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Harvey Brinker

Member
It is fairly well known how Henry Ferguson and Henry Ford shook hands in a Gentleman’s Agreement which gave Henry Ford access to the Ferguson System three-point implement attachment patents.

The part I have never seen spelled out is: Did Henry Ford obtain 100% exclusive rights to the three-point hitch system for a given number of years, thus none of the other tractor companies could use the system. Or could the others have used the system but were just too tight fisted financially to pay royalties?

As I remember both Farmall and Allis Chalmers each developed their own quick hitch system but it was only a stop-gap method until they moved on to adopt Ferguson’s methods, once they could be used free of charge.

I could very well be wrong, but it has been my opinion that if some of the other tractor manufacturing companies had gotten the three-point hitch sooner they might have had a better chance of survival.

Thanks for your opinions, Harvey
 
I am more fond of the IHC quick hitch then a 3pt. Hard to get the arms lined up on a 3 pt.

But now quick hitch adapters are more the norm to make a 3pt. work alot easier.
 
It's recently been discussed on here in detail. Ford had a deal with Ferguson only for the 9N and 2N. Ford used the Ferguson system without authorization on the 8N tractor. Ferguson filed a $340,000,000 lawsuit that dragged on for 4 years. Ford sold over 500,000 8N's in the mean time. Ferguson was awarded $9.25 million and Ford had to design a new system for their tractors. Ferguson should have been awarded more because it was proven to be patent infringement but he still felt the lawsuit was successfull because he proved his point. Dave
 
Just a guess,but I would think that if Harry had a patent on it,it would have had to have expired. I believe Vermeer had a patent on the large round baler for a time. At least that's what I was told was the reason that New Holland used chains instead of belts for so many years. The other companies paid Vermeer a royalty on the patent,but New Holland refused. Now the patent has expired and they've come around to using belts. No idea if that's true of not,but it's what I was told back in the late 70s,early 80s when the big round balers were gaining popularity.
 
Ferguson system or predecessor was on the David Brown tractor for English market a couple years, David Brown didn't pay after first 2 years and Ferguson got US patent based some on previous English patent- then was Ford deal. English market after WW2 had some tractors with 3point while US market patent prevented the use- IHC people can maybe get the years that English IHC tractors had 3 point hitch while US market tractor had to use 2 point to avoid patent infringment- sometime up to late 50s or mid 1960s? Ferguson had a sort of vertical 2 point hitch before 3 point working on Ford based 'Auto Plow' developed from model T car/truck- this was similar in some respects to Brinley Hitch used on garden tractors or a little like AC snap coupler in pull arm on bottom attached under pulling tractor axle line and the upper arm being lifting arm, anti-flip over device. Forest log skidders with a belly atached lift arm are a current use as patent has long expired. Book about Harry Ferguson has a lot of info. RN
 
The Ferguson brown tractors were made by David Brown but had quality control issues as well. Too bad for David Brown. They might have sold a lot of tractors if they had the rights to the Ferguson system and no one else did. Dave
 
At that time Case had the Eagle hitch and John Deere had what was known as the Yakima(sp.?) hitch I believe. Maybe somebody has more info on the Yakinma and/or can post pictures. I think those hitches were made in Yakinma Wa. by a company that made other special for John Deere. Armand
 
At that time Case had the Eagle hitch and John Deere had what was known as the Yakima(sp.?) hitch I believe. Maybe somebody has more info on the Yakinma and/or can post pictures. I think those hitches were made in Yakinma Wa. by a company that made other special equipment for John Deere. Armand
 
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