John froelich tractor biography
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John Froelich and the Evolution of the Tractor
As part of our pioneer series, we explore the legacy of John Froelich, the visionary inventor behind the world’s first gasoline-powered tractor. Froelich’s ground-breaking work revolutionised farming practices, paving the way for the modern agricultural machinery that drives today’s industry.
John Froelich and the Evolution of the Tractor: Revolutionising Agriculture
In agricultural history, few inventions have had as profound an impact as the tractor. The shift from animal and steam power to the petrol-powered tractor marked a significant leap in farming efficiency. Among the pioneers who made this leap possible was John Froelich, a farmer and inventor from Iowa, whose innovation in the late 19th century laid the groundwork for modern agricultural machinery. This blog explores Froelich’s life, the invention of the first petrol-powered tractor, and the subsequent evolution of this technology, particularly its impact
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1st Gas Tractor by Froelich Inventor
Froelich, rural community west of McGregor, got its name from one of its early citizens, Henry Froelich, who was the father of John Froelich, inventor of the first tractor.
The story of the beginning of the first tractor dates to the late 80's. John Froelich, who ran a feed mill and elevator in Froelich, would go to Langford, S.D., during harvest season to thresh. He operated a straw buring steam threshing outfit and took his own threshing crew with him from Froelich.
In studying the problems of hazard from fire in buring straw in the high Dakota winds and the scacity of water and its corroding alkaline nature, the idea of a gasoline-powered outfit came to Froelich.
Only stationary gas engines had been manufactured up to that time and very few of them. Froelich, for his purpose needed one to move itself and pull a load, the same as the steam threshing machine did.
He went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and bought a stationary engine which he set
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John Froelich
American uppfinnare (1849-1933)
John Froelich | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1849-11-24)November 24, 1849 Giard, Iowa |
| Died | May 24, 1933(1933-05-24) (aged 83) Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Known for | Inventing the first gasoline-powered tractor with forward and reverse gears |
John Froelich (November 24, 1849 – May 24, 1933) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, who invented the first stable gasoline-powered tractor with forward and reverse gears.[1][2] He received several patents relating to tractors and internal combustion engines.[3]
Life and career
[edit]Froelich was born in 1849 in Giard, Iowa to Henry and Kathryn (née Gutheil) Froelich. Henry, whose original name was Johannes Heinrich Froelich, from Kurhessen, today part of the German state of Hesse.[4] John Froelich grew up in the small town of Froelich, Iowa, named for his father Henry Froelich.[3