Mail-Order Tractors Were Sold By Department Stores

Mail-Order Tractors Were Sold By Department Stores TRACTORS Antiques Made by Custom Manufacturing Company Montgomery Ward sold tractors in the early 1950’s and Raymond Brenneman has one He shared its story with the readers of Vintage Tractor Digest     “A fellow at the auction where I bought it told me they made good pulling tractors which is one reason I bought it ” says Brenneman “I started to convert it but I realized it would be a shame to turn it into a puller It’s unique and the company no longer exists ”     Brenneman has the Wards Model C Built in 1952 it originally had a dual exhaust 6-cylinder industrial engine with fluid drive Chrysler coupling and a New Process 5-speed transmission It was equipped with a belt pulley Ross steering tilt-up hood wet line hydraulics and 540 pto A toolbox under the seat hydraulic brakes and a Timken truck rear end rounded out the tractor’s features     “It’s a beautiful driving tractor ” says Brenneman “It really moves in road gear It’s pretty fast compared to other tractors of its day ”     The Wards tractors weighed about 3 200 lbs and claimed 25 toolbar hp and it was somehow able to pull a 3-bottom plow Brenneman has used it mostly pulling wagons loaded with hay bales     “It seems to have plenty of power ” he says     The Vintage Tractor Digest story follows the history of Custom Manufacturing Company which privately labeled its tractors for several companies in the U S and Canada While the names on the tractors changed the serial numbers didn’t Sequential numbers may have had different names and colors     Wards went with a shade of red “There are so many red tractor brands; it’s hard to compare with more well-known ones like Farmalls ” says Brenneman “In the right light it’s sort of a candy apple shade of red ”     The company changed hands a number of times moving from Indiana to Illinois and then Wisconsin Eventually it was sold to a Mexican company before ending production     Brenneman has kept his tractor the way it was when he bought it Previously restored it has a single exhaust though it’s still equipped with the original manifold for duals He did remove the rear hydraulic valve before deciding against converting it for tractor pulling     Brenneman appreciates it mostly for its rarity the name Wards and the company logo front and center on the hood An interesting addition to his collection it’s now up for sale     “It’ll be bittersweet selling it ” says Brenneman “It’s what’s called a style tractor and I always liked them I’ve never seen another one like it ”     He was told of one other He took the Wards to display at a tractor pull and a man started laughing when he saw it     “I asked him why he was laughing and he said he’d recently seen one just like it displayed in a museum in Baltimore ” recalls Brenneman “He told me the tour guide described it as rare adding ‘He said it was unlikely we’d ever see another Then I come here and see yours ’”     Brenneman hesitated to put a price on the tractor “I’ll consider offers ” he says “My goal is to find someone who’ll appreciate it rather than just have it sold at auction someday ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Raymond Brenneman Westminster Md ph 443-340-1684

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