TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 3/11/2024

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Mergers and acquisitions built the Massey brand

The namesakes of the future Massey-Harris company would operate farm equipment and harvester manufacturing businesses independently for much of the later part of the  19th century before their paths merged. Daniel Massey started out in business during the 1840s, while Alanson Harris followed about 10 years later. Both men were in the same industry, manufacturing their own designs of reapers and implements. When one brought out an improved model the competitor would then matched or exceed it shortly thereafter.

In 1891 the two companies came together in a merger of the Massey Manufacturing company of Toronto and the A. Harris, Son, & Co. of Brantford, Ontario—two of Canada’s brightest agricultural companies joining forces for what would be a bountiful future as the Massey-Harris Company.

As is the case with so many agricultural manufacturing companies of the 1800s and early twentieth century, the order of the day was acquisition. “Acquire, acquire, acquire,” was the secret to adding capacity, outlets, and variety to their line. The Massey-Harris Company added company after company during this time. By adding the Deyo-Macey company of Binghamton, New York, to its line, Massy Harris entered a new arena with gas engine manufacturing capacity.

The company entered the U.S. market in 1910 by taking a controlling interest in the Johnson Harvester Company, but it would be more than 10 years before it would acquire an additional large U.S.-based company. Massey Harris wanted to get into the growing tractor market. The first tractor to carry the Massey-Harris name was made by the Parrott Tractor Company of Chicago (see Tractor Trivia and other interesting stuff 1/21/2024). The model was known as the No. 1 or No. 2 there and was based off the Parrett 12-25. This wasn’t quite the answer Massey-Harris was looking for, but its destiny with tractors was soon to be realized.

In 1927 the company agreed to sell Wallis Tractors in Canada through the Massey-Harris dealer network. One year later, Massey-Harris bought J.I. Case Plow Works, the maker of the Wallis Tractor, and continued to build Wallis Tractors, including the 20-30 and in 1929 the smaller 12-20. (We will learn a lot more about the Wallis Tractor Company tomorrow). 

Massey-Harris then rebranded the Wallis with the name of the Massey-Harris Company of Racine. It finally had a viable tractor line under its ownership, control, and design. The following decades were fruitful times for the Massey-Harris Company. During World War II, Massey-Harris produced and fulfilled war department orders for a variety of vehicles and needs to support the war effort.

Meanwhile, a man across the Atlantic Ocean was beginning to make some waves and eventually would join with the Massey-Harris Company. His name was Harry Ferguson from Northern Ireland, he was about to revolutionize the tractor industry. Ferguson met Henry Ford when he came stateside to demonstrate his revolutionary 3-point hitch system. Ferguson and Ford came up with handshake agreement, Ford would manufacture the 9N model incorporating the Furgeson System and Ferguson would distribute and sell them in Europe.

The arrangement worked until just after World War Two. Formal negotiations were pursued but in the end Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford went their own ways.

Both Massey-Harris and Ferguson needed help to remain competitive so in 1953 they began negotiations and Massey-Harris made an offer to acquire Ferguson’s company, Harry Ferguson accepted. In the five years after the merger the company was offering Ferguson branded tractors, Massey-Harris tractors, and Massey-Ferguson branded tractors under three different dealer networks. This led to confusion for customers and the dealer network alike. In 1958, the name change to Massey-Ferguson was finalized.

Soon the company was again in acquisition mode, and through the 1970s it bought such companies as Perkins, a leader in diesel engine design, Italian tractor company Landini and numerous other worldwide brands. The Massey-Ferguson footprint was truly multinational, and its reach was immense. It became the largest agricultural machinery manufacturer in the world.

AGCO Corporation came into the picture in the mid-1990s. Massey-Ferguson had a 20% market share of worldwide agricultural machinery sales, but nearly 90% of its sales were derived from non-domestic locations. AGCO had a domestic base but no international manufacturing or dealer network. AGCO acquired Massey-Ferguson in 1994 for cash and stock. What followed was a resurgence in the brand and an even further expansion in market share, estimated currently to hover near 40% of farm machinery sold worldwide today—a wonderful testament to the power of a strong and reputable brand name

 

[JoeM 7,874]

What a well built machine. 

Massey was the featured tractor at the steam show last year.

Wish I could have read this article before the show, clears up some questions.

 

These old girls are worth something.

 

[8ntruck 7,004]

My neighbor in Michigan has 3 Massey Harris tractors.  The one he has had the longest is a 20, I think.  He has swapped a GMC 6 banger into it.  Used since the 70's to grade the road in the summertime.  

 

The other 2 are 30's , I think.  He picked one up a couple years ago and started the cleaning/penetrating oil treatment.  He had it in his shop this winter.  Removed the head to discover that the engine is at TDC and frozen hard.  One of the cylinder sleeves is also cracked.  The engine has 2 dowel pin locating it on the frame.  Of course, those are brown welded hard.  Last fall he picked up a parts tractor for cheap.  He was surprised that the engine was free and he convinced it to run.  He has since decided to use the parts tractor as his base for restoration.