R. R. 4, Huntington, Indiana 46750
Having farmed with Hart Parr tractors for a number of years, I
feel qualified to write on the subject. First let me tell a few
stories. I was in town once and called on the Hart Parr dealer. He
said to me, ‘I have in trade a 16-30, about five miles from
you. I have sold the magento off of it, but you can have the rest
of it for $25 and it runs good. I gave him a check right away and
went home and got an extra magneto and went and got it and drove it
home. I learned afterwards the man had traded it in on a Row Crop
tractor. It was a good tractor and I used it a couple of years and
sold it for $150.
In our town was a large junk yard. When I was in town I usually
went around looking for cast-off goodies. One day there set a nice
12-24 Hart Parr with good paint, and it turned over, so I went to
the office to see about it. He said it ran good and that it was a
shame to cut it up and if I got it out of there by noon I could
have it for $55. Boy, did I move fast! I went right across the
street and borrowed a truck from an implement dealer and took it to
a new home where it is yet to this day. After dinner I hooked it to
a two-bottom sixteen Oliver plow that I had paid $35 for and went
right to work. I used it whenever I needed it, and still have it in
my museum along with a Hart Parr Row Crop.
Those were the days, believe me! We were not ashamed to use a
two or three plow tractor and didn’t feel we always had to keep
ahead of our neighbors, even though we were selling milk for $2.00
and corn for a dollar a bushel. We made do with what we had and
were happy doing it.
C. W. Hart and C. H. Parr met as students at the University of
Wisconsin. As a class project they built a gasoline engine that
worked and is still on display in the college museum. With such
success, they decided to go into business making and selling
gasoline engines. They formed a company with C. W. Hart as
president and C. H. Parr as secretary and A. E. Ellis as vice
president. The latter was a banker at Charles City, Iowa who backed
them.
In 1897 they started building oil engines and continued until
1905. In the meantime they were experimenting with tractors, and
they came out with their first tractor in 1901, more about that
later.
Hart Parr can be credited with a number of firsts: 1900 First
oil-cooled engine ever made. 1902 Developed a valve-in-head engine.
1904 A method of burning kerosene and low grade fuels for power.
1904 Magneto Ignition for tractors. 1905 Force feed lubrication for
tractors.
Even Cyrus McCormick in his book ‘The Century of the
Reaper,’ gives Hart Parr credit for the first to produce a
tractor in mass production.
1901, #1 tractor was a 17-30 two cyl. 9 X 13 at 250 R.P.M.
sold to a man in Iowa who used it seventeen years with very little
trouble.
1902, #2 a 22-45.
1903, #3 a 18-30 10 X 13 at 350 rpm. 15 tractors made in
1903, some were 22-45’s. Of the fifteen tractors made in 1903,
six were still running in 1928.
1907-1917, Old Reliable 30-60, 10 X 15 at 300 rpm. They
discontinued this size in 1917 for two reasons; World War I caused
a shortage of steel and the demand for big tractors was over.
Several other companies were making big tractors and the market was
loaded. Part of the plant was turned over to the government for
making munitions.
By 1915, 5,500 30-60’s had been sold; 400 in 1910 and 400 in
1914.
1909-1912, 15-30 2 cylinder vertical 8 X 9 at 500 at 500 RPM,
three wheeled.
1908-1914, 40-80 4 cylinder horizontal opposed 9 X 13, 400 rpm
three wheeled. Non-removable head. Valves in cage. Rear wheels
96′ tall, wt 36,200 #. Would develop 100 H.P. – Less than 100
built.
1910-1912, 60-100 4 cyl. vert. largest tractor ever built at
that time. Very few built. I know one got into the state of
Washington.
1911-1913, 12-27 Row Crop 1 cyl. Vert, three wheeled.
1912-1914, 20-40 Steel King 2 cylinder Vertical 8 X 12 at 400
rpm, three wheeled.
1913-1915, .18-35 Oil King 1 cylinder vertical 10 X 10 at 500
rpm, three wheeled; 250 sold in 1914 and 300 in 1915 at $1,800.00,
wt 11,400#.
1919, 18-35 Road King 1 cylinder vertical, three wheeled. An
improved Oil King.
1915, 1,500 men employed at the Charles City plant.
1914-1916, Little Devil 15-22, 2 cylinder 2 cycle 5? X 7
at 500-750 rpm
Of all the tractors Hart Parr ever built, the Little Devil was
the nearest to being a failure. They just didn’t sell. I can
well remember seeing them at tractor demonstrations. They had the
fastest plowing speeds at the show and they made the most noise. It
was unique in that it had no valves, no transmission, no
differential. Valve ports in the cylinder walls were operated by
the up and down motion of the piston. Reverse motion was obtained
by reversing the engine at slow idle speed. One wide rear wheel, so
no differential was required. Speeds of 2 3/8
to3 1/3 M.P.H.
Hart Parr’s were noted for their longevity. In 1903 15 were
made and by 1928, six were still in operation. Number nine was sold
to Jerry Landis of Brookville, Ohio and twelve years later he wrote
the factory and said he was still using it. Hart Parr built the
gearing extra strong for plowing. That was the weakest part of most
of the early tractors.
