TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 5/8/2024

[953 nut 55,310]

Today’s letter is “F” and we find a fine example of fortitude.

 

Fox River Tractor

 

Sometimes a success story has a couple of failures along the way.

Brothers Frank, Edward and Oscar Saiberlich had been major stockholders in the Eagle Tractor company and sold their holdings in 1918 to found the Fox River Tractor Co. of Appleton, WI. They couldn’t have chosen a worse time to begin a tractor manufacturing company. The agricultural depression began before Fox River Tractors ever had the opportunity to gain a following, they had a good tractor but poor timing.

The Appleton Post-Crescent wrote in its Oct. 15, 1920, issue: “The first Fox tractor produced by the Fox River Tractor Company is making good in actual farm tests. The machine was placed on the Rudolph Schaefer farm near Appleton this summer and has been used for silo filling, threshing and plowing.

Mr. Schaefer found that it had plenty of belt power for all work required, and was surprised to find it capable of plowing with ease at full speed.

The story went on, “The second machine is all erected at the Fox River plant and is ready for the paint shop. It has been tested out and found to be fully equal to the original model. About 10 tractors of the 20-40 type will be built during the winter months.”

Not exactly assembly line speed — twelve tractors in four months.

From June 28 to 30, 1921, the national tractor demonstrations were held in Fargo, North Dakota, and Fox sent up a Model 20-40 to take part.

The newspaper reported: “The Fox tractor was assigned to the last 10-acre plot toward the Cheyenne River. The nature of the soil and the obstacles to be overcome afforded opportunity to demonstrate its reserve power.

The Appleton machines (which also included two Eagle tractors) kept well in the lead in the tests, and expect to own some of the best records when the results are announced.”

An interesting tid-bit was in the Jan. 28, 1922, issue of the Post-Crescent, headlined Fox River Tractor Company Invents New Machine for Highway Work. The story goes on, “Fox River Tractor Co. is about to put a new tractor on the market designed expressly for road work. It is to be heavier than the one the company at present manufactures, weighing about 8,500 pounds and will have a slower speed. The need of a new tractor designed particularly for road work was called to the attention of the company last fall when it exhibited its tractor at several fairs.

 

“The company could easily have made several sales to road contractors, had its tractors been heavier and of the lower speed for this kind of work. The road men claimed they need a machine with especially heavy drive wheels and slow speed besides an abundance of power.”

Though their tractor manufacturing effort didn’t succeed the Saiberlich brothers had Also developed a line of forage harvesting equipment that fared much better. The Fox River forage harvesters and silo fillers were well thought out and durable. They began manufacturing silo fillers in 1923 with unique cutting-edge features like anti-friction bearings and a steel frame instead of the common wood frame. Fox began work on a machine to harvest hay and corn silage in the field with an engine mounted on the machine. By cutting and chopping the silage in the field the back-breaking work of unloading stalks and hand feed then into the silage cutter/silo filler was eliminated. A successful prototype was built in 1931 and the Saiberlish’s received US Patent No. 2,196,645 based on the design of the first machine.  They sold their first harvester in 1932 and though preliminary sales were slow the market became stronger as time went on.  

The Fox design was good but the development of the tractor power-take-off which allowed transfer of the tractor engine’s power to a trailed implement made it popular. The elimination of an onboard engine, clutch and transmission allowed a significant price reduction to take place.

Fox River forage harvesters continued to see improvements and sales through the early 1980s.

[Achto 27,601]

Remember seeing a fair amount of Fox forage choppers being used.

 

[WHX?? 48,828]

Excellent Richard since it's in Dan & mine stomping ground. 

This corn chopper made there? 

[953 nut 55,310]

21 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

This corn chopper made there? 

Could very well be on of Fox River's products, they made that style silage blower up into the 1960s or later.

[Achto 27,601]

55 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

This corn chopper made there? 

 

Close Jim. Still made in Appleton, but by Eagle. Should of had this up yesterday. 

[WHX?? 48,828]

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Brothers Frank, Edward and Oscar Saiberlich had been major stockholders in the Eagle Tractor company

I guess I thought this was why Eagle and Fox River Tractor were the same. 

[953 nut 55,310]

9 hours ago, WHX?? said:

I guess I thought this was why Eagle and Fox River Tractor were the same. 

That is what I found reading between the lines. I tend to omit information like this and concentrate on the success the company had.