Versatile
- First To Mass-Produce Agricultural Four-Wheel Drive Tractors
Exactly when farmers in the grain belt of the US and Canada began
hooking two tractors in tandem in order to pull tillage and seeding
equipment is difficult to determine. It would appear that the
practice began sporadically after the Second World War and became more
frequent in the mid to late fifties. Some farmers began building
their own four-wheel-drive tractors. Several of the major full-line
machinery companies had tried marketing four-wheel drive with only limited
success. John Deere being first in 1960 with the model 8010, then
IHC with the 4300 model in 1961 and in 1966 Case with the 1200 model.
While John Deere had entered four-wheel drive in 1960 they had dropped it
by 1964 perhaps due to lack of sufficient sales. Case was selling about 300
tractors a year. IH fared about as well. Steiger had also begun commercial
production of four-wheel drives in 1964 and built approximately 125
tractors between 1964 and 1969 when they moved to Fargo, North Dakota.
Like most successful ventures, “the right idea at the right
time” is the all-determining factor. Peter Pakosh and Roy Robinson
of Versatile Manufacturing Ltd. had been entertaining the idea of building
a tractor for some time. Around 1964 these men determined that a
popularly priced articulated four-wheel-drive would be the direction to
go. Reportedly against the advice of market analysts, it was decided
to develop such a tractor. I have a (very old) picture on the back
of which is written: “First Proto Tractor June 15, 1965”. In the fall
of 1965 Pakosh and Robinson decided to put the D100 into production.
This new four-wheel drive tractor was typical of the forethought
and simple yet innovative engineering which exemplified all Versatile
machinery to that date. The grain mover that Peter Pakosh first
began his company with was not an elevator or paddle system on a chain but
a screw-type auger with a minimum of moving parts. Anyone familiar
with the steering and drive system of the first Versatile self-propelled
swathers will marvel at the complexity of the idea and the simplicity of
the mechanics involved. All of the early Versatile machinery was
very basic, built to do the job, built to give good service, and built to
sell at a price the mainstream farmer could afford. The same
approach went into the building of the first Versatile tractor, and all
Pakosh/Robinson Versatiles to follow. (It seems to me that another
fellow by the name of Ford had success with this approach in the earlier
part of the century.)
The major full-line machinery companies had been having difficulty
in gaining acceptance of four-wheel-drive. Probably in some part due
to timing, in that few but the largest farmers felt they had great need of
four-wheel-drive. But, also because the machines offered were in
many ways a Cadillac (so to speak, and a price to go with it) and most
farmers could not see the return on the additional initial cost and
possibly perceived additional upkeep.
Versatile answered all of these issues; the major one being
“four-wheel-drive” at the price of two-wheel-drive. An 8010 John
Deere was $28,500, an IHC 4100 was $19,000, and a Case 1200 was
$20,130. In 1966 a new Versatile G100 was $7,500, the Versatile D100
was $9,200 and in 1967 the D118 was under $14,000. At that price
four-wheel-drive had to be a consideration when purchasing a new tractor.
But, how was Versatile able sell their tractor at these prices?
Versatile would at that time be considered a low-overhead operation (as
compared to the majors), but more importantly lets compare the tractor
Versatile was offering to some of the for-runners of the industry.
The John Deere 8010 offered air brakes- extra cost and how many farmers at
that time had anything to do with air brakes; possibly perceived as more
complicated and more maintenance. The Case 1200 was not an
articulated steer design and instead offered crab type four wheel
steering; again more expensive to produce and potentially more
upkeep. The Versatile tractor offered simple (bend in the middle)
articulated steering, standard hydraulic actuated brakes, lots of gears
(12 speeds forward, others offered only 6 or 8), and a good hydraulic
system. The Versatile tractor was also a “component constructed
tractor” and is one of the major reasons Versatile emerged a leader in
the early days of four-wheel-drive agricultural tractors. (This
component type construction is possibly the largest reason Versatile could
build tractors more competitively but that is too complex an issue to deal
with here). Obviously easily repaired, the tractor did not have to
be split or any other major component removed to replace the clutch,
remove the transmission, remove the engine or repair an axle. Versatile provided excellent parts availability at reasonable prices and
in addition parts were readily available for these components from generic
suppliers.
It has been said that “Versatile was the first to mass produce
four-wheel drive agricultural tractors”. I had sometimes
questioned what was being said here as I was aware that John Deere, Case
and IHC had all put four wheel drive tractors into production prior to
Versatile and these would have been built on a production line.
Yes? So this statement might be open to some definition or
interpretation. The idea of
four-wheel drive was not new as Massey Harris had tried it in the thirties
and farmers had been doing it sporadically for many years. Certainly
Versatile was the first to attain sales in excess of a few hundred units
per year but more importantly it is the market for four-wheel drive, which
Versatile opened. The right product at the right time. The 100
Model was surely an entry-level tractor both for the farmers who purchased
them and for the Versatile Company, but the tractor offered what farmers
were looking for in four-wheel drive. When Versatile introduced
their new tractors for 1967, the G125 gas powered and the D118 diesel
powered units, farmers took note and more than ever before farmers stepped
into four-wheel drive and more than any other make they bought Versatile. Remarkable, that a new player in their second year could
lead the market. Later in 1967 Versatile introduced the 145 Model.
Now here was a reason to buy four-wheel drive and by the end of 1967 there
was a waiting list from dealers for every tractor that came off the
assembly line. This says a lot for the Versatile Company.
Historically, farmers have been leery of new machines particularly those
produced by newcomers. The swathers, grain augers and other
equipment produced by Versatile was known to be good equipment and well
priced and I think this quality and competitive pricing was seen in Versatile'
s new tractors. After leaving the four-wheel drive market
in 1964, John Deere re-entered in 1969 with the Wagner built WA14 and WA16
tractors. Obviously John Deere now felt there was a market for
four-wheel drive tractors.
Versatile - 'First To Mass-Produce Four-Wheel Drive
Agricultural Tractors'.
Obviously Versatile had presented a new concept in four-wheel
drive tractors on a commercial scale, a concept which for a number of
reasons opened the gates to much increased sales and a concept which was
eventually followed by others. In only Versatile’s second year in
the market they sold more four-wheel drive Ag tractors than any other
maker. Further, it would appear that in that second year Versatile
may have outsold the rest of the entire industry (I am lacking some
figures particularly those of Wagner). From information at hand Case
and IH produced a total of 593 units in 1967. Versatile’s production was
significantly more.
In many ways the introduction of the Versatile tractor was as
significant in the four-wheel drive tractor industry as the introduction
of the Model T was in the automobile industry.
OK, now for the fun part. (This was fun too). For the next few
articles we’re going to stay away from the history and concentrate on
specific models starting with the 100 Model of 1966.