INTERNAL COMBUSTION TRACTOR

AN HISTORIC LANDMARK
OF
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

IN 1892, JOHN H. FROEHLICH, FROEHLICH, IA, MOUNTED A GASOLINE FUELED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE ON A TRACTION GEARED FRAME AND USED IT TO POWER A THRESHING MACHINE. A CHANGE IN POWER SOURCE HAD BEGUN ON NORTH AMERICAN FARMS.

IN 1892, THE CASE CO., RACINE, WI, BUILT AN EXPERIMENTAL GAS TRACTION ENGINE. IN 1898 A PATENT WAS ISSUED TO THE VAN DUZEN CO. CINCINNATI, OH, FOR A GASOLINE TRACTION ENGINE. HUBER MNFG., MARION, OH, BOUGHT THIS PATENT IN 1898 AND PRODUCED 30 PROTOTYPE UNITS.

IN 1902, HART-PARR, FOUNDED BY CHARLES W. HART AND CHARLES H. PARR, PRODUCED AND SOLD THE HART-PARR NO. 1 IN JULY, 1902. HART-PARR HAD MOVED FROM MADISON, WI, TO CHARLES CITY, IA. IN 1901. THEY WERE THE FIRST TO USE THE TERM "TRACTOR" IN THEIR ADVERTISING. HART-PARR COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED INTERNAL COMBUSTION TRACTORS IN 1903. THIS COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF TRACTORS REVOLUTIONIZED AGRICULTURAL FIELD PRODUCTION, AND IS HEREBY:

DEDICATED BY THE ASAE 1998