for the war. Those restrictions were soon eased when it became obvious that food productioon was critically important to the war effort. The 2N was still basically the same as the 9N, and continued with the same 9N model numbers stamped on the engine blocks.

The stresses of converting much of the Ford Motor Company productiion to support the War effort may have contributed to the early demise of Edsel Ford who died of stomach cancer in 1943 at teh age of only 49. His son, Henry Ford II was serving in the navy, and unable to take over the presidency of the family-owned business. The elderly and ailing Henry Ford, decided to assume the presidency. Most of the directors did not want to see him as president, but since he had continued to be involved in management of the company, even without an official title, none were willing to contest his leadership. Henry Ford II left the Navy in July 1943 and joined the company's management a few weeks later. He took over the presidency of the company in 1945 when family finally convinced the aged Henry Ford Sr. to step down. The company was in trouble and losing over $10 million a month. Henry Ford II is often credited with saving the company. He certainly brought an agressive management style and hired good people.

The relationship between Ford Motor Company and Harry Ferguson, Inc. had been deteriorating almost from the beginning. The original deal was supposed to included producing tractors at the Dagenham, Essex Ford plant in the UK, but the UK Ford company refused to do it. Ferguson wanted a 4-speed transmission and an overhead valve engine for more power and flexibility. Ford Motor Company would not add these more expensive features when they were already struggling to build the tractors without taking a loss. It was no-doubt obvious to both sides that the handshake agreement could not continue much longer. At some point fairly early in the 9N production run, Harry Ferguson began working with other manufacturers to produce a tractor with the improvements he wanted. Henry Ford died in April 1947, at the age of 83. This likely removed the last thread of loyalty Henry Ford II may have felt to continue the handshake agreement. The new 1948 Model 8N Tractor would be built and sold by Ford Motor Company.

By some accounts Ford Motor Company was at fault and broke the agreement with Ferguson. The truth is that this marriage had been over for some time. Harry Ferguson, Inc. had entered into an agreement with Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England to produce tractors. Ferguson provided the tractor design, marketing and sales service, while Standard provided the factory space and manufactured the tractor. That arrangement seems familiar doesn't it? The TE-20 tractor was obviously built using the plans for the 9N tractor with the improvements Harry Furguson wanted. Approxmiately 517,651 TE-20 tractors were built between 1946 and 1956, with over 25,000 exported to the USA. Ferguson also built a new manufacturing facility in Southfield, Michigan that began production of the TO-20 tractors in 1948. So, at the time the handshake agreement was supposedly broken, Harry Ferguson Inc. was already in direct competition with Ford Motor Company. Ferguson was already so successful in both US and overseas markets the lawsuit brought against Ford Motor Company for continuing to use his patented lift design largely failed since Ferguson was using Ford's tractor design.

The Ford 8N was a refinement of the 9N and 2N tractors. Some claim that many of the changes were an attempt to get around the Ferguson patents. Two major improvements were the new four speed transmission and the new Position Control setting for the hydraulic system. The original automatic draft control on the Ferguson system would allow the depth of the implement to vary based on soil conditions. This did not work well for some implements. The new Position Control setting bypassed the draft control and allowed the implement to remain at a consistent position relative to the position of the Touch Control lever.

Although refined, the Ford 8N still used the same basic system that had been incorporated in the 9N. This unauthorized use of the Ferguson patented system was one of the main contentions in the Ferguson lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by Harry Ferguson after the termination of the handshake agreement, and claimed damages, and infringement of his patents. The lawsuit settlement, forced Ford to design a new hydraulic control system and make other changes.

Production of the Ford 8N tractor ended in 1953 with the launch of the new Ford NAA or Jubilee. The Golden Jubilee logo celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of Ford. In my opinion, the changes to the hydraulic system and the sheet metal make the NAA more of a transitional model between the N-series and later models. But, on the other hand, including the NAA with the N-series tractors puts the production numbers for the N-series well over the magic million mark. Many parts are interchangeable, so many people include the NAA with the other Ford N-Series tractors.

This has been my attempt at a very brief history of the Ford N-Series Tractor. I do not guarantee the complete accuracy of this narrative because most of my information is based on second and third-hand sources. I did not know Henry Ford or Harry Ferguson personally. If you are interested, there is, of course, a lot of additional information available on the web and in your local library.

MODEL IDENTIFICATION -

All the information I have collected on serial numbers and model Identification can be found HERE.

The best reference I have found to help identify your tractor or optional accessories that may have been added is on John Smith's site HERE.