ALL ABOUT TRACTORS

BY PAUL WALLEM

 Even though this column is “ALL ABOUT TRACTORS,” I don’t think I’ve ever been on a farm that didn’t have a pickup truck. They are almost as essential as a tractor.

Hopkins Ford, in Elgin, Ill., offered a test drive in their all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. It was my first experience in an all-electric vehicle, and I’ll share it with you.

As I drove out on the highway, the absence of sound was eerie. Total silence. I recall my first flight in a glider. It was the same. After sitting behind engines of many sizes (and sounds), this was different.

Dials and gauges that we’ve looked at our entire lives are gone. No gas gauge, water temperature, or oil pressure. Instead, a panel the size of a large laptop shows foreign information like battery charge percentage remaining and miles left to operate.

Torque was as expected – instant full power. There’s no need to get the RPM’s up. The full thrust is there instantly. (The last time I got snapped back in the seat like this, I was driving a Chrysler 300C with a Hemi engine for the first time. I bought it the same day). Today’s experience was the same except for no sound. (Today, I’m not buying, at least not till there are more charging stations).

The conventional brake pedal is still there. In this model, braking action from the electric motor can be engaged or disengaged.

The range on the Lightning is 231 miles. Hopkins Ford specialist Angel Gallegos described the choices available to the owner for recharging. A common household outlet can be used, but recharging is extremely slow. The owner can purchase a charging station for his garage, which is much faster. Public charging stations are gradually increasing nationwide.

I asked the dealership service manager how often owners bring e-vehicles in for service now that there is no need for oil changes. He explained they only come in if a problem exists with the vehicle.

Other vehicle brands on the market have similar characteristics. My purpose in driving this one was to give you a first impression of the differences between an internal combustion engine and electric power.

My job in the mid-forties was driving the hayrack behind two horses as we hauled loose hay in from the field. Other than squeaking harnesses and voices, there was very little noise, no engine sounds. The world was fairly quiet. Not so today, when engine noise is everywhere on the farm. Will farms and cities again be quiet if electric power dominates in the future? Ford and other manufacturers are selling large numbers of pickups and cars. Sales of electric tractors are growing rapidly throughout the world.

A major factor in pickup and car sales involves the increased need for more charging stations. That does not affect tractor sales. Their typical use allows overnight charging.

Ford has always been prominent in the car and truck business, and because this is a column about tractors, I wondered when they entered that business as well. In 1907, they built an experimental lightweight tractor. They committed $600,000 to the effort, and by 1915, several other experimental units had been tried.

An entirely unrelated company, Ford Tractor Company, had come into existence. This pre-empted Ford Motor Company from using the Ford name on tractors, so the name Fordson was trademarked and adapted. The tractors were then built by a new Company, “Henry Ford & Son, and chartered on July 2, 1917.

During 1917, Ford was no. 1 in U.S. tractor sales. That year, their sales exceeded  34,000 units. It was considered reliable and affordable and had a widespread dealer network. It had much to do with convincing the public that tractors could replace horses. From 1917 to 1925 and again from 1946 to 1953, Ford was the only automobile manufacturer to sell tractors.

Between 1928 and 1939, Ford U.S. left the tractor market. During that time, Ford Britain exported to the U.S. In 1979, Ford U.S. reentered the tractor market.

Paul Wallem was raised on an Illinois dairy farm. He spent 13 years with corporate IH in domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP of IH & SUCCESSES & INDUSTRY FIRSTS of IH. See all his books on www.PaulWallem.com. Email comments to pwallem@aol.com.