The history of the American farm tractor industry is similar to the development of a hybrid crop. Through trial and error, experimentation, and consolidation, some 200 varieties of farm tractor manufacturers in the United States in the 1920s were pruned down to fewer than a dozen manufacturers selling tractors in the United States today. The Illustrated History of the American Farm Tractor chronicles the ground-breaking machines that shaped the modern farm. The technological development of farm power is traced from the back-breaking days of farming with horses through the steampowered iron beasts and on to the development of farm power is traced from the back-breaking days of farming with horses through the steampowered iron beasts and on to the development of the internal combustion engine and the creation of the traactor as we know it today. Breakthroughs such as the introduction of Henry Ford's revolutionary Fordson, the alliance between Allis-Chalmers and Firestone that brought rubber-tired tractors to the market, Caterpillar's involvement in the application of the diesel engine, and the infamous "handshake agreement" between Ford and Harry Ferguson that created the Ford 9N and the innovative three-point hitch are all chronicled here. As it recounts the fascinating story of the farm tractor's evolution, Illustrated History of the American Farm Tractor covers many of the greatest tractors from famous makers such as John Deere, Waterloo Boy, International Harvester, J.I. Case, Fordson and Ford, Allis-Chalmers, Caterpillar, Massey-Harris, Minneapolis-Moline, Oliver, Cockshutt, Hart-Parr, and White, as well as numerous orphan makes. After scouring the United States, author and photographer Randy Leffingwell has compiled more than 450 beautiful color photographs, accompanied by a rich, informative text, make this a valuable addition for collectors and enthusiasts alike