The story of the Fordson tractor began in 1917 in Dearborn, Michigan, US, when Henry Ford began production of his new farm tractor; initially for a large 6000-unit order for Great Britain.
Instant hit
After years of developing prototypes, the needs of Britain in the First World War eventually forced Ford to begin production, despite his personal feeling that the design was not yet ready. By 1918, the Fordson Model F, as it had been called, was being built for the US domestic market and for export. It became an instant hit thanks to its simplicity, lightness, and cheapness to buy.
Production remained in the US, except for a brief time when it was also built at the Ford Motor Company factory in Cork, Ireland. Despite this, the Model F remained very much an American tractor throughout its lifetime until it was finally withdrawn from the market as the Twenties ended. A replacement, dubbed the Fordson Model N, was put into production in Cork during 1929, making the Irish factory the centre of Ford tractor production for the world. The Model N was an improved version of the original
