For sale is a rare 1930s era FORDSON TRACTOR PROMOTION RING PUZZLE from the Henry Ford & Son Corporation. This premium promotional item was used to advertise Fordson Tractors. This promotional puzzle challenge consists of whether you can decouple the rings. Both rings are stamped with the company’s slogan “THE ANSWER TO POWER FARMING IS FORDSON TRACTORS”. An interesting collectible toy or agricultural promotional item.
The prototypes of the new Henry Ford & Son tractor, which would later be called the Fordson, were completed in 1916. Between 1917 and 1922, Fordson tractors became widely popular due to its a reliable design, a low price affordable for workers and farmers, a widespread dealership network, and a production capacity for large numbers. Just as the Model T helped the public to appreciate how soon cars and trucks might replace most horses in transport, the Fordson helped people to appreciate how soon tractors might replace most horses in farming. In 1919, after a power struggle with the major shareholders, Henry Ford resigned from the Ford Motor Company and he put all his efforts Henry Ford & Son Company which developed an entirely new range of cars, trucks, and tractors in order to devalue the Ford Motor Company. He succeeded and bought out all the minority shareholders of Ford Motor Company then merged the two companies in 1920. Fordson tractors lost market share due during the Depression of the 1920’s due to competition from International Harvester, John Deere, J.I. Case, and Allis-Chalmers. In an attempt to win back sales, Henry Ford reduced prices and sparked a price war in the tractor industry known as the “tractor wars”. The low cost of the tractor and mass production capabilities lead to the Soviet Union becoming one of the biggest importers of the Fordson with over 250,000 arriving between 1920 – 1927. Fordson tractors were so popular that they were often seen on Soviet posters and paintings during the era.
