They Built Half-Sale Froelich Tractors

They Built Half-Sale Froelich Tractors TRACTORS Antiques 18-3-21 With interest in antique tractors at an all-time high, it's not surprising that at least three farmers - all working independent of each other - have come up with "accurate in every detail" half scale models of the Froelich tractor. Built in 1892, it was the first gas-powered tractor that could go both forward and backward and is considered to be the forerunner of John Deere's first tractors (It was built by the Waterloo Tractor Company, which Deere later bought). The operator drove the tractor by standing on a wooden frame at the front of the tractor. The gearshift lever was mounted behind the engine. Power was supplied by a vertical, 1-cyl. Van Dusen gas engine with a 14-in. bore and stroke. The engine mounted on the running gear of a steam traction engine. Here's a look at the three half-scale replicas. Cledus Stites, Odon, Ind.: He used old photos to build his half-size Froelich. The tractor is powered by a 1-cyl. Fairbanks-Morse upright engine that's cooled by a water tank on back. A belt driven pump circulates water through the engine. The main 15-gal. gas tank is located behind the driver, with a 2-gal. reserve tank mounted on top of the tractor. The transmission has three forward gears and one reverse. Stites turns the flywheel to start the tractor, then puts the transmission in gear and hops onto the wooden operator's platform where he pulls a lever (mounted on a pedestal next to the steering wheel) to tighten a belt. The steel wheels came off an old grass seed harvester. Each rear drive wheel is direct-driven by the transmission. A lever is used to operate the brakes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cledus W. Stites, Rt. 1, Odon, Ind. 47562 (ph 812 636-4189). George Erbe, Farmersburg, Iowa: George used old photos and a Robinson steam engine catalog to build his mini-Froelich (the wheels used on the original Froelich were the same ones used on a Robinson steam engine). He also researched the Van Dusen engine so he could build his engine as close to the original as possible. Gas is gravity fed from a tank in front. Water from a square steel tank is circulated through the engine by a pump. He used laminated oak beams to build the frame. Erbe has shown his Froelich at numerous parades and antique shows. He keeps it at a nearby Froelich museum which includes several original buildings from the village of Froelich. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Erbe, Box 402, Farmersburg, Iowa 52159 (ph 319 539-2649). Ernest Schwertner, Miles, Texas: He used parts from grain binders, planters, grain drills, row binders, tractors, etc., to build his half scale Froelich. It took about two years to build and weighs 4,460 lbs. Power is supplied by a Fairbanks-Morse 10 hp engine and the carburetor is from a Deere 25 combine. The 10-gal. gas tank mounts on top of the tractor and the fuel pump is under the seat. The 4-speed transmission is from an old Ford 1 1/2-ton truck. The rear drive wheels are from a Model T tractor kit and connect to the transmission. The frame is built from a 4 by 6-in. toolbar out of an old Deere 8-row planter. The front wheels are from an old International grain binder. The steering wheel is from a 1936 Farmall F-12 tractor and the steering wheel knob is off an old Rumley tractor. The differential gear is the bull gear from a 1939 Deere H tractor. The water pump is from a Continental sprayer. The running boards are from an old gin press. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, A.E. Schwertner, Box 143, Miles, Texas 76861 (ph 915 468-2331).

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