The Cockshutt 30 row-crop tractor was the first production tractor to be manufactured in Canada. The

Cockshutt Plow Company Cockshutt was a large agricultural machinery manufacturer, known as Cockshutt Farm Equipment Limited (1957–1962), based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Founded as the Brantford Plow Works by James G. Cockshutt in 1877, the name was changed to the ...

had previously imported rebranded Oliver and Allis-Chalmers tractors from the United States. The Model 30 marked Cockshutt's emergence as a full-line agricultural manufacturer. The tractors were built in Cockshutt's

Brantford, Ontario Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independ ...

plant. The Model 30 was noted for its introduction of a live

power take-off A power take-off or power takeoff (PTO) is one of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting it to an application such as an attached implement or separate machine. Most commonly, it is a sp ...

(PTO), the first such accessory that could be operated whether the tractor was moving or stationary. Through the model's production span it was itself resold in the United States as the CO-OP E3 and the Gambles Farmcrest 30.

Description and production

Starting in 1939, Cockshutt studied designs for a Cockshutt-built tractor, with effort accelerating as World War II and war-related production drew to a close. In particular, a need was identified for a "live"

(PTO) drive; i.e. a PTO that provided full power whether the tractor was moving or not, operated by its own clutch. The Cockshutt 30 was the first product of this effort, and was the first Canadian-produced tractor. The live PTO was incorporated into the Cockshutt 30, and the "live" PTO terminology was itself originated by Cockshutt engineers. The tractor was styled in a similar streamlined manner to the early styled Oliver tractors by Canadian architect Charles Brooks. four-cylinder engines were provided by the American

Buda Engine Company Buda Engine was founded in 1881 by George Chalender in Buda, Illinois, to make equipment for railways. Later based in Harvey, Illinois, Buda from 1910 manufactured engines for industrial, truck, and marine applications. Early Buda engines were gas ...

. Diesel and

LP gas Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas) is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, propylene, butylene, isobutane and n-butane. LPG is used as a fuel gas in heating appliances, cooking ...

options were added to the product line in later years. The new tractor was brought to market in 1947, rated for two or three plows. In addition to its optional live PTO, it could also operate belt-connected apparatus. Models were produced with narrow double or single front wheels, a wide standard fixed front axle and an adjustable wide row-crop front axle. Row-crop wheel spacing could be varied in increments from to . 37,328 Cockshutt 30s and derivatives were built at Brantford from 1946 to 1957. Base price in 1955 was CA$2,022. A fully-optioned 30 could cost more than CA$3,000.Cockshutt 1999. p. 101

Derivatives

Painted all-orange, the CO-OP E3 was a Cockshutt 30 rebranded for sale in the United States. The 30 was also sold with no significant modifications to the Cockshutt paint and styling as the Gambles Farmcrest 30, through the Gambles department store chain. Comparable tractors to the Model 30 offered by competitors included the

Farmall H The Farmall H is a medium-sized two-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1954. It was the most widely produced of International Harvester's " letter series", with approximately 390,000 pro ...

, the

Oliver 70 The Oliver 70 series of row-crop tractors was a series of large agricultural tractors produced from 1935 to 1967 by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company. Oliver tractors were known for their powerful engines compared to competitors, and their attent ...

, the John Deere Model A, and the Minneapolis-Moline ZTU.Cockshutt 1999, p. 20

References

{{Cockshutt tractors Cockshutt tractors Vehicles introduced in 1947