By Rhonda Bartle

A plucky little Fordson: One of the earliest Fordsons tills the ground of what looks to be a racetrack. Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

The Feisty Fordson

The Fordson was named after Henry Ford, who grew up on a farm around 1906.  Though he had already committed himself to being a car manufacturer, he began to think seriously about the lack of farming equipment. Soon he exerted the same kind of influence over paddocks as he did roads. 

Ford decided what was needed was a light, easy-to-use machine that could pull a two-furrow plough and replace the traditional horses. He wanted it to be affordable, so he could sell it to the ordinary farmers without making too big a dent in their bank accounts.

Before his new machine rolled off the assembly line, Ford found a way to refit Model Ts so they could be used in the interim. One of these can still be found in New Zealand today.

By 1917, Ford had produced the Fordson, which sold well and was vigorously advertised as the best machine for those who wanted to 'pull, push, lift or carry.'  It was marketed by Wellington's Colonial Motor Company, holder of the Ford franchise in New Zealand.

The same company would one day also sell tractors designed for making roads and these were used to build several major arteries, including the Great South Road in Auckland.

The Fordson was a revolutionary vehicle, combining the engine and the transmission, which did away with the need for a heavy chassis. After World War I it was the most popular make around.

By the 1920s, tractors were seen more and more because they eased labour intensive farm work.  At first ploughing was a two-man operation - one to drive and one to control the plough - but eventually the driver could control the plough from his seat.

Some still survive today, though they're considered collector's items. Few people realise that Henry Ford played as big a part in the farming industry as he did in the private sector.