Homestead mailing list

["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

> > > ... 1950 would be before fast hitch so if it has
> > any sort of three
> > > point
> > > it will be either shop built or aftermarket.

> This surprised me.  Prior to 1950 were Ford and
> Fergason the only ones to have 3 point hitch.  We did
> have a '53 JD 40 that had 3ph.

I was referring to IHC products.  In the early 50s they came out with a 
competing product called "Fast Hitch."  It used snap couplers and all you 
had to do was back into the implement.  Release was just as simple with a 
rope to lift the couplers.  It never had the acceptance of the three point 
and many were converted to three point.  By the 60s three point had taken 
over.

The three point hitch with load sensing was invented by Harry Ferguson in 
the 20s.  His first version used a system of springs and was designed to 
retrofit on a Fordson tractor.  Later he added hydraulics and introduced 
that on the David Bradley tractor, better known as the "brown tractor."  In 
1937 he reached the infamous "handshake deal" with Henry Ford which lead to 
the Ford 9N in 1939.  By the end of the war Henry the second saw what a bad 
deal it was so made some minor changes and started selling the Ford 8N in 
1948.  Harry Ferguson saw what was happening and started producing tractors 
in Coventry England and Detroit.  The English tractors used a Standard 
Motors Engine that would later gain fame as the power plant in the Triumph 
TR2, TR3, and TR4 sports cars.  US and many English tractors used a 
Continental engine.

Harry sued Ford Motor Company and in the early 50s won the largest judgment 
ever against Ford at that time.  Harry was a much better engineer than a 
businessman so sold out to Massey Harris to form the Massey Ferguson 
Company, still in business today.  Unfortunately more than can be said about 
International Harvester which collapsed in 1982 with the sale of the tractor 
division to Case to become Case IH which is now Case New Holland.  New 
Holland is the result of Ford spinning off its tractor business to New 
Holland, a company Ford had purchased in the 60s.  Tenneco purchased both 
(along with several other companies) then merged them into CNH.  The 
McCormick name was purchased by an English company and is producing tractors 
under that name in England, India, and Korea.

Don Bowen      KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html