953 nut 55,280 #1 Posted April 3 Samson Model M The General Motors Samson tractor line needed a nimbler general-purpose tractor to compete with Ford Motor Company’s Frodson Tractor. Their Savier Trac was a fine orchard/grove machine and the Iron Horse had limited success so the time had come to design and build an all new tractor. The Model M was an eleven-horsepower drawbar/nineteen belt horsepower, two plow tractor with a four-cylinder all-fuel Nortrhway engine and a two-speed transmission. The M was very affordable at $ 650 and sold well against the $ 885 Fordson. The Samson model M was a bit heavier and more powerful than the Fordson. The tractor was right for the needs of the farmer in 1918 but the timing couldn’t have been worse as an agricultural depression was right around the corner. In addition to building tractors, Samson made trucks and had thoughts of producing an automobile as well. The automobile they never built (the Farmer’s Car) was to be a nine-passenger car with removable rear seats to accommodate cargo or farm supplies, what we now call a Sports Utility Vehicle. The Samson truck was built from 1920 to 1923 as a ¾ ton and a 1¼ ton model. It was powered by a Chevrolet 26 horse power engine that had been developed for the Chevrolet passenger car. Many accounts of the Samson Tractor history cite it as a failure on the part of William Durant and General Motors. Some will call this a thirty-three-million-dollar loss, I respectfully disagree. The agricultural depression of 1920 (Tractor Trivia and other interesting stuff 2/29/2024) negatively impacted all tractor manufacturers and most closed their doors forever. Durant had built a massive state-of-the-art manufacturing facility staffed by highly skilled workers. He was not just building tractors; he was building a transportation empire and when he acquired Chevrolet Motor Company in 1918 their manufacturing facility was insufficient for their growth. With the cessation of Samson Tractor production Durant had a ready-made production facility and staff to meet the growing needs of the Chevrolet division. The Janesville plant served General Motors spanning nine decades providing employment for thousands of people and seeing Chevrolet make several milestones along the way. The three-millionth Chevy came off the Janesville line in 1955, and in the same year GM’s fifty-millionth vehicle was built there. 1967 saw GM’s one hundred-millionth vehicle built there and in 1981 the popular Chevrolet pick-up trucks and SUV began being built at Janesville thanks to William Durant’s vision and foresight. If that is someone’s definition of a failure, I respectfully disagree. 3 4 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
