Ford Tractors
The American dream is based on the fact that anyone can be successful in the United States as long as they have vision, inventive, and are willing to work hard for their dreams and ambitions.
There have been many examples of the American dream come true, and that’s why a lot of companies are named after people with these characteristics who founded them several years ago. Today, these names still resound in our consumer’s minds, even though the owners of those names have passed away decades ago. Such was the power of their ambitions.
One of the most famous examples of the American dream is Henry Ford. Unlike some other visionaries of the last century, Henry Ford is as famous as the company that carries his name. Not only he created one of the strongest companies in the world, but he also devised the assembly lines system which is still used today for manufacturing, as well as a consumer system where each of his employees would earn enough to buy a Ford car, therefore turning every employee into a customer as well.
What many people don’t know though, is that Henry Ford produced also tractors. Although the name of the brand was officially Fordson Tractors, the Ford name was too strong by then and people just referred to them as Ford tractors.
Although Ford Tractors don’t exist anymore as a company, it was a great influence in it’s time. Much like Ford cars, Ford tractors were inventive and innovative for their time. Ford tractors were the first lightweight tractors in the world that could be mass produced. Although not as cheap as Ford cars, Ford tractors were cheap enough that the average farmer could save and buy one in a reasonable amount of time. Other times, they’d get loans to buy one, which was also a first for banks.
The first Ford tractors had its share of problems, being the first of their kind to be sold massively to a great number of customers. They suffered from overheating and engine failure, and the first models were too light for the weight they pulled. This was mainly a result of applying engineering car designs to Ford tractors. Nevertheless, they were still a success, even with those problems, because they performed better than horses in terms of strength, and because troubles with all types of machines were the norm in the beginning of the last century.
Today, Ford tractors don’t exist per se. However, their legacy lives on. The Ford Tractor division was bought by Fiat in 1991, and they are sold under the New Holland name.