THE MEASURINGSTICK OF THE TRACTOR INDUSTRY©
Part III
Great Expectations
Dan Whalen 2165 Berry Road, Amelia, OH 45102
As printed in the Wild Harvest 1999 #3

Companies like people make plans for the future. Outside forces markets, taxation, world politics, available labor force, etc ultimately influence these plans. The end result being the reality of the day by these forces. Which in turn become strengths and weaknesses.

The purpose of this series of articles is to try to understand the history, the reality of the day, which influenced the manufacture of out machines, to help answer the countless questions of why this? Why that?

Before the purchase of J.I. Case Plow Works and Wallis Tractor in 1928, Massey-Harris General Manger Thomas Bradshaw, made a prophetic statement in 1925, in part "On account of tariff barriers, transportation, packing cost, and cheap local manufacture will be faced with the inevitable alternative situation of establishing local factories or losing markets".

The purchase of J.I.Case Plow Works and Wallis Tractor of Racine, Wisconsin U.S.A. formed the Massey-Harris Company U.S.A.. Massey -Harris positioned itself in a dynamic potentially profitable market in the U.S. with history of a precision quality, a durable, reliable product Wallis ("The Standard of the Industry"). The future would also show an ideal position of manufacturing, and a significant contributor of Massey-Harris Tractors and products to the world.

With such tremendous potential for success in position, the great storm of a financial abbess stuck for every company or individual, the Great Depression. Sales went from almost 15 million in 1929 to 1.2 million is 1932. Losses were staggering and by 1935 recovered to a little over 3 million.

With this financial storm it would be hard for anyone to chart a path to success. Decisions would have to be made which would ultimately destroy or save Massey-Harris, as we shall soon see Massey-Harris U.S.A. was dramatically saved. The U.S. Company became a financial burden to the parent company. B.W. Burtsell of the Packard Motor Company was brought on board as General Manager. His task was to cut staff and wages, reduce inventories, pay off loans and collect debts.

The board of Massey-Harris in 1935 decided to liquidate the U.S, Company. They decided to demolish the Batavia, NY plant to save taxes and ship the machine tools to Massey plants in Canada. James Duncan arrived at Toronto in March to become General Sales Manager. He was familiar with the international markets and the environment. Two days after his arrival he was invited to lunch with Bursell. Bursell then proceeded to tell Duncan of his plans to liquidate the U.S. operations and close down the European business except England.

It was reported that Duncan, without tact, expressed his utmost opposition to these moves. Bursell, in a fit of rage with expletives, stormed out of the room. Needless to say the president, T.A. Russell heard of the meaningful discussion, and asked Duncan why the quarrel with Bursell? Duncan said he thought the worst was over in the U.S. and Europe. In fact, he found a small market for surplus tractors in the U.S. showing better times ahead. Duncan was asked to examine the U.S. operations, which he did. He reported to Russell his opinion was not changed and pointed out the fact the net worth was over 6 million, where scrap value was only ½ million and sales were creeping off the depression lows. Duncan was asked to prepare a budget to the board. Burtsell expressed total strong disagreement. Duncan was appointed General Manager with the stipulation if 1936 losses were more than $250,000 he would resign. Burtsell resigned. Losses were significantly less, and the rest is history.

Problems at the Massey-Harris Company were not all caused by the Depression. Farmers were shifting to a Row-Crop type tractor in the 30's. Massey offered an unconventional strange design for its day, the four wheel drive General Purpose as its great idea. It wasn't accepted and didn't become popular. Without capturing a market share of the Row-Crop tractors, sales were lost of Row-Crop implements. The company gambled and lost in a time it couldn't afford to lose.

A new and improved version of the Wallis 20-30 the Massey-Harris 25-40 or model 25 3-4 plow tractor was introduced in 1931. It didn't set a sales trend either. Row Crop configuration first introduced by International Harvester in 1924 was the ticket.

1928 Massey-Harris started out with the 20-30 Wallis certified tractor, the scaled down version 12-20. A company since 1912 being the standard of the industry to the 1930's, taking a backseat in the market when it came to row crop tractors and equipment. If the General Purpose and caught on, it would have been a different story. Massey-Harris U.S.A. lost it's momentum, and as time marched on, the advanced engineering was accepted and used by other tractor manufacturers making the Massey-Harris look like one of the pack instead of the leader it was. There must have been a niche market for the shear quality of materials and engineering that kept the Massey-Harris tractor alive in the early 30's.

Sales were increasing with the introduction of the new 1936 model combines, implements, and tractors with a 2-3 plow Row Crop - the Challenger, or standard version Pacemaker, of which a later version the twin power Challenger ($1349) and Pacemaker ($1208). Significant upgrades and improvements were made to the model 25 - moving water pump, making options standard until the absolutely very last variation of the venerable Wallis design the "styled" model 25 was introduced in 1938 and available through 1940. (*3)

In 1938 and 1939, the Challenger and Pacemaker were replaced by the 1938 101, 1939 101 Junior and 1941 101 Senior. The first models displaced the Wallis U-Frame design and were an automobile type configuration. Late 1940 and early 1941 the 200 series tractors were introduced, replacing the model 25. This was absolutely the last Wallis designed tractor to disappear. By this time the men who would lead Massey-Harris through the war years to 1956 either worked for Massey-Harris or were in their influential positions.

Other developments of the late 30's had the trend towards subcontracting or outsourcing parts like engines as a way of cutting cost. Where as before the Racine plant had the manufacturing capabilities for engine building and machining facilities as well as assembly.

Another development of the late 30's was the clipper combine, which made Massey-Harris famous. Tom Carroll, an Australian, joined Massey-Harris in 1911 had a long career in designing combining machines. Management in general opposed a self-propelled combine. General Manager Duncan supported it and approval for development was granted in 1936. A total of 925 of the #20 combine were built. From this project, the #21 self-propelled combine came off the line in 1941.

For his development of the #31, Tom Carroll was awarded the Cyrus Hall McCormick gold medal by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in 1958.

By the 1939 75% of Massey-Harris business came from business outside North America giving Massey-Harris global experience. It was an important decision to stay international in 1935, which in the future part four will discuss "The War Years". (1941-1945) (*2)

Many hours of research has gone into this ongoing series. If you have any information to add, please relate this and documentation to Dan Whalen. There are too many books, articles and VCR tapes on this subject that are in whole or in part inaccurate and misleading which has damaged and eclipsed the reputation of Massey-Harris Company U.S.A. and the fine tractors and equipment it engineered and manufactured as the facts show.

List of model, engine, and year availabilityi

                         1938 (*1,*3)



        All the tractors were painted red with yellow wheels. 

        Tractors offered: 25 Pacemaker, Challenger, 101.  The 25

        (distillate only) was styled (grill, hood, air cleaner

        changed.)  Twin power was introduced on the Pacemaker and

        Challenger which was raising the engine RPM from 1200 to

        1400. The Challenger and Pacemaker styling was changed. 

        Cast iron grills with screen, hood with longer sides, new

        style air cleaner, gasoline or distillate models were offered

        and the majority in the U.S. and Canada were gasoline.



        Twin power 101 introduced a streamline tractor which has

        louvered panels covering engine and battery, chrome strips

        on grill and panels, Chrysler 201 6 cylinder instrumentation,

        electric start, battery ignition, and muffler as standard

        equipment.  Also offered as standard, a standard or row crop version.

        

        

                        1939



        The 25, Pacemaker, and Challenger stayed the same as 1938.

        Twin power 101 stayed the same as 38 until late in the

        year, when a 217.7 Chrysler engine could be special ordered.

        Introduced the Twin power 101 Junior.  Features screen grill,

        engine side panels, 16-mph road gear, full instrumental,

        foot clutch, and foot brakes.  Engines offered were 124

        Continental 4 cylinder and 140 Continental for distillate models.



                         1940 Early



        25, Pacemaker and Challenger still offered and the same

        as 1938 and 1939.  The Twin power 101 turned into the Twin

        Power 101 Super and came standard with a 271.7 Chrysler 6

        cylinder engine and the super stands for super-finished

        cylinder walls.  The cylinders were finer grit stone resulting

        in duper-finished cylinders.  Otherwise the tractor stayed

        virtually the same as previous years.



                         1940 Mid-Year



        Pacemaker and Challenger were discontinued.  Introduced

        the twin power, 201 Super (a large standard version), four

        plow tractor to replace the model 25, lowered cast iron

        grill, engine covers self starter, four forward speeds

        with a 12.7 mph road gear, individual foot brakes, full

        instrumentation, and 241.5 cid Chrysler Super finished

        sic cylinder gas engine operating at 1700 rpm draw bar

        and gas 2000 rpm Twin Power.



                         1940 Late



        25 discontinued. Introduced the twim power 202 basically

        identical to the 201 except the engine that was a continental

        290 cid cylinder engine.  /introduced:  Twin power 203 as

        a distillate.  This tractor was basically identical to the

        202.  The only difference was the cid of this engine and

        at had a small gas-starting tank.  The power plant for

        this model was a Continental 330 cid six cylinder.



                         1941



        The Twin power 101 super, Twin power 101 Junior, 201 Super,

        202, 203 all were unchanged from 1940.  Introduced  the

        model 81 and 82 - the 82 being the distillate version of

        the 81.  The 81 was a small 2 plow tractor styled the same

        as it's big brothers the 201, 202 and the 203, featuring

        the lowered frill but made of short metal instead of cast

        iron and flat engine panel, offered in standard or row

        crop version.  It had a continental 124 cis four-cylinder

        engine for the 81 and continental 140-cid four-cylinder

        engine for the 82.  16 mph road gear and virtually all

        of the same features as the 101 Jr.

*1 - On rare occasion a tractor seemingly has the wrong color paint or engine for the model or year according to the official records. Maybe someone repainted or re-engined the tractor in the last century. This could be one explanation. But what about the tractor that was bought new and unloaded off the railcar as is from the factory, and has remained in the same family up to now? Anyone have official explanations to these anomalies?

*2 - Part I the Measuring Stick of the Tractor Industry appeared in March-April 1996. Part III The Men Behind the Foremost Tractor appeared in May-June 1996.

*3 - Data based on dealer priced books.

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