Part I - Agriculture, a supplement to the Big Rapids Pioneer Newspaper. Used with permission.

TRACTOR COMPANY WAS A STAPLE
Chris Dixon, Special to the Pioneer

Even after 75 years, what happened to the Four Drive Tractor Company is still a mystery. Ther have been many theories and rumors surrounding the demise of of the company. All of the key figures have passed away. Hampering any research is the unavailability of microfilm copies or originals of the Big Rapids Newspaper "The Pioneer" - both at the local library and the Pioneer's own files - from 1914 to 1928. Also there are no known copies of the company's own records or files. The Mecosta County Historical Society in Big Rapids only has a handful of newspaper clippings, a stock certificate and a few flyers.

The story of the Four Drive Tractor Company - which was located on Maple Street east of the former Grand Rapids & Indian Railroads - gegins with the founder and president of the company and inventor of the tractor John H. Fitch of Ludington, MI.

John H. Fitch

John H. Firch was born in January 1847 in the German-speaking region of Alsace, France. At the age of 7, John, his parents and three sisters immigrated to Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. At the age of 18, John went to Michigan to learn the millwright trade - the setting up and repair mill operations and machinery. After John was married in January 1868 came to Antrim County, Michigan where he lived on 80 acres of land that he obtained under the Homestead Act. Around 1875, the family moved back to Woodstock and remained there for four years and then moved back to Antrim County. John built a sawmill on a river and then started a small town called "Fitchville" near the mill. John prospered in Fitchville until 1881 when the spring freset carried out his dam, cutting the power supply and left him penniless. John set out down the road of West Michigan to find work and settled in Mason County where he was employed as millwright for many years at various sawmills around Ludington until about 1895 with the thinning supply of lumber in Mason County. In 1888 John bought 40 acres land in Riverston Township south of Ludington. After his lumbering days were over, he became a full time fruit farmer and earned the title of "Fruit Baron" with his business-like methods and fine orchards. Although now a farmer, John the mechanic continued to invent many useful items including the folding berry crate, a patent wrench and drill and a self-opening street car switch that was used on the busy Chicago throughfares.

The Four Drive Tractor

While farminng, John Fitch used to watch automobiles pass over the roads bordering his fields. Occasionally, one would get stuck with the two back wheels spinning to no avail the front ones were standing still helpless. John would then help the motorist out with his horses. Around 1910, he began to think about a machine that would give power to the front wheels as well as as the rear axle. He mused over his ideas, put them together and started to build his four-wheel drive machinein the form of a tractor in his barn. John's friends gave him dubious encouragement while others scoffed at the idea. He assured them that the first time he ran his machine, he would take it right up to the top of the highest hill on his farm.

The first machine was made by taking the drive ends from two ordinary two-wheel drive tractors and connecting them together with the motor in the center between the two. This was a good start, but he had a good deal of trouble in arranging the machine so that it would steer. He finally accomplished this by utilizing the old, well-known fifth wheel and live king bolt idea.

In 1914, John sold a papent for his ratchet wrench that he invented for $5,000 to finish the tractor. On October 20, 1914, he took out nine patents for his invention. One day in February 1915 after he completed assembly, he put garoline into the tank, started the engine and headed for the foot highest hill on his farm. All four wheels yook hold and the machine started walking right up the grade as if it were a level stretch. Neighbors around the countryside watched John as he set at the wheel and moved up the slope. When he reached the top, they waved their handkerchiefs and gave him lusty cheers. He had fulfilled his promise! The next day de drove the tractor seven miles into Ludington.

After the use of this machine and its observation by others, John was induced to further perfect this extraordinary machine and put it on the market in a commercial way. He built both a tractor and a truck model and took them both to Detroit in February and March of 1915 to show off his inventions and to discuss the possible manufacture. A number of automobile experts pronounced as one of the most important automobile inventions of the past year. The model was extremely simple and could be manufactured more cheaply than the trucks of that time.

The tractor had many features that were not on previous tractor models. In short turning radius, improved suspension, trailor/with plow attachment and two speed were other items beside the four-wheel drive that made this an important improvement to farming. The tractor could go into difficult places when conventional tractors could not. It could come out of a ditch as well as break through snow drifts. The was no danger of getting stuck in sand or clay - the lightness of the machine aand its equal distribution of weight prevented it from sinking into the ground in any appreciable distance. Although light in weight, its power enabled it to pull a very heavy farm tool. The increased power come the fact that the tractor was gear driven vice chain driven like the tractors of that time. This allowed for more transfer of power from the engine to the wheels.

To show off its ability, John would drive up to an 18 inch curb, large blocks of wood or large stumps and the tractor would climb over the obstackles with no problems. Ther are reports of him climbling up a strong wall of his barn and standing the tractor on its back wheels. The tractor could only do these stunts because of the great pulling power, possessed by the front wheels, the arrangement of the steering gear , the use of gears instead of chains, and the three-point suspension of the frame upon the axles. This particular device constituted one of the most important features of the machine and John had it protected by nine patents, of which eight were basic.

Men from all over the country claimed that the tractor held very first-rate and there was not another machine on the markey that could equal it. It was estimated that the tractor could easily do the work of nine or twelve horses in practically any type of terrain.

In the summer of 1915, John organizes and incorporated "The Four-Drive Tractor Company for $50,000 in Ludington.

The Four-Drive Tractor Company

The Big Rapids, Michigan board of trade decided that the manufacture of the machine would prove of value to Big Rapids. The board gave the company an offer that it could not refuse. In exchange for moving the company to Big Rapids,it would be given a new buulding, land and free light and power for five years. In early 1916 ground was broken for the factory on Maple Street east of the Grand Rapids & Indian railroad tracks. The board of trade financed the construction of the 45' X 200' brick building with a 30' x 40' L-shaped addition for the blacksmith department at a cost of $10,000. The company also acquired five acres of land at the junction of the Pere Marquette and Grand Rapids & Indian railroads.

The Big Rapids board of trade also took over all the stock that the company wanted to dispose of at the time. The contract between the company and Big Rapids allowed the company to start with the employment of eight men, with an increase to 80 within five years. The salaries of the men were not made mandatory, the only requirement was that those who were employed shall be given full time work.

The machine shop was turned over to the company while the building was being constructed. John moved to Big Rapids to take care of his new company leaving his family in Riverton to take care of the farm.

After Motor Age magazine of Chicago publkished a story on the stump-climbing tractor in March 1916, literally hundreds of letters poured into the Big Rapids Post Office. Inquiries came from every state in the country and every first-class foreign nation, French, English, and even Russian firms wrote for information regarding the new machine. Management mapped out plans for covering a large selling area and as soon as the necessary materials arrived, they would begin distributing the tractors.

In April, the company moved in to the building, which consisted of machinery and equipment enough for the manufacture of five or six machines a day. World War I caused a great delay in the arrival of new materials, but the company did get discouraged over the impossibility of filling orders. They had taken the best possible measures for making the delay profitable and spent every minute perfecting the machine. New parts received rigorous testing - including having the tractor climb an outside wall of the building - in order to make the endurance qualities of the tractor as permanent as possible. They provided for the installation of Timken roller bearings in the rear axle and it worked without a hitch. The Oliver Plow Company of South Bend, Indiana sent up one of their plows for a work-out with the tractor, and the combination turned over a patch of ground in no time at all.

John spent his entire time at the factory in Big Rapids working early and late so that his tractor might be made perfect and placed on the market. Arrangements were made to rush work through the winter of 1916 and to have the tractors on the market in large numbers by the spring of 1917. In November 1916, tragedy struck as John was about to reach the grand climax of his life's work as he was stricken with a bowel obstruction and died.

After John suddenly passed away, Elbert Jenkins of Big Rapids became the President and Albin Johnson of Big Rapids was named as Secretary. The company continued to make improvements on the tractor in order to fill ordersthat were placed in 1916. The company finally received the materials needed for construction and produced tractors starting in 1917, however, the company struggled financially during the first few years.

The Four Drive Tractor Company secured a solid footing during 1919, because of various improvemnts that were made to the tractor and the company. These changes led to the firm selling its 1920 before the year started. The changes concerning the company were that it had emerged from trusteeship. The company established a Foreign Department at New York Cityto arrange for the sale of tractors to individuals and governments in foreign countries. The tractors was manufactured at the factory in Big Rapids and then were shipped from the factory to the purchaser by railroad and then by cargo ship to the largest shipping port in that country.

There is not much known about the company in the 1920's but it appears that the company was having some financial difficulties even though nearly 2,000 tractors were sold all over the world. Big Rapids area stockholders grew restless and received less than expected dividends.

' The company continued to produce tractors through 1929 and probably early 1930. The exact date that the Four Drive Tractor Company ceased operations or to whom all assets of the company were sold is unknown at this point. In all likelihood the financially troubled company folded operations after the stock market crashed in October 1929.

The building where the Four Drive Tractor Company was based, located at 1105 East Maple Street. is now owned by Mecosta County and used by Ferris State University as a storage and recycling center.

Existing Tractors

There are only six Four Drive Tractors known to be existing in the world today with five of them restored and operational. The Gunnedah Rural Museum in Gunneday, Australia (located 300 miles north of Sydney) maintains a 1929 Model D4 20-35, the Marlborough Vintage Farm Machinery Museum in Blenheim, New Zealand has a Model 2035 tractor and Jim Spall of Feilding, New Zealand owns a 1922 Model 20-36 tractor. All three of these tractors are fully restored and minimwal modifications are now displayed at various tractor rallies in Australia and New Zealand. There were many Four Drive Tractors "Down Under" with many of them used to operate machinery as late as the 1950's.

There are only two operational Four Drive Tractors in the United States. Ken Christensen of Aberdeen, WA owns a Model 20-35 tractor that had been in a museum in California for many years. Ken takes his tractor to various tractor shows in Washington State.

Keith Schuberg, of Rodney, MI owns a unique 1929/30 "Cat" F 15-30. The "Cat" Four Drive Tractor was introduced in 1928 for heavy utility work that featured a different engine and was shorter, wider and stockier than the standard "Fitch" Model D20-35 tractors. His tractor is featured on the logo of the Big Rapids Antuque Farm & Power Club. Keith takes his tractor to the BRAFC show at the end of July and the Northwest Michigan Engine & Thresher Club's Buckley Old Engine Show in Buckley MI in mid-August.

There also is a Model 20-35 Four Drive Tractor in the Modesto, CA area that has been parked at various farms over the past 40 years.

Editor's Note: Chris Dixon is a great-great-grandson of John Fitch, and first began researching the Four Drive Tractor when he learned from his father as an eighth grader that there was an inventor in the family lineage. The Silverdale, Washington resident and first class petty officer in the U.S. Navy, is continuing his research into the company and has leads on identifying three more of the Big Rapids made tractors.

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