WHO DOESN’T Love An Orphan?
What makes an orphan tractor an orphan? Some say it’s the product of a company that failed; others say it’s a tractor whose parent company no longer exists. Either way, in the past century, as many as 900 tractor companies’ output today could be classified as orphans.
The annals of American farm tractor manufacture are filled with the names of companies that quickly rose to prominence but faded just as quickly. Still, American agriculture technology advanced rapidly as a result of that entrepreneurial spirit and innovative engineering.
For many, orphan tractors add a special flair to a tractor collection – and though they can be as hard to find as the real tractor, scale model replicas of the full-size orphan are like icing on the cake. This selection of orphan tractors and corresponding toys is by no means comprehensive but will give a glimpse at an interesting category.
B.F. Avery & Sons Co.
Benjamin Franklin Avery launched a plow company in Louisville, Kentucky, in the mid-1800s, but operations were suspended during the Civil War. With his three sons, Avery reorganized the company in 1865 as B.F. Avery & Sons. The company was soon recognized as the leading plow manufacturer in the U.S.
Following Avery’s death in 1885, family members assumed leadership of the company. The Avery company’s first attempt at moving away from tillage equipment was development of the Motor Plow, built from 1914 into about 1917.
