5801 Salem Pike, Dayton, Ohio 45426.
I read with much interest the article by Mr. Norton of Brewster,
Kansas concerning his Utilitor Tractor in your Nov-Dec. issue. Due
to the fact that we have owned Utilitors, we thought that perhaps
we could add some information on this company and its machines that
could be of interest to Mr. Norton and other readers.
The machine that Mr. Norton describes is Model 7 using a
Mid-West engine. By the date stamp, this tractor was assembled in
Miamisburg, Ohio. The machine was designed by the Mid-West Tractor
Company of Indianapolis and produced there until 1918. Then
Mid-West moved to Miamisburg and became the Utilitor Tractor
Company with offices in Dayton, Ohio. The company continued to use
in stock housings with the Indianapolis stamp which accounts for
the discrepancy in dates. In the early 20s they improved this two
wheel tractor, the Model 8, using a Novo engine with the same basic
design. Into the early 30s they had five models of this
machine.
In 1934 they came out with one of the first forerunners of the
modern day lawn tractors, ‘The Model 4 Rider’. It used the
same drive and clutch turning as their two-wheelers. This tractor
is powered with an AC-4 Wisconsin engine. A 4 cylinder in line air
cooled engine rated at 12 HP. This tractor was put out on rubber
and had one of the first full floating front axles for
stability.
Upon the death of the owner in 1938, the Utilitor Tractor
Company as such was disbanded, but many of their designs and
patents was bought by the L. M. Mott Company of Huntington, West
Virginia and incorporated into their line.
We hope this information will be of some interest to your
readers and we would welcome any information and comment on this
Model 4 or latter models.
Pictured is a Utilitor Model 4 about 1934 or 1935 that had been
burned up in a fire and restored by John and George Harper.
