The Tale OF TWO FORDSONS

By Staff
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Fordson 1 and 2. Gerhardt owns tractor on left, Walter the one on the right.
Fordson 1 and 2. Gerhardt owns tractor on left, Walter the one on the right.
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Walter's Fordson on the day of purchase, still on trailer
Walter's Fordson on the day of purchase, still on trailer
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Fordson # 2 Heading for winter storage: Gerhardt at left, Walter at the wheel.
Fordson # 2 Heading for winter storage: Gerhardt at left, Walter at the wheel.
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Above More cleaning: Gerhardt at left, Walter on right.
Above More cleaning: Gerhardt at left, Walter on right.
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Above #2 being cleaned. Fenders were not original we removed them
Above #2 being cleaned. Fenders were not original we removed them

Route 2, Greenleaf, Wisconsin 54126

My brother, Gerhardt, and I had long been interested in owning
an old Fordson tractor. In June of 1981 we attended a farm auction
that listed an old Fordson. The minute we saw it, we knew here was
a real oldie like we had never seen before. What set it apart from
later models was the so-called ladder side radiator shell (see
pictures). It had four openings on each side, probably for better
cooling.

Before being put up for sale, they belted it up to another
tractor to get the old girl started. The Fordson did run, but not
very good, midst a cloud of smoke.

My brother started bidding on it, but dropped out at about
$750.00. Everyone knows what they say about hindsight, and of
course we were sorry to say the least, when a friend of ours bought
it for $775.00. There were a lot of extras including a manifold,
‘not cracked,’ some coil boxes, valves, spark plugs and a
few other odds and ends. Also, the original owners manual.

In July, Gerhardt met our friend and asked him if he would
consider selling the Fordson. He said he would, all he wanted was
to get his money out of it. How lucky can you get? That’s how
we got our first Fordson.

Meanwhile we heard about the Fordson House in Escanaba,
Michigan. A trip to the Fordson House helped us out with parts we
needed- also Fordson Grey and Red paint. They stock a lot of
Fordson parts.

We have shown our Fordson at our Chilton, Wisconsin Steam and
Engine Show every year since, and in several parades. A few other
things about this Fordson: there is no serial number on the block,
very likely the block was replaced at one time; the rear wheels
have 14 spokes (originally, Fordsons had 12 spokes). We removed the
spade lugs (not original) and bolted on rubber cut from rear
tractor tires so we can travel on blacktop roads and in
parades.

A Tale of Fordson #2

In October of ’83 I received a notice of an auction near
Appleton, Wisconsin. It listed a large number of old tractors, many
makes and models in various states of repair or disrepair. Some
were just piles of parts on the ground.

Appleton is about 30 miles from where we live, so we took a look
around two days before the sale. What we found was in pretty rough
shape. The crank was bent so we could not try to turn it over. The
gas tank was riddled with holes rusted through, steering wheel rim
missing, no coils, coil box and tool box rusted out, manifold
cracked-get the picture? Knowing we could get parts from the
Fordson House gave us the courage to buy this old girl.

This one has a serial number on the block, #17301, and it has 12
spoke rear wheels. The serial number indicates it is a 1918 model.
After unloading it, we gave it a pull and found it was not rusted
tight-good news! As far as the engine was concerned, it was in good
shape, pistons and cylinder walls clean as a whistle, no cracks in
head or block. The overhaul consisted of new rings, reseating valve
seats, refacing valves and taking up bearings. Evidently this
Fordson did not get TLC as the wheels showed it had settled into
the ground about a foot for many years. Basically it was a repeat
of Fordson #1, cleaning, painting, waiting for parts and
reassembling. The whole project was a real challenge.

Startup day made it all worthwhile. We learned that in cranking
a Fordson care must be taken because no one knows how the timing
is. So we pulled up on the crank and when it fired early we
adjusted the timer accordingly. After the engine got a charge of
gas, it took off.

We bought this Fordson October 8th and had it painted and
running early in December. I have an Oliver 2, 12′ bottom plow,
so with permission of a neighbor I used the Fordson and my Oliver
plow and did some plowing-a real treat. I might say we did not have
a tractor until 1938, so our interest in Fordsons stemmed from
hearing them whine in the fields in the neighborhood.

I believe Fordson tractors were way ahead of other makes in
1917. Fordsons had auto steering, fully enclosed gears, four
cylinder engines, and a very compact design. Other tractors of that
day had chain steering- common to steam engines-also open gears or
chain drive, one or two cylinder engines. Most had either one or
two gears forward and one reverse, very slow moving. Fordsons on
the other hand had three forward gears. Third gear travels about
eight miles an hour-some ride!

Fordson had a reputation for having problems with their clutch
not disengaging. I heard an old-timer tell how he was going to
hitch on to a springtooth harrow. The clutch would not release, so
he backed right over it. Then he got it into low gear and drove
over the harrow a second time.

We would like to hear from other owners of Fordsons with
‘ladder side’ radiators.

  • Published on Nov 1, 1987
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