An Exciting History Of The First Tractor

The year was 1892. In a small village in Clayton County in northeastern Iowa, the first tractor was invented by John Froelich. It should not have been called a tractor, but it was the first successful petrol engine that could go back and forth.

At that time, steam locomotives were used to thresh wheat. John Froelich was familiar with such machines. In fact, every autumn he took a group of men to Langford, South Dakota to work in the fields.

He was frustrated with the problems associated with steam engines; they were heavy and large, difficult to control. They were always threatening to burn grain and liver in the fields - and on a flat, windy plain, that was critical.

Gasoline was the solution.

Froelich and his blacksmith Will Mann came up with a stand-alone, single-cylinder engine fitted to the steering wheel of a steam engine - a hybrid. They designed many new parts to make it all fit, but in the end, it was done.

A few weeks later, Froelich and his crew began arriving at the vast stadiums of South Dakota with a “tractor” and a new divination machine. In the fall they threshed 72,000 small grains. It was a success!

The Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine

Later John Froelich sent his “tractor” to Waterloo, Iowa, to show some businessmen. Soon, the men formed a company to produce the “Froelich Tractor.” They named the company “The Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine” and made John the president.

Unfortunately, attempts to sell the gasoline tractor failed. Two sold out and returned shortly. The company then decided to make stand-alone gas engines to provide income while the tractor was being tested. Froelich, who was interested in tractors, not stationary engines, chose to withdraw from the company. The Waterloo Company continued to construct stationary engines while trying to enhance the tractor and in 1913 a "L-A" model was developed.

In 1914 the first Waterloo Boy tractor was introduced, the single-speed Model “R”. Farmers liked it and during the year sales reached 118. With the launch of the two-speed Model “N” Waterloo Boy, it was a success.

During World War I with rising farm prices and the need for reliable farm power, the idea of a tractor became so popular that a few months later many tractor manufacturers appeared.

Deere and Company based in Moline, Illinois, the manufacturer of John Deere's full line of equipment, has been monitoring the company's Waterloo Engine development and the growing level of its products.

Since Deere wanted an established tractor to complete its line, it was decided that this was an organization with many years of experience - a company that knew what farmers wanted - that needed to build a good tractor.

Purchased by John Deere

So in 1918, the Waterloo Company was acquired and the factory and equipment and workers were brought to the House of Deere. With the innovation of John Froelich's "mixture", during many years of experimentation, Waterloo Tractor Works has grown gradually. Today it is one of the largest producers of tractors in the nation. John Froelich will always be remembered for this donation and his town is named “Tractor Town U.S.A.