I’d like to tell you about the tractor restoration I’ve finished. It’s a 10-20 tractor that was manufactured by Fairbanks Morse Company
of Chicago, Illinois about 1917.
Here are the specifications: Plowing speed: 2 1/4 mph.
Weight: 4000 pounds. Turning radius: 13 feet. Motor: valve in head, 2 cylinders
twin horizontal, 6X7 in. 600 rpm. Fuel: kerosene. Lubrication: mechanical,
force feel oiler; Drive wheels are 48 in. high, 10 in. wide. Pulley: 18 x 6 1/2
in. 600 rpm. Controlled by independent friction clutch, driven direct from
motor. Fuel Tank: 10 gal. Double bowl carburetor. Dimensions: length is 120
in., width is 57 in., and height is 66 in.
I would like to hear from someone else who owns
another like this. I want some information on how many were manufactured and if
there is any literature on this tractor. I wrote to Fairbanks Morse Company but
did not receive any information.
This tractor was standing in the basement of a
shop since about 1917. It belonged to a family named Becker from Brookfield,
Wisconsin. Mr. Becker’s father was a Fairbanks-Morse dealer in the early days.
It took me over five years to get the owner to agree to sell it to me.
There are several larger models of Fairbanks Morse
tractors in this part of the country, but no small models like this.
I have also just finished restoring a Massey
Harris 4 wheel drive, a Titan 10-20, and a Hart Parr 28-50, and am working now
on a 14-28 Avery. I have just completed a new radiator but have some work to do
on the motor.
