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.