FORDSON TRACTOR

The Fordson Model F tractor was introduced by Henry Ford in 1917 and was highly successful, becoming by far the most popular farm tractor.

The Novelty Iron Works of Freeport, Illinois, was established in 1868 by Edward H. and Charles Morgan and later incorporated as The Arcade Manufacturing Company in 1885. Early Arcade products included cork-extractors, door hinges, coffee mills, and lid lifters. By the early 1900s, Arcade was manufacturing cast-iron banks in the shape of many different animals.

In the early 1920s, Arcade manufactured a cast-iron toy Fordson Tractor with, it is rumored, Henry Ford himself at the wheel. They also produced toy plows and trailers to be pulled by the tractor. No doubt many farm boys played with these toy tractors, copying their fathers' work in the fields.