The Massey-Harris Model 101 was a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

built by

Massey-Harris Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in T ...

(later

Massey Ferguson Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in T ...

) from 1938 to 1946.Pripps, p.61. Developed under the guidance of James S. Duncan, who gambled corporate losses would drop and won, the 101 introduced the

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

L-head A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

inline six. The six would compete with Oliver's straight-six Model 70, while saving money on development of a whole new engine as well as taking advantage of Chrysler's existing parts and service network.

Specification

The 101 used the 201 in³ (3,292 cc) six, taking advantage of its stock electric start, a first in a tractor. Run at much lower revs than the truck engine, the 101 came in the usual standard and row-crop models, with four-speed transmission, and was capable of 20 mph (32 km/h) on roads. The row-crop model offered adjustable rear wheel spacing and rear wheel brakes, as well as PTO. There was also a rare model with a single front wheel.Pripps, p.71. They also featured hood sides with dozens of

louver A louver (American English) or louvre (British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". Mor ...

s, which disappeared late in 1941.Pripps, p.64. The Super was upgraded to the 217 in³ (3,554 cc) Chrysler in 1940, giving it almost 50 hp (37 kW) at the belt, making it one of the most powerful tractors on the market that year. It continued to be used in the 101 Super until 1940, when it was supplanted by the 217 in³ (3,554 cc).Pripps, p.61.

Pricing

With a base price of around C$1100,Pripps, p.79 cap. the 101 was about C$200 more than the

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

A.Pripps, p.72. and competitive with

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and Ferguson-Brown models of the period.Pripps, p.78. Yet the top-selling tractors were all lighter and much cheaper.Pripps, p.70.

Model 101 Junior

To address this, the Model 101 was joined in 1939 by the "entry level" two-plowPripps, p.71. Model 101 Junior with Continental's

inline four A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...

, while the six-cylinder model became the 101 Super. The Junior, comparable to the Deere

Model H The Triumph Model H (also known as the 'Type H' and 'the Trusty') is a British motorcycle made by Triumph Engineering Co Ltd in Coventry, England. A total of 57,000 Triumph Model H motorcycles were made from 1915 until production ended in 1923. ...

,Pripps, p.73. used the same 124 in³ (2,031 cc) engine of the later 81 and 20,Pripps, p.104. and produced 31 hp (23 kW) at the belt,Pripps, p.77. Manufactured by

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

, it was used in many Massey Harris tractors at the time, as well as by the

Cockshutt 20 The Cockshutt 20 row-crop tractor was the third tractor produced by the Cockshutt Plow Company, from 1951 to 1958. Having developed the medium-sized Cockshutt 30 and the heavier Cockshutt 40, the 20 was a small two-plow tractor for general use. ...

and

Oliver Super 44 The Oliver Super 44 series of utility tractors was developed and produced from 1957 to 1975 by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company to complement the Oliver line of heavy row-crop and standard agricultural tracts. Like row-crop tractors, the wheel t ...

. The comparable

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

(

tractor vaporising oil Tractor vaporising oil (TVO) is a fuel for petrol-paraffin engines. It is seldom made or used today. In the United Kingdom and Australia, after the Second World War, it was commonly used for tractors until diesel engines became commonplace, esp ...

, or TVO, in Britain)Pripps, p.131. version was known as the 102 Junior. In 1940, the 124 in³ engine was replaced by a 140 in³ (2,293 cc) Continental of 19 drawbar/23 belt hp (14/17 kW) and in 1943 with a 162 in³ (2,654 cc) version.

Production

While the C$895Pripps, p.72. Junior sold nearly 28,000 units by 1946, it could not match the 60,000 each of the Deere H and Allis-Chalmers B, 180,000 of the

Farmall A The Farmall A is a small one-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1947. The tractor was popular for its set of innovative features in a small, affordable implement. It succeeded the Far ...

, and was barely a fraction of

's 260,000 9Ns. The Model 101 Super ended production in 1942.Pripps, p.63. The 101 Junior persisted until 1946, while the waning sales of the 102 Junior saw the name pass to overseas sales.

Specification

Pricing

Model 101 Junior

Production

References

Sources

Further reading