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J.I. Case

I&I is proud to host the 2008 National Show of the J I Case Collectors Association.
All J I Case Equipment welcome, restored or original.

J I Case is one of the oldest names in farm equipment and lives on today in the CaseIH division of CNH Global. Jerome Increase Case entered the farm equipment business with an improved version of the then primitive threshing machine. As his company grew, steam engines were developed, and other lines of farm equpment were eventually added to the catalogue. Case experimented with gasoline tractors at a very early stage, but those efforts were not promising and the company concentrated on the steam engines until gas engine development reached a more advanced stage.

J I Case threshing machines were widely praised, and sold worldwide. The number of Case threshers surviving today is testimony to the popularity of the Case brand. Case steam engines were reliable and solid machines, sold in a number of sizes and styles. From the early horse drawn unit to the last steam traction units, the Case Eagle was well known in all farming areas. Some Case engines have become legendary, the ubiquitous 65 hp, the big 80 hp, the monster 110 hp engines, and the almost mystical 140 hp Road Locomotives of which none survived

Well known in the industrial and construction markets, it is a rare construction site that does not have a few pieces of Case equipment around.

The Case 530 pictured above will go home with the lucky winner at the show in July. Raffle tickets are available from I&I Club members, and by mail. Send a self addressed stamped envelope to: I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club, Box 65, Penfield, IL 61862. Please include a phone number where you can be reached. Tickets are $1.00 each, or 6 for $5.00, please send check or money order. Need not be present to win, prize must be claimed and transportation arrangements made within 30 days, or the drawing will be voided and a new drawing will be held.

JI Case Collectors Association Banquet

J I Case history links:
Case History from Racinehistory.com
CaseIH History (combined history of Case and IH)

Silver King

Starting life as the Plymouth tractor, Silver King was a product of the Fate-Roote-Heath Company of Plymouth, Ohio. Silver Kings were well built tractors available in 4 wheel standard, and 3 wheel row crop configurations. One claim to fame was the 30+ mph road gear for those brave enough to try it. Interestingly enough, Silver Kings were not all painted silver, various shades of silver, gray, and even blues and greens were used at different times.

The first Plymouth tractor rolled out in 1934, created to bolster the companies finances during the Great Depression. Fate-Root-Heath's main product was industrial and switching locomotives, a market that evaporated quickly as the economy collapsed. The first effort was a heavyweight style tractor that had fallen out of favor with farmers as lighter more versatile machine proliferated in the marketplace. More research led to hiring new engineers, who developed a lightweight powerful standard tread style tractor. Named Plymouth as were the companies locomotives the tractor met with good acceptance in the market. A three wheeled row crop tractor was developed, opening more markets to the company. Chrysler Corporation was not thrilled with the Plymouth name appearing on the speedy little farm tractor, and lawsuits were filed. The J D Fate company a builder of clay extruding and handling equipment formed the Plymouth Truck Company in 1909, by 1915, the business had failed after building about 200 trucks and a single car. This single car formed the legal defense that succesfully fended off the suit by Plymouth Motors. In the end, Chrysler was forced to buy the name, reportedly for $1.00.

The Silver King engineers were working a number of innovations that were interrupted by the war, including improved hydraulics, upgraded transmissions and were exploring the possibilities of a fully hydraulic drive system. Unfortunately none of these were incorporated into the Silver King line when full production resumed after the end of the war, and the tractor design remained basically the same till the end of production.

The Plymouth tractor was the first tractor designed from the ground up to use rubber tires. Steel wheels were offered, but few were sold. As the years went on, the design changed, Continental engines replace the original Hercules powerplants, the steering mechanism on the row crop models was simplified, and other improvements followed. In 1954, tiring of the tractor business, the Silver King line was sold Mountain State Tractor Company. After building 75 "Mount State Tractors", the venture was in trouble, the remaining parts were returned to Fate Root Heath who sent them to a junk yard, and the Silver King entered the annals of history as another orphan tractor.

The innovative little tractor from Ohio gathered a lot of attention and praise, Henry Ford bought several declaring them to be "the best buy in the tractor market", and a sales manager with John Deere called it the "best made, poorest sold tractor". By the end, around 8800 Plymouths, Silver Kings and Mountain State Tractors had been assembled, with 214 bearing the Plymouth name.

More information on Plymouth and Silver King tractors can be found at:

http://www.silverkingtractors.com/

http://groups.msn.com/SilverKingPlymouthTractorSite/

Vendor Information:

Flea Market Registration: Contact JoAnn Warner at 217.643.7916

Parts Vendors: Contact Barry Maury at 217.469.7282