‘Marvosh’ Tractor

By Staff
Published on December 1, 1994
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3085 Clarmeya Lane, Pasadena, CA 91107

My experience with single cylinder engines began in 1925 at age
13 on a dairy farm near Cleveland, Ohio. We had gas engines for
pumping water and buzzing wood.

In 1926 we moved to a farm in Mayville Michigan (population 900)
which seemed like the ending of the pioneer era and the beginning
of the new. There were split rail fences and not a tractor in sight
except the steam powered for thrashing grain.

The wind damaged wood windmill for pumping water was replaced
with a gas engine. Ford tractors began replacing horses, but we
could not afford one.

Our 1922 one ton model T Ford truck was worn out and Father gave
it to me to do what I wanted with it.

Electricity finally came in about 1930, and I had power for the
electric drill motor. I made a tractor from the Ford truck, which
had two Chevrolet transmissions added to the Ford transmission with
no drive shaft. Universal joints were added between each
transmission, which I found at an auto junk yard. The rear axle was
a worm-drive with ample strength.

Retired brother George and his wife Rosemary sent me the tractor
article and photo to send to some magazine and maybe GEM is the
right one.

Dan Marvosh, 80, has been a registered professional mechanical
engineer since 1949 and holds 12 patents. He retired in 1979 after
36 years as owner of Contour Company, Inc., designing and
manufacturing special machinery and precision instrumented scale
models of aircraft and space for testing on NASA and aircraft wind
tunnels.

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