A Brief History of the Tractor

It’s hard to imagine a farm without a tractor on it. In a surprisingly short span of time, tractors have gone from an expensive novelty to a necessity that farmers budget for, and they’re becoming better all the time. New attachments and implements help to make tractors more versatile for various tasks, saving farmers time and money. But where did tractors come from? Who invented them? Read on to find out.

Early Development

Before the tractor was invented, most of the tasks on a farm had to be performed by dozens of laborers in the hot sun, day in and day out. Tilling, cultivation, and harvesting took weeks, and farmers had to spend a great deal of their money just paying people to help them with their crops.

In the mid-19th century, all that changed. Farmers began to try using the new steam engines to power their plows, but these were unsuccessful. In the 1880s, however, John Froelich, an Iowan farmer and inventor, took one of the new gasoline traction engines and successfully fused it with a plow to create a useful machine for harvesting wheat.

Further Innovations

Wisconsin engineering students Charles Hart and Charles Parr, later responsible for the Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company, coined the term “tractor” from “traction engine.” Their company was the first to release commercially available tractors in 1901.

Soon, other companies like John Deere and later Mahindra began to manufacture their own tractors and their brands became synonymous with these stalwart farm machines.

Come to one of our four Iowa locations today to view our great variety of new and used tractors for sale. We also offer rentals as well as financing options for your farm equipment purchase. Rexco Equipment, Inc. is proud to serve our customers in the cities of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, IA.