Ron Sevart of 111 N. Cherokee, Girard, Kansas 66743 sent us
these pictures of his 1919 15-30 Townsend tractor. The Townsend
tractor is frequently mistaken for a steam traction engine because
of its unique ‘boiler frame’ design.
According to C. H. Wendel’s Encyclopedia of American Farm
Tractors, the 15-30 model weighed 6,000 pounds and used a
two-cylinder 7×8 inch engine. Designer of the tractor was Roy C.
Townsend, who had been associated with Fairbanks, Morse and Company
prior to founding Townsend Manufacturing Company in Janesville,
Wisconsin in 1915. Today, Townsend tractors are a rarity.