General Information

Serial #

13036

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL FRAME & BODY/ WOOD BASE FOR RADIATOR/ RUBBER HOSES

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

442.0 cm

Width

200.7 cm

Height

188.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Power sources

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Bull

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Minnesota

City

Minneapolis

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

post 1917

Canada

The Bull tractor was sold by Massey-Harris, which imported the tractor from its Minneapolis, Minnesota manufacturer in 1917. The Bull was the first venture in tractor distribution and sales by Massey-Harris.

Function

The tractor is a motorized vehicle used to pull and actuate other vehicles or implements that are not power-driven. Tractors are primarily designed for agricultural work: for cultivation, spraying, and harvesting operations. The first tractors, developed in the mid-nineteenth century, were steam-powered and were not very mobile: their main purpose was to power threshers and other equipment. The development of gas-engines in the late 19th century, and their integration into tractors, gave the machines more mobility and flexibility. Robert C. Williams writes in "Fordson, Farmall, and Poppin' Johnny: A history of the farm tractor and its impact on America" (1987) that "Of all the farm implements, the tractor has had the greatest impact on rural life...In one generation between 1920 and 1950, most farms in the United States changed from dependence on draft animals to dependence on mechanical power."

Technical

The 12-24 Big Bull is a small tractor that was also an experiment in tricycle design — it has steel wheels of three different sizes. Built for ploughing and belt work, it ran on gasoline or kerosene. Its cross-mounted engine enabled the power to be transferred more directly to the wheels. The 12-24 Big Bull was popular at first because of its affordability, but soon lost favour because it was unsafe and often got stuck in the field.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

MFR'S EMBOSSING READS: 'FAIRBANKS/ MORSE/ TYPE I.M./ AT-PAT. PEND'/ ENGRAVING BELOW READS: '4A11A/ 20 94 542'/ AIR CLEANER PLATE READS: 'DONALDSON AIR CLEANER/ PATENT PENDING/ DONALDSON ENGINEERING CO. MFRS/ SIZE NO. X11/ ST. PAUL, MINN.'/ MFR'S ENGRAVING ON FRAME READS: '13036'

Missing

MFR'S PLATE/ MFR'S MARKINGS ON FENDER/ SOME WHEEL LUGS

Finish

UNFINISHED METAL (BROWN IN COLOUR)

Decoration

N/A