Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However by 1919 the Prairie style tractors were obsolete being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for a smaller more nimble tractors. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time ,the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design after testing in Nebraska was re-rated at 15-30. A smaller model, the 10-20, was added to the range in 1921, and this was soon joined by the big 22-40 in 1923, which featured two 20 hp twin-cylinder engines side by side.
The 10-20 was produced until 1924 when it was replaced by the 12-24.
The Hart Parr 12-24 tractor was a two cylinder tractor with a cylinder bore of 5.5 inches and a stroke of 6.5 inches running at 850 rpm maximum. The tractor was fitted with a transmission offering two speeds ahead and one speed in reverse, a dry clutch, an automotive type coolant radiator which was not pressurized and an air cleaner. The tractor used water as the coolant. Hart Parr built the 12-24 from 1924 to 1930.
The tractor was conventional in construction for the time, with a frame built up of structural steel components, riveted together with the engine, transmission and other components of the tractor then bolted to this frame.
The Museum holds two 12-24s in the collection, SN 40273 and 42669.
Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However by 1919 the Prairie style tractors were obsolete being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for smaller, more nimble tractors. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time, the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design after testing in Nebraska was re-rated at 15-30. A smaller model, the 10-20, was added to the range in 1921. The 10-20 and 15-30 were soon joined by a 22-40 in 1923. This tractor featured two 10-20 twin-cylinder engines side by side for a combined displacement of 616 cubic inches.
The 22-40 was replaced in 1927 with the 28-50 model which duplicated the layout but which used 12-24 engines.
The Hart Parr 28-50 tractor was a four cylinder tractor with a cylinder bore of 5.5 inches and a stroke of 6.5 inches running at 850 rpm maximum. The engine appears to have been simply two 12-24 engines twinned. The tractor was fitted with a transmission offering two speeds ahead and one speed in reverse, a dry clutch, an automotive type coolant radiator which was not pressurized and an air cleaner. The tractor used water as the coolant.
The tractor was conventional in construction for the time, with a frame built up of structural steel components, riveted together with the engine, transmission and other components of the tractor then bolted to this frame.
The tractor was designed to operate a 36 inch separator or pull a 5 or 6 bottom plow. The 28-50 was also offered in industrial and road tractor versions. A canopy over the operators station was an option offered by Hart Parr. The 28-50 was also available in an industrial version with solid rubber tires.
Hart Parr built the 28-50 from 1927 to 1930.
The Museum collection holds two 28-50 tractors including one with a canopy SN 71566 donated by Mr. Murray Cleaver of Portage la Prairie, MB. The other 28-50 in the collection is SN 70529.
Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However, by 1919, the Prairie style tractors were obsolete – being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for a smaller, more nimble tractor. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time, the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design, after testing in Nebraska, was re-rated at 15-30. The 15-30 design was replaced in 1924 by the 16-30 Type E design which was notable for an enclosed final drive gear lubricated with used engine oil. Oil was fed into the engine by the Madison-Kipp Lubricator, but rather than being returned to the force feed lubricator, the oil was piped to the drive gears. The drive gear housing was fitted with overflow pipes, allowing oil to run onto the ground when the final drive housings got too full. The 16-30 was upgraded in 1926 to become the 18-36.
There is a 16-30 at the Museum, SN 25565. This tractor was purchased new by Gustave Hutlet of the Bruxelles area and used on his farm. His son Arthur made one modification to the tractor; he was concerned that a driver could get his foot caught by the right rear drive wheel as the driver was close to this wheel. So he extended the fender on this side of the tractor to keep the driver well away from the rear wheel. Arthur’s son George, can remember last operating the tractor in the 1944 harvest when he was 14 years old; he drove it again – 71 years later – in the 2015 parade at the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede. In the 1950s, the tractor was sold to George Down of the Holland area who brought it to the Museum. He later passed it on to Doug Pratt who operates it at Reunion. The Hutlet family still keeps tab on the tractor, and look for it when they are on the Museum grounds.
Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However by 1919 the Prairie style tractors were obsolete being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for a smaller more nimble tractors. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time, the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design after testing in Nebraska was re-rated at 15-30. The 15-30 design was replaced in 1924 by the 16-30 design which was upgraded in 1926 to become the 18-36. These designs could either burn gasoline or kerosene as fuel.
Hart Parr 15-30s are sometimes referred to as 15-30 Type As, 15-30 Type Bs or 15-30 Type Cs. A number of changes were made over production to the water pump, valve levers and push rods and these changes are differentiated by the model designations.
Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However by 1919 the Prairie style tractors were obsolete being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for a smaller more nimble tractors. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time, the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design after testing in Nebraska was re-rated at 15-30. The 15-30 design was replaced in 1924 by the 16-30 design which was upgraded in 1926 to become the 18-36.
The Hart Parr 18-36 tractor was a two cylinder tractor with a cylinder bore of 6.75 inches and a stroke of 7 inches operating at 800 RPM maximum. The tractor was originally fitted with a transmission offering two speeds ahead and one speed in reverse, a dry clutch, an automotive type coolant radiator which was not pressurized and an air cleaner. The tractor used water as the coolant. Hart Parr built the 18-36 from 1926 to 1930. In 1927 the transmission was redesigned to offer three speeds ahead.
The tractor was conventional in construction for the time, with a frame built up of structural steel components, riveted together with the engine, transmission and other components of the tractor then bolted to this frame.
The option of hard rubber tires was offered on the 18-36 by Hart Parr as well as dual rear wheels. A further option was a PTO which was driven by off the right hand side of the engine using a clutch band operating on the crankshaft counterbalance which was on the right hand end of the crankshaft. For those farmers wanting to run at night,Hart Parr also offered a lighting option with one forward facing light and one light mounted on a rear fender.
Hart Parr also built versions of the 18-36 for Australia and New Zealand, the Australian and New Zealand Specials. These tractors featured a different air cleaner, a different arrangement of the engine exhaust manifold and lettering on the radiator identifying the tractor as an Australian or New Zealand Special.
The Museum holds two Hart Parr 18-36 tractors, SN 89632 and SN 90684 in the collection.
Hart Parr was a very early American builder of gas tractors with the Hart Parr 30-60 being one of the more successful “Prairie” style tractors. However by 1919 the Prairie style tractors were obsolete being far too big and clumsy for the average farmer of the time. The need was for smaller, more nimble tractors. Hart Parr’s first attempt to meet the needs of farmers at the time, the “Little Devil”, was a complete failure and the tractors were recalled. However, the right direction was taken in 1918 with the “New Hart Parr” 12-25 model, which formed the basis for all subsequent Hart-Parr tractors. The “New Hart Parr” was a tractor equipped with a two-cylinder, slow speed, water-cooled engine with force feed lubrication and open gears used to drive the rear wheels. The design after testing in Nebraska was re-rated at 15-30. A smaller model, the 10-20, was added to the range in 1921. The 10-20 and 15-30 were soon joined by a 22-40 in 1923. This tractor featured two 10-20 twin-cylinder engines side by side for a combined displacement of 616 cubic inches. The 22-40 was equipped with a Robert Bosch magneto and twin Schebler Model D carburators. An air cleaner was a $10 option. Apparently an oversized water pump was also an option. The tractor was nearly 2,000 pounds heavier than the 15-30. The 22-40 was promoted for road building and maintenance jobs as well as for farming. The standard 22-40 came with 13 inch wide cast rear wheels with the option of 18 inch wide cast rear wheels.
Only 496 Hart Parr 22-40s were produced.
The 22-40 was replaced in 1927 with the 28-50 model.
The Museum holds one 22-40 in the collection, SN 70319
The Hart-Parr company was formed in 1897 at Madison, Wisconsin by Charles Hart and Charles Parr. They had met while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had built three working internal combustion engines while still in university. After University they scraped together $3,000 and formed Hart-Parr. One of their first products was an inverted, vertical stationary engine using oil as a coolant. Oil had two advantages, it did not freeze, an important consideration in the Northern US and in Canada plus oil cooling resulted in an increased cylinder temperature, an important consideration in burning low grade fuels such as kerosene.
The Hart-Parr inverted stationary in the MAM collection was donated by A.G. Sissons of Portage La Prairie. It is mounted on a four wheel truck which was a common practice for stationary engines as it allowed for the engine to be easily moved around the farm from job to job.
This Hart Parr 30-60 was donated to the Museum by the Sims Brothers of Snowflake, MB.
The tractor was manufactured in 1909, and was purchased new by a Mr. Smallcombe of the Purvis, MB district at a cost of $4000.00. The engine performed road work as well as plowing and powering a thresher at harvest time.
The tractor threshed for 12 years in the Purvis district, and did a considerable amount of plowing in the area as well. In 1928, it was purchased by Herb Sims of the Snowflake, MB area and continued in service on his farm. The tractor was parked in the 1940s, but Mr. Sims thought enough of tractor that he refused to let it be scrapped during the Second World War. The tractor was donated to the Museum in the 1950s, and was one of the first gas engines in the collection.
The Hart Parr 30-60 was considered one of the more reliable “Prairie-style” tractors. Hart Parr began building 30-60s in 1907. The tractor featured a two-cylinder engine cooled by oil circulated by a centrifugal pump. The radiator was cooled by an induced draft from the engine exhaust, a very common feature on tractors until the late 1910s. The engine had a “hit and miss” governor. The engine was started on gasoline and then switched over to kerosene when the engine was hot. Oil as a coolant was common in the early years of tractors, as oil did not freeze, and oil cooling resulted in the engine running hotter which was an advantage when running the tractor on kerosene. Rumely was another tractor manufacturer which used oil as a coolant in its designs.
