1910 Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Model N 15-25 Tractor
7030 kg (15498.3 lb)
Display Condition: Conserved, running
Engine: Horizontal, 1-cylinder, liquid-cooled
Fuel Type: Gasoline, kerosene or distillate
Bore and Stroke: 266.7 x 457.2 mm (10.5 x 18 in)
Power: Drawbar - 11.2 kW (15 hp); Brake - 18.6 kW (25 hp)
Transmission: 1 forward, 1 reverse
Weight: 7030 kg (15,499 lb)
Original Cost: C $2600
This 1910 Canadian-built Fairbanks-Morse Model N 15-25 tractor was a demonstrator prior to being sold to a farmer in the Bittern Lake AB area, where it was used to break land, thresh, and perform odd jobs like grinding grain until the 1950s. The previous owner installed "dishpan hubcaps" to protect the drive wheels' axle bearings, electric lights, and fenders (the 1910 model didn't come with fenders). This tractor can be started using either compressed air or the head of a matchstick.
Thaddeus Fairbanks, an American businessman, mechanic and engineer, established an ironworks company in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in 1823. He was a prolific inventor; he had patents for plows, furnaces and other metal items related to agriculture, but his most well-known invention was the Fairbanks platform scale which allowed large objects to be accurately weighed. Near the end of the 19th century, a Fairbanks employee named Charles Hosmer Morse became a partner in the company, and it was reorganized as Fairbanks Morse & Company. Their first Canadian branch office was established in Montreal QC in 1876. The Canadian division produced the Model N 15-25 from 1910 to 1915.
Chronology:
1823 - Thaddeus Fairbanks establishes an ironworks company in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
1876 - Fairbanks Morse & Co. opens a Canadian branch office in Montreal, QC.
1910 - The Model N 15-25 tractor is introduced.
1910 - This Model N 15-25 is manufactured.
1915 - This Model N 15-25 is purchased used by Mr. Haselwood., a farmer in the Bittern Lake AB area where it's used until the 1950s.
1967 - Stan Reynolds acquires this Model N 15-25 from Haselwood.
1984 - This Model N 15-25 is added to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum Collection.
