TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 5/25/2024

[953 nut 55,155]

The letter for today is “W”        Wonderful workers with wartime wait

Today we will look at the wonderful world of Department Store Tractors offered by Wards.

 

Wards Tractor

 

Mongomery Ward & Company was one of several companies to offer what some call “Department Store Tractors” through their catalogs. The Wards “Twin Row” tractor was manufactured by Cleveland Tractor Company (Cletrac) and was identical to Cletrac’s “General GG” tractor with the exception of the color. The Twin Row was powered by a 113 cubic inch displacement four cylinder Hercules engine, had a three speed transmission and weighed 2100 pounds. Options included an electric starter and a belt pulley. They were offered for sale as 1941 and 1942 models but production was cut short due to World War Two. In 1942, B.F. Avery acquired the tooling and equipment from Cleveland Tractor to produce the General as its own tractor.

This Montgomery Ward advertisement features the Wards Power-Grip tires on the Twin-Row tractor as well as several accessories.

 

During World War Two Cletrac supported the war effort building the M2 High-Speed Tractor. The M2 is a fully tracked vehicle designed to tow aircraft on primitive airfields. It was equipped with a 10,000 pound winch with 300’ of 3⁄8” cable, an auxiliary generator, and a three stage air compressor capable of producing 16.7 CFPM, 2,000 PSI.

The second generation of Wards tractors were built from 1950 to 1952 by Custom Manufacturing of Shelbyville, IN. In addition to their own Custom branded tractors Custom Manufacturing built four other brands which were identical quintuplets, Wards, Lehr Big Boy, Regal, and Rockol. Colors and badging differed but the tractors were identical.

It is no coincidence that the Custom branded tractors bear a striking resemblance to the Co-Op B2. You see, Co-Op model B2s were produced at Shelbyville, IN. from 1939 to 1941 and the designer of the B2, Edward Ashley, went to work with Custom Manufacturing during World War Two.

The WARDS and other Custom Tractors were powered by Chrysler Industrial engines and used Dodge five speed truck transmissions with a chain driven speed reduction box and Dodge 2 ½ ton truck rear end and differential. Early models had a conventional clutch but on later models the Fluid Drive “Gyral” (torque converter) with a clutch was added. Later models also moved the speed reduction to the rear axles. All were equipped with hydraulic brakes, belt pully and hydraulic lift but they lacked a PTO.

When amateur tractor pulling added open classes many Wards/Custom tractors were converted to V8s because the Chrysler Hemi V8 will bolt right up to the bell housing of the tractor.

Operator comfort was assured using a Knoedler hydraulic cushioned seat. Frederick E Knoedler received one of the first patents in seat suspension systems and began to revolutionize seating for both on and off highway applications. You can find Knoedler seats being used in the trucking industry today.

When a farmer bought a tractor from Montgomery Ward, it was shipped to the customer’s nearest Ward’s Farm Store. With a limited number of Ward’s Farm Stores, some were shipped by rail to the buyer’s nearest railroad depot.

The Wards tractor could be purchased in a row crop or wide front configuration. If you chose the wide front it was convertible to a row crop by removing the front hubs, removing the tie-rod pitman arm and bolting the hubs where the pitman arm had been. Not something you would be likely to do very often but a nice option to have.

 

The Harry A. Lowther Company of Joliet, IL, purchased Custom in 1950. When Montgomery Ward exited the tractor marketplace in 1952, he lost his largest customer. Lowther continued to sell tractors under the Custom name through Dodge Truck dealerships then sold the company in 1954.

Edited May 25 by 953 nut

[8ntruck 6,998]

Makes one wonder what, if anything, Ward's competitor, Sears, was offering at the time?

[Handy Don 12,201]

39 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

Makes one wonder what, if anything, Ward's competitor, Sears, was offering at the time?

In that era, was it David Brown tractors?

[ri702bill 8,307]

4 hours ago, Handy Don said:

David Brown

 - David Bradley???

[953 nut 55,155]

6 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Makes one wonder what, if anything, Ward's competitor, Sears, was offering at the time?