List of traction engine manufacturers
Encyclopedia
- Also see: List of former tractor manufacturers
- Also see: List of tractors built by other companies
This is a list of companies that manufactured traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
s of any kind, including steam tractor
Steam tractor
A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling.In North America, the term steam tractor usually refers to a type of agricultural tractor powered by a steam engine, used extensively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.In Great Britain, the term steam tractor...
s, portable engine
Portable engine
A portable engine is a small steam engine, mounted on wheels or skids, which is used for driving machinery using a belt from its flywheel. It is not self-propelled and is towed to the work site by horses or bullocks, or even a traction engine. Portable engines were used mainly for driving...
s, and steam roller
Steamroller
A steamroller is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine...
s.
Great Britain
There were a large number of manufacturers in Great Britain. Most started life as agricultural engineers, and many exported engines all over the world. Some of the manufacturers are listed below:- William Allchin Ltd, NorthamptonNorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
– (MERL database entry) - John Allen & Co., OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
- best Known for the Allen Sciefe. - Aveling & Porter, Rochester, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
- Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works Ltd Built steam wagons from 1904 to 1908
- Brown & May, DevizesDevizesDevizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers... - Charles Burrell & SonsCharles Burrell & SonsCharles Burrell & Sons were builders of steam traction engines, agricultural machinery, steam trucks and steam tram engines. The company were based in Thetford, Norfolk and operated from the St Nicholas works on Minstergate and St Nicholas Street some of which survives today.At their height they...
, ThetfordThetfordThetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
– (MERL database entry) - Clayton & ShuttleworthClayton & ShuttleworthClayton & Shuttleworth was an engineering company located at Stamp End Works, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The company was established in 1842 when Nathaniel Clayton formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Joseph Shuttleworth .-History:...
, LincolnLincoln, LincolnshireLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
– (MERL database entry) - Edwin Foden, Sons & Co., SandbachSandbachSandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
, CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow... - William Foster & Co Ltd, Lincoln
- G J Fowell & Co, St Ives, Huntingdonshire
- John Fowler & Co.John Fowler & Co.thumb|right|John Fowler & Co. [[steam roller]] of 1923John Fowler & Co Engineers of Leathley Road, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England produced traction engines and ploughing implements and equipment, as well as railway equipment. Fowler also produced the Track Marshall tractor which was a...
, LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform... - Thomas Green & SonThomas Green & SonThomas Green & Son, Ltd. were engineers who manufactured a wide range of products at the Smithfield Foundry, Leeds, United Kingdom.- Introduction :Thomas Green came to Leeds from Carlton-on-Trent near Newark and founded the company in 1835...
, Leeds, Yorkshire. - Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon CompanyMann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon CompanyMann’s Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company manufactured steam powered road vehicles in Leeds, England.- Early history :The company was founded by James Hutchinson Mann, a native of Leeds. Mann had been apprenticed to J&H McLaren & Co. and also worked for Marshall, Sons & Co. of Gainsborough...
, Leeds, Yorkshire - Marshall, Sons & Co.Marshall, Sons & Co.-External links:* – at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia...
, GainsboroughGainsborough, LincolnshireGainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
, Lincolnshire - J&H McLaren & Co.J&H McLaren & Co.J&H McLaren was a British engineering company in Hunslet, Leeds, England, that manufactured traction engines, stationary engines and later, diesel engines....
, Leeds, Yorkshire - PaxmanPaxman (engines)Paxman is a major British brand of diesel engines. Ownership has changed on a number of occasions since the company's formation in 1865, and now the brand is owned by MAN SE, as part of MAN Diesel & Turbo. At its peak, the Paxman works covered 23 acres and employed over 2,000 people. Engine...
- Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd, IpswichIpswichIpswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east... - Richard Garrett & SonsRichard Garrett & SonsRichard Garrett & Sons was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, steam engines and trolleybuses. Their factory was Leiston Works, in Leiston, Suffolk, United Kingdom.The company was active under its original ownership between 1778 and 1932....
, LeistonLeistonLeiston is a town in eastern Suffolk, England. It is situated near Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, about from the North Sea coast and is northeast of Ipswich and northeast from London...
, Suffolk - Robey & Co Ltd, Lincoln – (MERL database entry)
- Ruston & Hornsby LtdRuston (engine builder)Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam...
, Lincoln - F Savage, King's LynnKing's LynnKing's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
- Portable centre engines for fairgroundFunfairA funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
rides - Sentinel Wagon Works, ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, ShropshireShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
- Utilised vertical boilers - Tasker & Sons, AndoverAndover, HampshireAndover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force... - William Tuxford & Sons, Boston, Lincolnshire.
- Wallis & SteevensWallis & SteevensWallis & Steevens of Basingstoke, Hampshire, England produced agricultural equipment, traction engines and steam and diesel road rollers.-History:...
, BasingstokeBasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Hampshire – (MERL database entry) - Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co.Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co.The Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. was a steam wagon manufacturer in Leeds, England. They produced their first wagon in 1901. Their designs had a novel double-ended transverse boiler. In 1911 the company's name was changed to Yorkshire Commercial Motor Co., but reverted to Yorkshire Patent Steam...
Leeds, Yorkshire
North America
Key: '~' indicates a manufacturer for whom no known products survive.- Advance Thresher Co. – later merged with the M. Rumely Co. to create Advance-RumelyAdvance-RumelyThe Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was organized in 1915 as a producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors...
Thresher Co. - Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.Advance-RumelyThe Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was organized in 1915 as a producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors...
- ~Althaus Ewing & Co.
- ~American Engine Co.
- American-Abell Engine and Thresher Company, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
- Amongst other models, built three-wheelers with a single wheel mounted on a fork perch bracket beneath the smokebox.
- Ames Iron Works
- ~Atlas Engine Works
- Aultman Co.
- Aultman-Taylor Machinery Co.
- Avery Power Machinery Co.Avery Co.Avery Company was an American farm tractor builder, famed for its undermounted engine, in that the tractor more resembled a railroad engine in a farmer's field, than a conventional farm steam engine....
- Baker, A.D. Co.
- Best Manufacturing CompanyBest Manufacturing CompanyThe Best Manufacturing Company of San Leandro, California was a manufacturer of farm machinery, now probably most well known for its steam tractors....
- Birdsall Engine Co.
- Blumentritt Co.
- Buffalo-Pitts Steam Roller Co.
- Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co.
- ~Byron, Jackson Machine Works
- Case, J.I. Co.Case CorporationCase Corporation was a manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. In 1999 it merged with New Holland to form CNH Global, a Fiat Group division...
- Colean Mfg. Co.
- C & G Cooper & Co's.
- Crowel Mfg. Co.
- Clyde Iron Works Co., Dluluth, MN
- ~D. June & Co.
- ~Davidson & Rutledge
- Farquhar, A.B. Co.
- ~Fishkill Landing Machine Co.
- Frick & Co.
- Gaar Scott & Co.Gaar-ScottGaar-Scott & Co., was an American threshing machine and steam traction engine builder based in Richmond, Indiana. The company built simple and compound engines in sizes from 10 to 40 horsepower. Farm machinery produced by the firm were advertised as part of "the Tiger Line" and used a tiger upon...
- Geiser ManufacturingGeiser ManufacturingGeiser Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturing company in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Geiser Manufacturing was incorporated in 1869 by Peter and Daniel Geiser. The company built grain separators, threshers, plows, and steam traction engines. The company's brand name was Peerless. The main...
makers of the Peerless line of steam tractors, later bought out by Emerson-Brantingham - ~George W. Morris
- ~George Page & Co.
- George White & Sons Co. Ltd., London and Brandon, Canada. ( Photo of a George White engine in the UK )
- Greyhound, Banting Mfg. Co.
- Groton, Charles Perrige & Co.
- ~Hagerstown Steam Engine & Machine Co.
- ~Harrisburg Car Mfg. Co.
- Harrison Machine Works (Jumbo)
- Heilman Machine Works
- ~Holt Manufacturing CompanyHolt Manufacturing CompanyThe Holt Manufacturing Company traces its roots to the 1883 establishment of Stockton Wheel Service in Stockton, California, United States. Benjamin Holt, who was later credited with patenting the first workable crawler tractor design, incorporated the Holt Manufacturing Company in 1892...
(became Caterpillar Inc.Caterpillar Inc.Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
) - ~Hooven, Owens &Rentscler Co.
- Huber Manufacturing Co.Huber Manufacturing Co.The New Huber Traction engine company of Marion, Ohio, built engines from 1885 to1903. In several respects the engines were different than their competitors in thatthe boilers had return tubes, and engines...
- Illinois Thresher Co.
- ~Jacob Price
- ~James Means & Co.
- John Goodison Thresher Co. Ltd.
- ~J.M. Ross & Sons
- Keck-Gonnerman Co.
- O.S. Kelly Co.
- Kitten, Ferdinand Foundry Co.
- ~Koppes W.M. & Co.
- Lang & Button Co.
- Lansing Iron Works Co.
- Leader, Marion Mfg. Co.
- MacDonald Thresher Co., Stratford, Ontario, Canada
- McNamer Co., Newark, Ohio
- ~Merritt & Kellogg, Battle Creek, Michigan
- ~Messinger Mfg. Co., Tatamy, Pennsylvania
- Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., Hopkins, Minn.
- ~Morningstar Mfg. Co. (Napoleon), Napoleon, Ohio
- ~Muncy Traction Engine Co., Muncy, Pennsylvania
- New-Giant, Northwest Thresher Co., Stillwater, Minn.
- New Hamburg Mfg. Co. Ltd., New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada
- Nicholas & Shepard Co., Battle Creek, Michigan
- ~Ohio Engine & Thresher Co., Upper Sandusky, Ohio
- ~Owens, Lane & Duyer Co., Hamilton, Ohio
- Peerless, Geiser Mfg. Co., Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
- Peterson N. C. & Sons, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
- Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co., Port Huron, Mich.
- Reeves & Co.Reeves & Co.Reeves & Co. was an American farm tractor builder for thirty years. It built some of the largest steam traction engines used in North America. Founded in 1874 in Columbus, Indiana, the company made threshers...
, Columbus, Indiana - ~Remington Co., Woodburn, Oregon
- Robert-Bell Engine & Thresher Co., Seaforth, Ontario, Canada
- ~Roberts & Dean Co., Sacramento, California
- Robinson & Co., Richmond, Indiana
- M Rumley Co., LaPorte, Indiana – later merged with the Advance Thresher Co. to create Advance-RumelyAdvance-RumelyThe Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was organized in 1915 as a producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors...
Thresher Co. - Russell & Co., Massillon, Ohio
- ~Ryan & McDonald, Waterloo, New York
- Sawyer-Massey & Co. Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada after merger with Harris to form Massey-Harris later became Massey-Ferguson )
- Scheidler, R. Co., Newark, Ohio
- Stevens, A. W. & Son Co., Auburn, New York
- Stevens, A. W. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin
- Twentieth Century Mfg. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin
- ~Union-Iron Works (Walker), Newark, Ohio
- Upton Mfg. Co., Port Huron, Michigan
- Waterloo Mfg. Co. Ltd.Waterloo Mfg. Co. Ltd.The Waterloo Mfg. Co. Ltd. was a Canadian farm engine builder based in Waterloo, Ontario, which built engines in sizes ranging from sixteen to thirty horsepower between 1880 and 1925....
, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada later taken over by John Deere & Company - Waterous Engine Works Co. Ltd.Waterous Engine Works Co. Ltd.The Waterous Engine Works was a famous Canadian farm and road engine builder.It made farm, road rollers and steam pumper fire equipment. It also made factory steam enginesand marine engines. Many of the their enginessurvive to this day in museums....
, Bradford, Ontario, Canada - Watertown Engine Company, Watertown, New York
- Westinghouse Co., Schenectady, New York Westinghouse Farm EngineWestinghouse Farm EngineThe Westinghouse Farm Engine was a small, vertical boilered farm engine that emerged in the late nineteenth century. In the transition from horses to machinery, small portable steam engines were hauled by horses from farm to farm. Many small workshops produced them...
- Wood Brothers Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa
- Wood, S.W. & Son Co., Clyde, New York
- Wood, Taber & Morse Co., Eaton, New York
Rest of world
- Aillot, France
- Bolinder-MunktellBolinder-MunktellAB Bolinder-Munktell was a tractor and machines manufacturer founded in Eskilstuna, Sweden in 1932 through the merger of the mechanical companies Bolinder and Munktell...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
now part of Volvo group - Borsig of Berlin
- Esterer, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- HanomagHanomagHanomag was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering a large number of steam locomotives to Romania and Bulgaria before World War I....
, Germany now part of Komatsu - Henschel & SonHenschel & SonHenschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
, of Kassel, Germany - Kemma, Germany
- Heinrich Lanz AG Heinrich Lanz AG, of Mannheim, Germany
- Rudolf WolfRudolf WolfJohann Rudolf Wolf was a Swiss astronomer and mathematician best known for his research on sunspots.Wolf was born in Fällanden, near Zurich. He studied at the universities of Zurich, Vienna, and Berlin. Encke was one of his teachers. Wolf became professor of astronomy at the University of Bern in...
, Germany - Ruthemeyer, Germany
- Scharer & Gross, Germany
- Volund A/S, Denmark now part of Babcock & Wilcox
- Zettelmeyer, Germany
See also
- List of former tractor manufacturers – internal-combustion -powered tractors
- List of steam energy topics - other steam related article
