1921 Fordson F With Trackson Conversion Kit and Loading Crane

This contraption is just one of the thousands of Fordson tractors that could perform specialty work around your factory, farm, or, in this case, your loading dock. A previous owner has installed what is likely a Trackson kit to add tracks to the wheels – that’s a great vintage attribute on its own, but this Fordson F also features a crane run by a Hyster winch. It’s for sale here at Auction Time with bidding at $900 (up from $300 when I started writing this article a couple of hours ago!). Tow this gem home from Rockville, Virginia.

Henry Ford wasn’t the inventor of the tractor – that honor belongs to John Froelich, who created an engine that could be driven way back in 1892. But the mass-produced Fordson tractor was a miracle in its day. Introduced in 1917, the Fordson reduced both the time and cost associated with farming using animals. The mechanized solution to farm labor was a cause near and dear to Henry’s heart: he had grown up on a farm and disliked the daily, backbreaking chores. But the Model T inspired Henry too, as he saw owners transform their cars into plows, snowmobiles, vegetable trucks, and even rudimentary RVs. After tinkering with his cars to equip them with farming implements, Ford decided a specialized vehicle would work better, and the Fordson was born. It was manufactured by a separately organized company – Henry Ford & Son.

The engine was similar to the Model T’s four-cylinder, though early Fordsons used Hercules motors. Almost any fuel could be used for running, but gasoline was needed as a starter. The engines were reluctant to turn over in the cold weather, ran hot, and were unreliable, but the Fordson tractor was still cheaper than a horse. Output was about 20 hp. This example comes with the engine that was installed when it was acquired, which is stuck, and another that’s a spare.

No plush interior here! The seat, metal tracks, and lack of suspension will beat up the driver, but that’s to be expected from a 1921 tractor. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1960s that farmers got a break: aftermarket makers finally offered enclosed cabs and rudimentary heating systems. Suspensions took another couple of decades to perfect.

Most likely, this tractor was converted to a crawler using a set of Trackson tracks. Trackson was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1922, providing after-market conversions mostly for Fordson. It merged with lift-maker Lessman Manufacturing in the 1930s and subsequently introduced its own shovels and loaders. In the late 1930s, a much larger customer came knocking – Caterpillar. By 1951, Cat had purchased Trackson, capturing its product ingenuity for Cat alone. This crane-bearing Fordson F is about as rare as they come, for so many reasons. Asking prices for early Fordson F tractors in decent condition range up to almost $5000, but this one, once restored, could surpass that on the merits of its unusual features.