Wheel Horse was a manufacturer of outdoor and garden power equipment, including lawn and garden tractors. The company's headquarters were in South Bend, Indiana , USA.
121-539: The business was started in the two-car garage of Elmer Pond in 1946. Pond began building two-wheel, self-propelled "Walk-Away" garden tractors that were sold under the Pond name. Due to a naming conflict with another company, the company's name was changed to Wheel Horse. The name not only evokes tractors generally (doing tractive work with wheels) but also the connotation of a steady, dependable worker (wheelhorse) . Pond's son Cecil Elwood Pond continued to develop and market
242-619: A Fordson tractor . In 1916 he helped form the Fageol Motors Company , where he assisted in the development of the Fageol tractor. In 1932, Mando "Steve" Ariens, having just taken over the reins of his fathers' Brillion Iron Works, had to declare bankruptcy at the height of the Great Depression . In 1933, in his father Henry's garage and Steve's basement, he and his father developed their first Ariens Rotary Tiller,
363-537: A 30" tiller, powered by a 14 hp (10 kW), front-mounted, four-cylinder V-type engine. In 1930, automobile manufacturer Cadwallader Washburn "Carl" Kelsey was introduced to the rototiller by H.B. Hiller, a German immigrant who once worked for Siemens' "boden frasen" division. Kelsey opened a sales office using the name Rototiller Co. on Broadway in New York City. He then started importing Siemens boden frasen from Germany. In 1932, Kelsey incorporated using
484-559: A Japanese government technology demonstration initiative in a nearby village (The Japanese agent of the Swiss machine company stopped importing by 1925 as the machine reportedly proved not capable of handling Japanese heavy rice soils). By 1926 Nishizaki had made his first version from a diesel powered engine connected by a belt to rotating blades mounted on a wooden frame with two wheels. Soon he began renting it out to neighbors. And as with all good ideas soon local multiple small workshops entered
605-712: A V.P. at Moline Plow Company prior to his invention. The BEEMAN Tractor Co. was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Previous to inventing Gas Garden Tractor, Mr. Beeman invented the Gas Garage door opener. As early as 1911, Benjamin Franklin Gravely of Charleston West Virginia began with connecting the Indian motorcycle to a manually operated push plow. In 1916 he incorporated and, after obtaining partners, began producing single-wheel tractors and attachments under
726-540: A bother some decline" actually began falling behind in share of sales. Moreover, a new line of redesigned cars in the full and mid-sized markets was launched in the fall of 1966. The cars won acclaim for their fluid styling, and Abernethy's ideas did work as Ambassador sales increased significantly. However, the dated designs of the Rambler Americans hurt its sales, which offset gains from Ambassador sales. There were quality control problems with introducing
847-563: A decade before the Big Three offered them as options. Bendix disc brakes were made standard on the Marlin and optional on other models in 1965. This made the Marlin one of the first modern American cars with standard disc brakes, while the Big Three did not offer them until the early 1970s on most of their models to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards . In the early part of the decade, sales were strong, thanks in no small part to
968-486: A fraction the size of India but with very similar agricultural and socio-economic systems. There have been many reasons offered and even official investigations into the low adoption rates. One main reason given here is that prices of the joint venture Indian-Japanese two-wheel tractors are twice as expensive as compared to the nearly identical Chinese made two-wheel tractors available in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Despite
1089-471: A full-sized Ford or Chevy. There was only an absence of largest-sized cars from the American Motors lineup in 1963 and 1964 The first cars bearing his signature were the 1965 models. The 1965 models were a major makeover of the new platform that had just been introduced in 1963. These were a longer Ambassador series and new convertibles for the larger models. During mid-year, a fastback , called
1210-471: A full-sized car in 1974 and was discontinued after the 1974 model year, leaving only the Matador as American Motors' full-size offering. Nash and American Motors made Ambassadors from 1927 through 1974, the longest use of the same model name for any American Motors product and, at the time, the longest continuously used nameplate in the industry. In 1974, the first-generation Matador two-door hardtop, known as
1331-1646: A high luxury tax on petrol/gasoline). Adding to the nomenclature confusion, agricultural engineers like to classify them as single-axle tractors. For clarity, the rest of this article refers to the self-propelled, single-axle, multi-attachment tractive machines as two-wheel tractors. For production agriculture, past and present, two-wheel tractors accept a wide range of implements, such as the following: For soil-working: rototillers, moldboard plows, disc-plows, rotary plows, root/tuber harvesting plows, small subsoiler plows, powered and non-powered harrows, seeders, transplanters, and planters. Even zero till/no-till planters and seeders have become available. In plant protection and weed control, two-wheel tractor implements consist of various inter-cultivators and sprayers. For harvesting, available implements are: Forage: Sickle bar mowers, disk mowers, hayrakes, hay tedders, haybalers and bale wrappers [for silage production]. For grain harvest: reaper/grain harvesters, reaper-binders, and even combine harvesters are available [although typically only for Asian two-wheel tractors]. For transport, trailers with capacities from 0.5 to 5 plus ton cargoes are available. General mowing implements consist of lawn mowers, brush mowers, and flail mowers. For snow removal, implements consist of snowblowers, power sweepers, and snow/dozer blades. Other implements include: chipper/shredders, log splitters, electrical generator, pressure washer, crimper-roller, fertilizer/salt/lime spreader, and stump grinder. This list of implements (which may not be complete) means that two-wheel tractors can execute practically all of
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#17328026102641452-459: A joint research effort to consider producing an electric car that was to be powered by a "self-charging" battery. Sonotone had the technology for making sintered plate nickel–cadmium batteries that can be recharged very rapidly and are lighter than a typical automobile lead–acid battery . In 1959, American Motors hired designer Dick Teague, who had previously worked for General Motors , Packard , and Chrysler ; after Edmund E. Anderson left
1573-539: A new NC Plus model offered by Siam Kubota comes with a power take off (PTO) that can drive a rotary tiller and other attachments. Additionally many farmers use V-belts to connect the stationary tractor engine to power centrifugal pumps and axial flow pumps , rice threshers, maize shellers etc. Recently, inexpensive Chinese-made NC models have come on the international market but attempts have been made by Siam Kubota and others to keep them out of Thailand, Cambodia and elsewhere due to claims of copyright infringement. Through
1694-547: A number of terms used to identify two-wheel tractors, including "walk-behind tractor; iron-ox; walking tractor; mechanical ox; ox-machine; pedestrian tractor; hand tractor; single-axle tractor; and in Asia, tok-tok". There is also a fair bit of confusion in nomenclature regarding machines of similar size/configuration, that operate a single implement (such as power tillers; rear-tine tillers; rotary hoes; rotary ploughs; rotary tillers; Rotavators; etc.) The important distinction between
1815-411: A patent for a "Machine for Mechanical Tillage". Patent Number 1,018,843 was granted on February 27, 1912. He then licensed his patent to Siemens-Schuckertwerke of Berlin, Germany. Siemens, an electrical manufacturer, built their first two-wheel tractor with rotovator Bodenfräse (rotovator or literally soil grinder) using an electric motorized two-wheel tractor and a long extension cord in 1911. The idea
1936-449: A plain brown wrapper, instead of the previous year's glossy cover. A completely new design was also slated for the larger 1967 models. This strategy added $ 60 million in retooling costs, a significant stretch for the company. The latest models shared fewer parts and were more expensive to build. Abernethy continued his objective to position the new Rebel and Ambassador designs on an equal basis with competitive economy models marketed by
2057-432: A plant with a capacity of 6000 units per year but from its beginning in 1972 till closure of the plant in 1977 only produced and sold 800 units. History of two-wheel tractors began with efforts in the late 1970s to promote Japanese imported two-wheel tractors. Adoption remained low through most of the 1980s. In 1987 a large cyclone killed much of the livestock and bullock population. With no prospect for timely restoration of
2178-438: A refusal to participate in the Big Three's restyling race. This cost-control policy helped Rambler develop a reputation for building solid economy cars. Company officials were confident in the changing market and in 1959 announced a $ 10 million (US$ 104,520,548 in 2016 dollars ) expansion of its Kenosha complex (to increase annual straight-time capacity from 300,000 to 440,000 cars). A letter to shareholders in 1959 claimed that
2299-408: A result, 1958 became AMC's first year of profitability since its formation, with $ 28 million in earnings. The Nash and Hudson brands were dropped, and Rambler became a marque in its own right and the mainstay of the company. The popular British-built Metropolitan subcompact continued as a standalone brand until it was discontinued in 1961. The prototype 1958 Nash Ambassador / Hudson Hornet , built on
2420-490: A sedan and a wagon, for use in his popular television series Adam-12 , increasing the cars' public profile. Matadors saw fleet use as taxis, government, police, and fire vehicles in some states. In 1973, American Motors signed a licensing agreement with Curtiss-Wright to build Wankel engines for cars and Jeeps. Starting in 1974, the Matador sedan and station wagon were mildly refreshed, with new boxier front and rear ends, making it full-sized. This second-generation model
2541-438: A stretched Rambler platform, was renamed at the last minute as "Ambassador by Rambler". To round out the model line, American Motors reintroduced the previous 1955, 100 in (2,540 mm) wheelbase Nash Rambler as the new Rambler American with only a few modifications. This gave Rambler a compact lineup that included the reintroduced American, the 108 in (2,743 mm) wheelbase Rambler Six and Rebel V8 , as well as
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#17328026102642662-660: A time, both the Hornet and Gremlin could be ordered with Levi's denim interiors. The new facelifted, mid-sized AMC Matador replaced the Rebel in 1971, using an advertising campaign that asked, "What's a Matador?" In 1972, American Motors won the tender for Los Angeles Police Department cruisers, and Matadors were used by the department from 1972 until 1975, replacing the Plymouth Satellite . American Motors supplied Mark VII Limited owner Jack Webb with two Matadors,
2783-399: A two-wheel tractor and any of these machines is that the two-wheel tractor is a single-axle machine where the operator usually walks behind it or rides the implement being towed. Two-wheel tractors are designed to operate multiple interchangeable implements, where machines in the categories above typically only operate one implement (such as a tiller), in which the implement is often integral to
2904-482: A two-year warranty . In April 1968, Wheel Horse entered the snowmobile market by purchasing the Sno-Flite snowmobile line of CE Erickson of Des Moines, Iowa . Six-models called "Safari" ranged from 295 to 440 cc producing 18 hp (13.4 kW) to 30 hp (22.4 kW) with an optional electric start system, and were priced from $ 845 to $ 1,195. Sno-Flite snowmobiles were made by Wheel Horse until 1972, when
3025-513: A variety of chores, and they were economical to maintain. By 1956, the business had become very successful. The company began to build a range of small to large lawn and garden tractors, in addition to a line of riding lawn mowers. A characteristic of the products was their standardization through the years. The most popular model and year was the R-J58 Wheel Horse 1958, it came without a mowing deck, but one could be added. A new model
3146-582: A week after Mason's death, Romney announced "there are no mergers under way either directly or indirectly." Romney agreed with Mason's commitment to buy S-P products. Mason and Nance had agreed that S-P would endeavor to purchase parts from American Motors in return, but S-P did not do so. As the Packard engines and transmissions were comparatively expensive, American Motors began development of its own V8 . American Motors also spent US$ 40 million developing its Double Safe Single Unit monocoque , which debuted in
3267-502: Is estimated to have 500,000. Sri Lanka has an estimated 120,000. And Nepal imports around 5,000 Chinese 2WTs per year with estimated population of over 40,000. Parts of Africa have begun importing Chinese tractors and Nigeria have an estimated population close to 100,000. In Europe: Southern Germany, northern and southern Italy, Switzerland, and many countries of central/Eastern Europe also have significant populations of 2-wheel tractors, as they have been sold there for agricultural use since
3388-572: The Ariens Company continues, and Gravely is now a subsidiary of Ariens. Gravely [Ariens] discontinued the production of their own two-wheel tractor in 2002. Since then, they for a short time imported a Swiss machine (the Rapid brand) and sold it under the Gravely label; they have discontinued this as well. Japanese entrepreneurs began to indigenously design and manufacture two-wheel tractors in
3509-718: The Big Three — Ford , General Motors , and Chrysler . American Motors' production line included small cars —the Rambler American , which began as the Nash Rambler in 1950, Hornet , Gremlin , and Pacer ; intermediate and full-sized cars , including the Ambassador , Rambler Classic , Rebel , and Matador ; muscle cars , including the Marlin , AMX , and Javelin ; and early four-wheel drive variants of
3630-513: The Eagle and the Jeep Wagoneer , the first true crossovers in the U.S. market. Regarded as "a small company deft enough to exploit special market segments left untended by the giants", American Motors was widely known for the design work of chief stylist Dick Teague , who "had to make do with a much tighter budget than his counterparts at Detroit's Big Three", but "had a knack for making
3751-553: The Hornet range of compact cars. The Hornet and the later Gremlin shared platforms . The Gremlin, the first North American-built subcompact, sold more than 670,000 units from 1970 through 1978. The Hornet became American Motors' best-selling passenger car since the Rambler Classic, with more than 860,000 units sold when production ended in 1977. The Hornet platform continued to be built under various models through 1987. For
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3872-483: The Marlin , was added. It competed directly with cars like the Dodge Charger , but AMC's "family-sized" fastback emphasized personal-luxury . The continuing quest "in the business world's toughest race – the grinding contest against the Big Three automobile makers" also meant annual styling changes requiring large expenditures. American Motors's management total confidence "that the new 1965 models would stem
3993-500: The Wheel Horse Company, whose first product was a walk-behind two-wheel tractor. In quick succession in 1959 and 1960, Rototiller traded hands to Porter Cable Company of Syracuse, New York, and then to Rockwell Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The rear-tine rototiller business continued to decline and Porter-Cable sold its Rototiller and small engine division to Moto-Mower Division (Richmond, Indiana) of
4114-406: The "Big Three" introduced ever-larger cars, American Motors followed a "dinosaur-fighter" strategy. George W. Romney 's leadership focused the company on the compact car, a fuel-efficient vehicle 20 years before there was a real need for them. This gave Romney a high profile in the media. Two core strategic factors came into play: (1) the use of shared components in American Motors products and (2)
4235-1083: The "flying brick" due to its poor aerodynamics in NASCAR competition, was replaced with a sleek, smoothly shaped, and radically styled two-door coupe. The model received praise for its design, including "Best Styled Car of 1974" by Car and Driver magazine, customer satisfaction, and sold almost 100,000 coupes over five years. The Matador Coupe shared few components with the Matador sedan and station wagon other than suspension, drive train, some trim, and interior parts. In 1974, American Motors's AM General subsidiary began building urban transit buses in cooperation with Flyer Industries of Winnipeg , Manitoba. A total of 5,431 Metropolitan buses, including 219 electric trolley buses , were built before production ceased in 1979. Production of diesel buses had ceased in 1978, with only trolley bus production taking place in 1979. The AMC Pacer , an innovative all-new model introduced in March 1975 and marketed as "the first wide small car",
4356-727: The ( NASCAR ) champion during the early 1950s; the Wasp now used the former engine of the Hudson Jet. The Nash Ambassador and Statesman continued with overhead- valve and L-head sixes, respectively. Hudson and Nash cars had different front suspensions. Trunk lids were interchangeable, but other body panels, rear window glass, dash panels, and braking systems differed. The Hudson Hornet, Wasp, and their Nash counterparts had improved ride, visibility, and fuel economy because of their lighter unitized Nash body. The larger Nash and Hudson range did not sell well, and AMC lost money each year. Dismayed with
4477-599: The 117 in (2,972 mm) wheelbase Ambassador. Sales of Ramblers soared in the late 1950s partly because of American Motors' focus on the compact car and its marketing efforts. These included sponsoring the hugely popular Walt Disney anthology television series and as an exhibitor at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. George Romney himself pitched the Rambler product in television commercials. While
4598-628: The 1940s. A number of reports have highlighted safety concerns associated with the operation of two-wheel tractors. The most common accidents involve crossing the bunds and road transport. The operation of two-wheel tractors for transport at night is a recognised hazard in many countries, particularly as single headlights can be mistaken for a motorcycle. Research undertaken in Cambodia and Laos concluded that two-wheel tractors are involved in around five per cent of fatal accidents. Occupational health and safety reports have recommended regular breaks for
4719-554: The 1956 model year. In mid-1956, the 352 cu in (5.8 L) Packard V8 and TwinUltramatic transmission were phased out and replaced by American Motors's new V8 and by GM Hydra-Matic and Borg-Warner transmissions. American Motors combined the Nash and Hudson product lines under a common manufacturing strategy in 1955, with the production of Nashes and Hudsons consolidated at the Nash plant in Kenosha. The Detroit Hudson plant
4840-870: The 1960s. Before that first tractor Directly purchased from Japan to Madurai . That aided in setting up multiple joint ventures with Japanese two-wheel tractor manufacturers. Initial government prospects for two-wheel tractors were very high (targets were set at 100,000 two-wheel tractors sold per year by mid-1970s). To meet these expectations the Government of India expanded its efforts to include government subsidies, and greatly increased research, development and extension programs for two-wheel tractors. Despite these efforts two-wheel tractor adoption has been disappointing. Especially so when current number of two-wheel tractors estimated at 100,000 are compared with neighboring Sri Lanka's and Bangladesh's two-wheel tractor populations of 120,000 and 400,000 respectively- countries that are
4961-499: The 1968 model year cars, which required a neutral position between reverse and drive, while General Motors still offered a shift selector that had reverse immediately next to low gear (PNDSLR) well into the 1960s. Unique in the U. S. automotive industry, American Motors offered adjustable front seat backrests from their Nash-origin, and in 1964, the Classic and Ambassador were equipped with standard dual reclining front seats nearly
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5082-564: The 1980s and 1990s, more than 50,000 tractors were reportedly being produced and sold each year and by 2006 more than 70,000 were being produced and even more imported so that estimates of 2WT population is between 1.7 – 2.0 million 2WTs in Thailand. In 1955, Ray Wijewardene designed a two-wheel tractor. An early attempt to mechanize farm labour during the Green Revolution, it was eventually manufactured and marketed worldwide by
5203-664: The 8 hp (6.0 kW) "economy" A Series with standard 32-inch mower and electric or recoil start, the "compact" B Series with a four-speed or automatic transmission, the C Series offering four models (the C-120 and C-160 automatic, and the C-100 and C-160 8-speed and the c161), as well as the top-of-the-line D Series featuring automatics in D-160, D-180, and the D-200 powered by a twin-cylinder, 19.9 hp (14.8 kW) engine. The business
5324-565: The A-pillar forward, the Ambassador was redesigned and stretched 7 inches (178 mm) to become the biggest ever, just as the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo sparked gasoline rationing across the nation. The additional length was due to a new front-end design and more substantial energy-absorbing bumpers required of all automobiles sold in the U.S. Sales of all large cars fell due to economic problems and rising gasoline prices. The Ambassador became
5445-532: The American as their initial model (Francks 1996: 789). Farmers quickly found that 2-wheel tractors were more economical to use, as compared to keeping animals for tillage and 2-wheel tractors began selling widely. Agricultural machinery dealers received cattle for the barter for tractors and they and in turn sold the cattle in the meat market. Average tractor horsepower per hectare in 1950 was nearly zero. This average grew to 0.86 PS per hectare within ten years with
5566-449: The Big Three as an equal. The "frantic 1953–54 Ford/GM price war" devastated the remaining "independent" automakers. The reasons for the merger between Nash and Hudson included helping cut costs and strengthen their sales organizations to meet the intense competition expected from autos' Big Three. One quick result from the merger was the doubling up with Nash on purchasing and production, allowing Hudson to cut prices an average of $ 155 on
5687-423: The Big Three. American Motors did not have their own electric car program as did the Big Three, and after some negotiation, a contract was drawn in 1967 with Gulton Industries to develop a new battery based on lithium and a speed controller designed by Victor Wouk. A nickel-cadmium battery powered 1969 Rambler station wagon demonstrated the power systems that according to the scientist was a "wonderful car". This
5808-592: The Bungartz name. The SIMAR Co.( Société Industrielle de Machines Agicoles Rotatives ) of Switzerland began development of a similar machine and by 1932 was producing several machines ranging from 2½ to 10 horsepower, with a tilling width of 14" to 36", and weight from 220 to 880 pounds (100 to 400 kg). Starting after World War II, many countries in Europe started producing two-wheel tractors, most notably Italy. In 2014, Italy had over 15 manufacturers. Starting in
5929-610: The Dura Corp. of Detroit (formerly Detroit Harvester) according to a May 10, 1962 article in the Richmond Palladium-Item & Sun-Telegram. In 1961 Rototiller, Inc. and the Roto-Ette trademark disappeared. There were also numerous other American manufacturers of two-wheel tractors; among them: David Bradley, Choremaster, Simplicity and others. All these manufacturers operated in the 1940–1970 year range. Today,
6050-694: The Gravely QXT (Quick eXchanging Tractor) was introduced to celebrate their 100th anniversary. American Motors American Motors Corporation ( AMC ; commonly referred to as American Motors ) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history. American Motors' most similar competitors were those automakers that held similar annual sales levels, such as Studebaker , Packard , Kaiser Motors , and Willys-Overland . Their largest competitors were
6171-721: The Landmaster company in Nottingham, UK. By 1975 nearly 11,000 units had been imported. In 1975, the Sri Lanka Air Force began manufacturing two-wheel tractors under the "Guvan" marque. By 2001, over 2,000 mostly Chinese 2WTs were being imported per year and by 2007 it was estimated that there were over 125,000 2WTs in Sri Lanka. The term "Landmaster" is still used in Sri Lanka for any make. Interest in two-wheel tractors in India began with special government programs in
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#17328026102646292-518: The Pacer and Matador Coupe drained capital that might otherwise have been invested in updating the more popular Hornet and Gremlin lines so that toward the end of the 1970s, the company faced the growing energy crisis with aged products that were uncompetitive in hotly contested markets. However, "AMC used cars, as far back as 1967, had the advantage of good warranty coverage … so most owners were conscious of low-cost car maintenance … AMC units became some of
6413-506: The Pacer instead. The fuel economy was better than the expected rotary engine's, but the I6's gas mileage was relatively low in light of the new focus on energy efficiency. Also, as the Pacer shared few components other than the drivetrain with other American Motors cars, it was expensive to make, and the cost increased when sales fell steeply after the first two years. The Pacer line was discontinued in mid-1980. Development and production costs for
6534-1055: The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. As the early 2WTs did not have steering clutches, longer handles were provided for turning and controlling the tractor more easily in fields. Initially the engines were taken from kerosene engine powered irrigation pumps, but as the popularity of the tractor became obvious (known as the "Iron Buffalo"), three Japanese firms set up diesel engine factories in Thailand with agreements to progressively increase local content. Later, steering clutches were provided on many companies' models. The tractor gear box and chassis are made by many local industries (Samakkee Lohakij Ltd., Agri-Mechanics Co Ltd., Ayutthaya Tractor Factory, Cosmonoki Thai International Co. Ltd., C.R. Tractor Co Ltd, Inter Kankaset Co. Ltd, Jakpetch Tractor Co. Ltd., Jor Charoenchai Tractor, Kor Rungruang, Muileng Industry Ltd., Samakkee Lohakij Ltd., Siam Kubota Industry Co. Ltd., etc.). Initially, factories copied from one another, and competing for sales to
6655-862: The US and in parts of Europe to represent a single-axle tractor , which is a tractor with one axle , self-powered and self-propelled, which can pull and power various farm implements such as a trailer, cultivator or harrow , a plough , or various seeders and harvesters. The operator usually walks behind it or rides the implement being towed. Similar terms are mistakenly applied to the household rotary tiller or power tiller; although these may be wheeled and/or self-propelled, they are not tailored for towing implements. A two-wheeled tractor specializes in pulling any of numerous types of implements, whereas rotary tillers specialize in soil tillage with their dedicated digging tools. This article concerns two-wheeled tractors as distinguished from such tillers. Research has identified
6776-645: The United States had ended, and its Canadian operations ceased in 1966. The "Big Three", plus the smaller American Motors, Kaiser Jeep , International Harvester , Avanti , and Checker companies were the remaining North American auto manufacturers. Abernethy believed that American Motors's reputation of building reliable, economical cars could translate into a new strategy that could follow AMC buyers as they traded into larger, more expensive vehicles. American Motors, in reality, had produced large cars throughout its history. The Rambler Ambassadors were as large as
6897-526: The United States, at one point offering 120 individual attachments for their all-gear drive machines. In 1915, Rush Hamilton of Healdsville, California, designed grouser drive wheels for his tractor, which came with an articulated two-iron-wheeled sulky to which wagons or plows could be attached. It was about this time that he formed the Hamilton Tractor Company. About 10 years later, the wheels were called "Hamilton wheels" when used on
7018-635: The Wasp line, and up to $ 204 on the more expensive Hornet models. After the merger, AMC had its first profitable quarter during the second three months of 1955, earning $ 1,592,307, compared to a loss of $ 3,848,667 during the same period in the previous year. Mason also entered into informal discussions with James J. Nance of Packard to outline his strategic vision . Interim plans were made for American Motors to buy Packard Ultramatic automatic transmissions and Packard V8 engines for certain American Motors products. In July 1954, Packard acquired Studebaker . The new Studebaker-Packard Corporation (S-P) made
7139-434: The brake system. Only Cadillac also included this safety feature six years before U.S. safety regulations required it on all cars. Rambler also was an early pioneer in offering an automatic shift indicator sequence (P R N D2 D1 L, where if one selected "D2", the car started in second gear, while "1" began in first gear) on its "Flash-O-Matic" transmission which is similar to today's "PRNDSL" shift pattern, made mandatory for
7260-456: The bulk of Asian machines are still produced without this feature. Some two wheel drive tractors can be paired, through the PTO, with a drive axle on trailing equipment, creating a four wheel drive arrangement for severe conditions. In France, Somua, a company set up in the mid to late 1800s for making military equipment and later buses and even three wheel tractors, began making "motorculteurs" from
7381-407: The bullock population, the government began to allow what they once considered inferior quality Chinese two-wheel tractors to be imported to aid in fulfilling farmers land preparation needs. Chinese two-wheel tractors cost 50% less than the comparable Japanese manufactured two-wheel tractors and adoption quickly increased, to over 100,000 by 1993, 200,000 by the late 1990s and some current estimates put
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#17328026102647502-513: The chores done by larger 4-wheel tractors, with the exception of items like front-loaders, which obviously have the physical stability requirements of a 4-wheel (two-axle) tractor. This confusion over, or perhaps just ignorance of the utility of 2-wheel tractors, persists even at research and institutional levels. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization's own statistical database , FAO Stat gauges levels of agricultural mechanization by numbers of 4-wheel tractors and ignores completely
7623-467: The company in 1961, Teague was named principal designer and in 1964, vice president. To stay competitive, American Motors produced a wide range of products during the 1960s and added innovations long before the "Big Three" introduced them. For example, the Rambler Classic was equipped with a standard tandem master cylinder in 1962 that provided stopping ability even if there was a failure in
7744-404: The company saw a $ 11.8 million loss. In response, Romney launched a massive public relations campaign, traveling 70,000 miles (112,654 kilometres) nationwide in 12 months. Romney spoke at union halls, dinners, churches, fairgrounds, and radio and TV stations. He was anywhere where he could get the word out about Rambler. Rambler sales took off in 1958, up 58.7%, and 425 new dealers were signed up. As
7865-534: The company to reach an agreement on August 26, 1961, with the United Auto Workers for a profit sharing plan that was new in the automobile industry. Its new three-year labor contract included generous annual improvement pay increases, and automatic cost-of-living raises. However, in 1962, Romney resigned to run for Governor of Michigan . His replacement was Roy Abernethy , American Motors' successful sales executive. By 1964, Studebaker production in
7986-438: The company's history of building small cars, which came into vogue in 1961. In both 1960 and 1961, Ramblers ranked in third place among U. S. automobile sales, up from third on the strength of small-car sales, even in the face of a lot of new competition. Romney's strategic focus was very successful, as reflected in the firm's healthy profits year after year. The company became completely debt-free. The financial success allowed
8107-450: The company's products. The framework was typically simple angle or channel iron and various surplus motorcycle and automotive parts were used. In 1947, a four-wheel tractor, the "Ride-Away" model was introduced for garden use. It was also made from crude parts and without a hood for easy service access. The demand for garden tractors was rapidly increasing as households with small gardens found them rather inexpensive, practical to use for
8228-423: The de-emphasis of the Rambler brand because he believed the public associated it too strongly with economy cars and that it was hindering the sale of American Motors' other models at a time when mid and luxury car sales were robust. As a result, he ordered that for 1966, the Ambassador and Marlin were to be badged purely as a product of American Motors. The strategy shift at first seemed to be working because sales of
8349-701: The decade's muscle car boom, most notably the AMX . At the same time, the Javelin served as the company's entrant into the sporty pony car market created by the Plymouth Barracuda and the Ford Mustang . Additional operating cash was derived in 1968 through the sale of Kelvinator Appliance, once one of the firm's core operating units. The Kelvinator divestiture left American Motors a downsized company solely manufacturing automobiles. The Rambler marque
8470-554: The early 1920s. According to Francks (1996) an Okayama farmer Nishizaki Hiroshi (born 1897) was returning from the World War I determined not to walk behind his father's draft animals and began experimenting with attaching a plow to the newly available small horsepower kerosene engines that farmers were beginning to use for pumping water and threshing. Nishazaki saw a Swiss made garden tractor (? SIMAR ?- Société Industrielle de Machines Agicoles Rotatives ) being demonstrated through
8591-522: The early 20th century and for many decades involved a mixture of people working independently in local contexts and, in other cases, of people expanding on the inspiration provided by others' work in distant locales, learned about via exports , travel (whether for jobs , business , or military service ), or reading ( magazines , newspapers , journals ). The homegrown instances and the interwoven threads are discussed in subsequent sections. In 1910, Dr. Konrad von Meyenburg of Basel, Switzerland, applied for
8712-489: The fact that 2-wheel tractors often perform much, or even exactly, the same work as done by 4-wheeled models. By using FAO's statistics, international donors and agricultural research and development centres assume, as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have very few 4-wheel tractors, that they are completely unmechanized compared to (e.g.) India, which has a large population of them (besides 300,000 two-wheel tractors ). Yet, when two-wheel tractors are included, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are
8833-621: The farm, etc. Most farm households that own a 4-wheel tractor also own at least one 2-wheel tractor. The unique long-handled "Thai" type two-wheel tractor was developed in the late 1950s by M.R. Debriddhi Devakul (M.R. stands for Mom Rajawong, meaning that his great-grandfather was the King of Thailand, and that he could be properly addressed as "Prince"), head of the Engineering Division of the Thai Rice Department, of
8954-483: The highest numbers that are estimated to approach 16 million. What percentage of this total is used in agriculture is not well understood. Their previously noted multiple work roles is said to have a large percentage used for transport in rural areas as well as peri-urban construction sites, etc. Thailand and Vietnam both manufacture and import and have estimated population of 3 million and 500,000 respectively. Bangladesh has for two decades imported over 50,000 per year and
9075-585: The iconic Jeep brand of light trucks and SUVs, as well as Kaiser-Jeep's government contracts – notably the M151 line of military Jeeps and the DJ-Series postal Jeeps. American Motors also expanded its international network. The military and special products business was reconstituted as "American Motors General Products Division", later reorganized as AM General . In 1970, American Motors consolidated all passenger cars under one distinct brand identity and debuted
9196-537: The implement, controlled the tractor via reins , just as he would a horse team. By 1918, the Moline Plow Company 's Moline Universal Tractor likewise relied on its implement to supply the rear wheels in a four-wheel articulated unit, though its design dispensed with the long trailer tongue and horse reins. A 1918 example of Moline advertising called the Universal "the original two-wheel tractor", which
9317-586: The increased competition from China, Kirloskar 's KOEL division, began production in 2015 of their indigenously developed Mega-T brand 15 horsepower diesel engine 2-wheel tractor as well as offering various attachments like rotovator, reaper-harvester, seed drill, etc. Indian manufactures that did not survive are: JK Satoh Agricultural Machinery Ltd. a collaboration between JK Cotton Spinning and Weaving Mills Ltd (based in Kanpur, UP) and Satoh Agricultural Machinery Ltd., Japan, began production of two-wheel tractors in
9438-422: The introduction of new compact cars by American Motors' large domestic competitors (for the 1960 model year) "signals the end of big-car domination in the U.S." and that American Motors predicts small-car sales in the U.S. may reach three million units by 1963. American Motors was also beginning to experiment with non-gasoline-powered automobiles. On April 1, 1959, American Motors and Sonotone Corporation announced
9559-532: The late 1920s till after World War II. Other manufacturers now out of business were Energic and Labor. Staub appeared to start making motorculteurs from about 1938 and still in production today. The first rototiller was the PP3. Later there was a PP4. Two-wheel tractors existed in the U.S. at least as early as 1913, when the Detroit Tractor Company advertised a tractor whose operator, riding on
9680-587: The late 1960s and early 1970s, many European two-wheel tractors underwent an "evolution" which sharply contrasted them from the Asian and American machines: The introduction of fully reversible handlebars , allowed the machine's PTO (Power Take Off, where implements are mounted) to be effectively in the front or rear of the tractor, depending on handlebar position. This allowed much safer and more practical operation. Only very recently (since 2005) have any Asian manufacturers added this feature to their machines at all, and
9801-483: The line was sold to Parts Unlimited, who continued support for the products until replacement parts ran out in the late-1970s or early-1980s. In the spring of 1969, Wheel Horse opened a production plant in Oevel, Belgium . The factory was called Amnor N.V. Production ended on this site in 1991. The building is now the headquarters for Toro Europe. There were eleven models in four lines of lawn and garden tractors by 1974:
9922-420: The line. In 1950 The Bucher KT 10 'walking' tractor for tillage and other farm related work went into production. In 2003 Bucher sold the two-wheel tractor division. Over this period a total of 116,000 two-wheel motor-driven machines had been delivered. Established in 1916, Gravely Tractors began production of two-wheel tractor with moldboard plows costing approximately US$ 170 and slowly grew to become one of
10043-660: The machine (rather than being removable). "Power tiller" can be understood as a garden tiller/rototiller of the small (3–7 hp or 2.2–5.2 kW) petrol/ gasoline /electric powered, hobby gardener variety; they are often sold as a rotary tiller, though the technical agricultural use of that term refers solely to an attachment to a larger tractor. Alternatively, the terms "power tiller" or "rotary tiller" are always understood in Asia and elsewhere to be rubber- or iron-wheeled, self-propelled machines of 5–18 hp (3.7–13.4 kW) and usually powered by heavy-duty single-cylinder diesel engines (many Asian countries historically have had
10164-441: The machine operator due to vibrations. However, safety researchers have concluded that "the risk to public safety must be weighed against the economic and social benefits." Abbiategrasso. Other Italian manufacturers include Goldoni, Bertolini, SEP/Barbieri, Casorzo, Lampacrescia, Fort, MAB, Meccanica Benassi, Nibbi, Adriatica, and Mira (as of 2014). Bucher Industries In 1945 the first "Record" two-wheel power mower came off
10285-413: The model 875 and 1075 "Wheel-a-Matics". To expand snow removal options beyond the dozer blade attachment for its tractors, the company also added snow blowers to its power products with the "Reo" snow thrower line. The company's products earned a good reputation in the marketplace. The 1968 Ranger was a high-end 6 hp (4.5 kW) rider with big rear wheels, "husky front suspension", and featured
10406-486: The model of the tractor became RJ-25. The attachments remained the same for the RJ series. From 1956-1957, wheel horse changed the color of the wheels from black into an almond color. The demand for these little tractors grew so much by the end of 1959 that they could not keep up with production. Sales were over US$ 4.5 million. In 1960, there were significant style changes. However, the engine location immediately in front of
10527-433: The most highly mechanized countries in south Asia in terms of area farmed using mechanized tillage. Two-wheel tractors are also extremely common for agricultural use in the mountainous countries of Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, etc.), and as of 2015, there are at least 15 brands of two-wheel tractors of Italian origin alone. Development of single-axle tractors and power tillers worldwide began in
10648-615: The most of his employer's investment". After periods of intermittent independent success, Renault acquired a significant interest in American Motors in 1979, and the company was ultimately acquired by Chrysler in 1987. In January 1954, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation began the acquisition of the Hudson Motor Car Company (in what was called a merger ). The new corporation would be called the American Motors Corporation. An earlier corporation with
10769-471: The most recognized commercial lawn and garden machinery manufacturers in the US. In 1986 Gravely became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ariens Company. Gravely [Ariens] discontinued the production of their own two-wheel tractor in 2002. Since then, they for a short time imported a Swiss machine (the Rapid brand) and sold it under the Gravely label; they have discontinued this as well. Until 2016 when
10890-469: The name Gravely Tractor . The Model "D" Gravely Power Plow, like the prototype, was a single-wheeled affair, with a 2 horsepower (1.5 kW) air-cooled engine . It wasn't until 1937 that Gravely would introduce the Model L two-wheeled tractor with a 5 horsepower (3.7 kW) engine. Through the 20th century, Gravely became arguably one of the most successful and recognizable two-wheeled tractors produced in
11011-409: The new 320 cu in (5.2 L) Packard V8 engine and Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission available to American Motors for its 1955 Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet models. When Mason died in 1954, George W. Romney succeeded him. Ironically, Romney had once been offered Nance's job. In 1948, Romney received offers from Packard for the post of chief operating officer and from Nash for
11132-637: The new company name Rototiller, Inc. and the "Rototiller" trademark (Kelsey didn't coin the name 'Rototiller'; it was already being used in Europe). The operation was moved to Long Island City, NY. and SIMAR from Switzerland was added to the line. Carl Kelsey designed, patented and made several improvements to the SIMAR and Siemens machines because of the different American soils versus the European soil that had been farmed for many more centuries. One major improvement
11253-582: The new corporate logo. However, "American Motors" and "AMC" were used interchangeably in corporate literature well into the 1980s. The branding issue was further complicated when the company's Eagle all-wheel drive passenger cars were marketed as the American Eagle in the 1980s. In the late 1960s, Kaiser Industries Corporation decided to leave the automotive industry and sought a buyer for its money-losing Kaiser Jeep division. American Motors' vice president for manufacturing, Gerald C. Meyers , headed
11374-588: The new full-sized cars and persistent rumors of the company's demise because of its precarious cash flow. Consumer Reports ' negative ratings for American Motors' safety did not help. During this time, AMC's international sales were expanding. From only 18,000 cars five years ago, the 1965 model year AMC sold 74,420 vehicles in Canada, Europe, and Latin America. AMC remained the most significant U.S. seller of autos in both France and Germany. Abernethy also called for
11495-492: The number at well over 300,000 Chinese two-wheel tractors. Though there has been some criticism on the high cost of imports, others have noted that there is now a very large spare parts industry in support of the Chinese imports. A kuliglig is a vehicle composed of a two-wheeled trailer pulled by a two-wheeled tractor similar to a rotary tiller . It is powered by multi-purpose diesel or gasoline engine , commonly used in
11616-460: The number two position in the company. Although the Packard offer would have paid more, Romney decided to work under Mason because he thought Nash had a brighter future. Studebaker-Packard president James Nance refused to consider merging with American Motors unless he could take the top position (Mason and Nance were former competitors as heads of the Kelvinator and Hotpoint , respectively), and
11737-410: The operator and the 12-inch (305 mm) wheels stayed the same. Two models of tractors were introduced this year: the model 400, with a 4 hp (3.0 kW) Kohler engine and the model 550, with a 5.5 hp (4.1 kW) Tecumseh-Lauson engine. These two models were known as the "Suburban" tractors. In 1965, Wheel Horse was among the first to introduce tractors with a hydrostatic drive system,
11858-544: The point that the tractor's chassis without engine has become very inexpensive, about one third to one half the cost of the engine. The "Thai tractor" eventually evolved into a more general standard "NC" type models with three gears forward, one reverse, and steering clutches. Attachments that are available are moldboard and disc plows, spiked tooth harrows, trailed-type (non-powered) rotary puddlers (lateral drums with protruding paddles), various types of levelers and simple trailers (usually without brakes or lights). Recently (2010),
11979-1001: The provinces of the Philippines . The kuliglig traces its etymology from the Filipino term kuliglig , meaning " cicada " (a type of insect) which was adopted by one manufacturer as a brand. Kuliglig's are commonly used for: According to the Land Transportation Office , the kuliglig owner is not required to register his vehicle since it has no serial number and has purposes other than simple transportation. In some urban areas, kuligligs are sometimes used as an alternative public utility vehicle . These are modified three-wheel pedicabs ( cycle rickshaw ) with attached motor engines used by fishing boats or "bancas". The operation of these version of Kuliglig has been banned by Metro Manila to decongest noise pollution but are still present in some provinces. China has
12100-682: The rapid spread of 2-wheel tractors. Trailer attachments were also being widely utilized for transportation. Matsuyamasuki, presently known as Niplo brand, invented the Japanese style mold board plow to be attached to 2-wheel tractor, that made plowing with a moldboard possible with 2.5 horsepower (1.9 kW) tractors. Though four-wheel "riding" tractors began to spread in the 1960s, and are taking over primary tillage operations, 2-wheel tractors are still popular in Japan for primary tillage and inter-cultivation in vegetable production, transportation around
12221-409: The redesigned 1965 and 1966 Ambassadors improved, even as AMC's overall production decreased from the record level achieved in 1963. However, corporate earnings per share were a meager 27 cents per share, the lowest since AMC made its famous compact car comeback in 1958. Investors received a message of the changing fortune of the automaker when the company's 1966 annual financial report was delivered in
12342-504: The results, Romney decided in 1956 that the company's future lay with the compact Rambler line. Romney halted production on the new large cars and focused entirely on the new Rambler Six and V8 introducing them in 1956, despite being scheduled for a 1957 release. Sales of the new Ramblers were poor, and sales of the Hudson and Nash models were almost non-existent, resulting in a $ 31.7 million operating loss for 1956. Sales improved in 1957, but
12463-584: The same name, co-founded by Louis Chevrolet , had existed in Plainfield, New Jersey, from 1916 through 1922 before merging into the Bessemer–American Motors Corporation. The Nash-Kelvinator/Hudson deal was a straight stock transfer (three shares of Hudson listed at 11 + 1 ⁄ 8 , for two shares of American Motors and one share of Nash-Kelvinator listed at 17 + 3 ⁄ 8 , for one share of American Motors) and finalized in
12584-654: The scene producing various versions. By 1938 there were 22 manufacturers in Japan with 17 of them in Okayama. By 1939 there were over 2800 two-wheel tractors/rotovators in use in Japan. But by the early 1940s nearly half of all the machines were out of commission due to lack of quality and spare parts. After World War II small 2-wheel tractors were imported from the United States and were mainly intended for use in transportation/pulling carts and small trailers. As these gained popularity many Japanese manufacturers "...taking hints gleaned from foreign machines..." started production using
12705-523: The spring of 1954, forming the fourth-biggest auto company in the U.S. with assets of US$ 355 million and more than $ 100 million in working capital . The new company retained Hudson CEO A.E. Barit as a consultant and he took a seat on the board of directors . Nash's George W. Mason became president and CEO. Mason, the architect of the merger, believed that the survival of the U.S.'s remaining independent automakers depended on their joining to form one multiple-brand company capable of challenging
12826-492: The team sent to evaluate Kaiser's Jeep factories. Although opposed by AMC's top management, Chapin made a significant decision in February 1970 to purchase Kaiser Jeep for $ 70 million. Although it was a gamble, Chapin believed Jeep vehicles would complement American Motors' passenger car business. The Jeep market was also a market in which the Big Three had no presence, and therefore there was no competition. American Motors gained
12947-736: The year before Tax Credits and deferred Tax Assets. By this time the board had lost confidence in Abernethy due to his vast spending which had unstabilized the company and each year under his leadership the company had suffered substantial financial losses. As a result, Abernethy was forced into taking an "early retirement" from American Motors on January 9, 1967. Abernethy was replaced by Roy D. Chapin Jr. (son of Hudson Motors founder Roy D. Chapin ). Chapin quickly instituted changes to American Motors's offerings and tried to regain market share by focusing on younger demographic markets. Chapin's first decision
13068-614: Was a fanciful claim in light of the Detroit Tractor and other machinery described with that phrase from 1913 through 1915. But Moline Plow no doubt felt pressured to claim priority in response to a very similarly built competitor, the Allis-Chalmers Model 6-12 , which Moline Plow alleged was a patent-infringing copy. E.R. Beeman invented the Gas Garden tractor, two wheeled walk behind model, in 190_. He had been
13189-683: Was a shock absorber to reduce tine spring return bounce. In 1934 Kelsey and Rototiller, Inc. introduced its first rotary tiller of its own design, the Model AA All-American. And in 1937 Rototiller, Inc. moved from its Long Island City facility to 102nd Street and 9th Avenue in Troy, New York. In 1945 after selling the larger B-series Rototillers and trademark to Graham-Paige Motors, Rototiller, Inc. converted to full-time production of various models of small horsepower home garden size rototillers. In 1946, Cecil Pond of South Bend, Indiana, started
13310-733: Was a subcompact designed to provide the comfort of a full-sized car. Its pre-production development coincided with tightened U.S. federal passenger emissions and auto safety regulations. The Pacer sold well its first two years with 262,772 combined units sold in the US. With the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, General Motors aborted the Wankel rotary engine around which the Pacer had been designed, as its fuel consumption exceeded that of conventional engines with similar power. Therefore, American Motors's existing 258 and 232 cu in (4.2 and 3.8 L) AMC Straight-6 engines were used in
13431-400: Was acquired by American Motors (AMC) on May 24, 1974. The company paid $ 30 million as it expanded into non-automotive markets. In 1982, a group of AMC officers, led by director of corporate development John S. Munn acquired Wheel Horse in a management buyout . During this time, some cosmetic changes were made, but frame and attachment design remained the same. In mid-August 1986, Wheel Horse
13552-474: Was also the start of other "plug-in"-type experimental American Motors vehicles developed with Gulton – the Amitron city concept car and later the similar Electron . Although the new models were well received by the motor industry media, the last quarter sales for AMC ended September 30, 1966 (AMC was not on a calendar fiscal year) were disappointing. The company recorded a balance sheet loss of $ 12,648,000 for
13673-668: Was continued with the Nash Statesman restyled as the "new" Hudson Wasp and the Nash Ambassador restyled as the Hudson Hornet . Although the cars shared the same body shell, they were at least as different from one another as Chevrolet and Pontiac. Hudsons and Nashes each used their engines as they had previously: the Hudson Hornet continued to offer the 308 cu in (5.0 L) I6 that had powered
13794-476: Was converted to military contract production and eventually sold. The separate Nash and Hudson dealer networks were retained. The Hudsons were redesigned to harmonize with Nash's body styles. The fast-selling Nash Rambler model was sold as a Nash and a Hudson in 1955 and 1956. These badge-engineered Ramblers, and similarly the small Metropolitans, were identical except for the hubcaps, nameplates, and other minor trim. The pre-existing full-size Nash product line
13915-415: Was discontinued for the larger 1968 domestic models, leaving only the small Rambler American as the last product to bear the name through 1969. The Rambler brand continued to be used only for export markets, with Mexico being the last market to use it in 1983. From 1970, American Motors was the brand used for all American Motors passenger cars, and all vehicles from that date bore the American Motors name and
14036-726: Was eliminated from production after 2007. The brand has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years, such that in 1999 the "Wheel Horse Collectors Club" was formed and has gathered annually in June at the South Mountain Fairgrounds in Arendtsville, Pennsylvania . Owners exhibit their machines and participate in "Horse" trading. Two-wheel tractor Two-wheel tractor or walking tractor ( French : motoculteur , Russian : мотоблок (motoblok) , German : Einachsschlepper ) are generic terms understood in
14157-460: Was produced in 1958, which included a three-speed transmission. This transmission is called the Uni-Drive transmission that Elmer Pond designed in 60 days. One tractor model was named Rj-58 and included a Clinton B-1290 or a Kohler k-90 engine. The Rj-35 used a Clinton B-1200 engine with a belt driven transmission . When equipped with a Briggs & Stratton 2.5 horsepower (1.9 kW) engine,
14278-509: Was produced virtually unchanged until 1978. Sagging sales and tight finances resulted in the discontinuation of the Matador line after the 1978 model leaving American Motors to focus almost exclusively on its Hornet platform -based cars and the Jeep line. From 1970, the Rebel and Ambassador were identical from the A-pillar back. The Ambassador continued as AMC's upmarket model with higher trim, more equipment, and air conditioning as standard. From
14399-511: Was purchased for $ 8 million by Toro . Tractors were built under the Toro banner for the next two decades. Under their new owner, economically priced Wheel Horse tractors shared the same pressed-steel frames, attachments, and other parts used in bargain-built Toro family equipment. In fact, even larger garden and compact tractors were "cookie cutter" units identical in construction to New Holland models built under contract by Toro. The Wheel Horse name
14520-439: Was quickly abandoned and Siemens began using two and four cycle single cylinder internal combustion gasoline/petrol or diesel engines to power their two-wheel tractors. Around 1932 Siemens sold off its cultivator division and focused on its electrical applications. Mr. Eberhard Bungartz of Munich, Germany, a trailer manufacturer, purchased the division in 1934 with all patents, parts, and machinery, and he went into production using
14641-452: Was to cut the price of the Rambler to within $ 200 of the basic Volkswagen Beetle . Innovative marketing ideas included making air conditioning standard on all 1968 Ambassador models (available as a delete option). This made American Motors the first U.S. automaker to make air conditioning standard equipment on a line of cars, preceding even luxury makes such as Lincoln , Imperial , and Cadillac . The company introduced exciting entries for
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