Tractor Custom Built for Henry Ford's Grandchildren Offered at Public Auction

NOKOMIS, Ill., April 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aumann Auctions, Inc. will offer a rare opportunity to own a piece of American history — the 1925 Ford 5/8 size tractor Henry Ford built for his grandchildren will be sold at auction. Previously on display in the Henry Ford Museum, it was purchased by a private collector from a museum inventory reduction auction in 1982, and now, loaded with provenance, is up for public bidding.

Auctioneer and Aumann Auctions President Kurt Aumann, CAI, CES, AMM, received a call a few months ago from a man interested in selling an old tractor described as a Fordson from the 1920s, small (5/8 size) and built on a Model T frame. Aumann quickly learned this was no ordinary homemade tractor though. The man revealed that Henry Ford had this tractor built for his grandchildren back in 1925. He backed up this claim by saying his father purchased the tractor from the Henry Ford Museum in the 1980s and he had the paperwork to prove it.

"The inventory sheets show the original inventory numbers, which are still on the tractor that retains much of its original paint. This is truly a one-of-a-kind piece of history," says Aumann.

In 1925, Henry Ford asked his special projects design engineer, Howard Simpson, to design a miniature tractor for his grandchildren. At the Henry Ford Estate named Fair Lane in Dearborn, Michigan, along the Rouge River, Ford and his wife Clara had built to scale a small working farm for the grandchildren and requested of Simpson that the tractor be approximately 5/8 scale to accommodate a 10-to-12-year-old boy to drive. Once completed, it became part of the reduced size set of farm equipment for the grandchildren and was also displayed at fairs.

"When we first started this tractor, we found a governor on the fuel line to control how fast it could go, and a lock on the ignition to keep children from starting it without permission," says Aumann. Adding to the uniqueness of this tractor, the name on the front of the radiator says 'Fordsons' instead of the standard 'Fordson.'

The tractor is being offered at public auction on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at the Aumann Auctions Pre-30 Auction in Nokomis, Illinois. To learn more about this historic tractor, for information on online and absentee bidding or about attending the auction, visit AumannVintagePower.com, or contact Kurt Aumann at [email protected] at (888) 282-8648.

Related Images

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1925 miniature 5/8th scale Fordson tractor
Hand-built tractor for Henry Ford's grandchildren offered at public auction

SOURCE Aumann Auctions