TRACTOR TALK

COCKSHUTT—BY ANY OTHER NAME

THE COCKSHUTT— BY ANY OTHER NAME

Cockshutt is a storied Canadian tractor manufacturing company that we have discussed several time in Tractor Talk. It was a small outfit compared to many in the tractor game, but Cockshutt was known for quality and innovation. The firm had only a few different models—and even fewer specials or rebadged models. That’s what we’ll show you here.

Co-op

The Co-op tractor line started in 1934 when the elements of the Farm Bureau Cooperative sold a small number of rebadged Huber tractors. In 1935, they contracted with the Duplex Print Press Company to build tractors designed by Dent Parrett, founder of the Parrett Tractor Company. Parrett is a story unto himself and was behind the scenes with many major companies over the decades designing tractors and equipment. You’ve seen his work—even if you didn’t know it.

In 1940, the National Farm Machinery Cooperative, Inc. (NFMC), was formed by the union of thirteen of the regional cooperatives and the purchase of the Corn Belt Machinery Company of Shelbyville, Indiana, and the Ohio Cultivator Company in Belleview, Ohio. NFMC continued to work with Duplex, but they also contracted with Cletrac to build some tractors just prior to World War II. The war stopped most production, but in 1944 and ‘45, NFMC built some tractors of their own design in Shelbyville.

In 1946, NFMC reached an agreement to sell rebadged Cockshutt tractors wearing Co-op badging. This started with the Cockshutt 30 but eventually included the 20, 40, and 50 lines. Of those, some were eventually offered with diesel power. When MFMC went bankrupt in 1952, Cockshutt bought most of their assets, closing the Shelbyville plant but keeping Belleview open until 1955. Besides the U.S. manufacturing plant, they acquired the Co-op dealer network, into which they kept feeding Co-op-branded tractors. Co-op died when Cockshutt’s financial problems reached a crescendo in 1957, and it was acquired by a holding company in what might be considered a hostile takeover. The firm lasted only a few more years before being folded into the White organization with Oliver and Minneapolis-moline, eventually forming the foundation of the current AGCO Corporation.

Not included in this survey of the Cockshutt model line is the rare and short production 1957 Golden Arrow. We have not seen it to photograph it.

Golden Eagle/black Hawk

A goodly number of Cockshutt’s customer base was south of the Canadian border, so in 1956, as they struggled to increase sales and remove red ink from the company’s bot

tom line, they added a little eye candy to tractors sold here. That came in the form of the Golden Eagle badging. When Buda Engine became a part of Allis-chalmers in 1953, a long-running relationship began winding down. Cockshutt turned to Perkins and, in 1955, the 40 was re-powered with a Perkins 270 ci four and designated the 40D4. Those heading south of the border were given a Golden Eagle decal. In ‘56 and ‘57, this was sometimes combined with “Black Hawk” badging (read on).

So what is the Black Hawk all about? Part of the product line acquired with the Ohio Cultivator was the Black Hawk corn planter, which was only one legendary product from that company. Seeking to increase sales on tractors and implements by connecting Cockshutt to an American implement manufacturer they had owned since 1952, they added “Black Hawk” badging to most models starting in 1956. The Black Hawk was equivalent to the Deluxe model, which had two-tone paint and little updates like a cigarette lighter. By 1957, Cockshutt had closed the Ohio plant, so the Black Hawk connection was discontinued.

Canadian Military Specials Glen Berry’s 1954 Cockshutt 40D was used as a flightline tug from 1954 to 1966 at a Royal Canadian Air Force base during the height of the Cold War. It’s a fairly standard 40D but with a Tokheim cab and an electrical system cutout to prevent radio interference. In this era, the 40D was powered by a 230 ci Buda-lanova six-cylinder diesel.

 The Golden Eagle 40D4, sometime also known as the 40PD (PD for Perkins Diesel) was introduced in 1955 with a Perkins L4 four-cylinder diesel. It was most-often seen without the Black Hawk decal, which appeared for 1956 only and production was mixed with Buda-powered Model 40s. The 270 cubic inch Perkins L4 (4.25 x 4.75-in B&S) was introduced in 1952 and used in a variety of agricultural applications into 1961, including in Massey-ferguson and Fordson tractors. With a redesign, it reappeared as the Perkins 4.236. It was a sleeved, three-main, indirect-injected diesel, with a 17.5:1 compression ratio. It was typically rated at about 50 hp at 1500 rpm (flywheel) for tractors, but in some applications it was spun up to 2000 rpm and made 62 horsepower. Torque was a respectable 182 lbs-ft at 1000 rpm.

Again, pardon the gasser and that it has no direct relation to Cockshutt. This image is worth showing because it’s one of the few hundred Model C Co-ops built in 1944 at the Shelbyville, Indiana, factory. The company was given a waiver late into World War II to build tractors. Farming was an important part of the war effort, but much of the ag machinery industry had been converted to armament production and new tractors were in short supply. In this era, there were still farms using horse-drawn equipment. Converting that equipment to tractors increased food production for the war effort. Also, some farms needed to increase the size of their tractors or replace worn out equipment.

Gambles Farmcrest The Farmcrest line was a short-lived Cockshutt side brand built for the Gambles-skogmo empire of department stores. The large organization bought many regional department stores and operated them under their own names. The Gambles stores were a Sears-type “everything” store. Starting in the late 40s, the Cockshutt Model 30 was rebranded the Gambles Farmcrest 30 and retailed out of Gambles stores. Not many were sold and the program lasted only a few years.

 The Black Hawk was a variation of the Deluxe as shown here, and the badging replaced the normal Cockshutt decal but included the deluxe, twotone paint shown here and a couple of small extras. The Model 50 was the big boy in the lineup, powered by a Buda 273 ci six-cylinder diesel.