The Tractor Tester: Frederick A. Stobbe and the Untold History of Ford, Ferguson, and Jeep
Frederick (Fred) A. Stobbe (1913-1974) was born and raised in Detroit and spent almost his entire working life there as a tractor technician and tester. Though not a farmer, Fred was present at some of the most critical moments in mid-20th-century tractor history, working for Ford, Ferguson, and Jeep. Fred never formally recorded his story, but he preserved a series of work photographs that captured those key historical moments. Each of these photographs tells a story involving some of the biggest names and events in tractor history.
Background: Unearthing the Story
Fred Stobbe’s son, Larry, posted a few pictures and a brief account of his father’s story on a social media history group.[i] Larry mentioned that his father had passed away at a relatively young age and that he did not possess much of his father’s work history beyond photographs. One of the pictures posted showed Fred driving a Willys Jeep equipped with a Newgren implement lift. The photograph was marked with a number, suggesting it was part of a factory series.
Larry noted that Fred spent most of his career at Ford’s Tractor & Implement Division. This raised a compelling question: Was Ford testing the Willys Farm Jeep as a competitor, as it had with other tractors?
While waiting to connect with Larry, I shared the images with the Henry Ford Museum and the Ford Motor Company Archives. Research Archivist Jamie Myler confirmed that while the Archives held some of the collection, the Jeep photos and those marked “Tractor & Implement Division” were missing from their records.
By the time contact with Larry was established, it was clear that the story was more significant than initially thought. Fred Stobbe was a man who not only witnessed but also actively participated in significant moments in tractor history. Larry and I began examining the photographs, each revealing a new chapter in the story.
The Bellman: A Foot in the Door
Fred graduated from Dearborn High School around 1929 or 1930. He pursued independent trade and technical engineering courses while working as a bellman at The Dearborn Inn, approximately from 1930 to 1938.
The first photograph in Fred’s collection shows him working as a bellman at the famous Dearborn Inn. Ford Archivist Jamie Myler suggested that the image of the bellman and the Lincoln car was likely a staged marketing photograph. According to Larry, the Lincoln promo shoot shows him loading the trunk of the 1938 Model KB 7-passenger limo.
The history of the Dearborn Inn itself is significant: it was commissioned by Henry Ford, designed by Albert Kahn in the Georgian style, and officially opened in July 1931 as one of the nation’s first airport hotels, serving passengers of the adjacent Ford Airport. Although the Ford Airport closed in 1933 (the land was later used for the Ford Motor Company’s test track), the Inn remained successful, serving visitors to The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, as well as Ford Motor Company guests.[ii]
Fred’s position as a bellman placed him at the heart of the great happenings at Ford in the late 1930s. The fact that Mr. and Mrs. Ford dined there every Sunday suggests that the “who’s who” of the automotive world would also have been frequent visitors. The bellman was the first point of contact for guests, allowing enterprising young men like Fred to make connections that would prove beneficial later in their careers. This seems to be precisely what happened with Fred.
Testing the 9N: Start of a Career
At an unknown date, Fred apparently crossed the street from the Inn and began his career as a tractor technician at Ford Engineering. Probably, the connections he established with Ford staff members while working as a bellman helped him secure this position.[iii]
The Ford 9N tractor, equipped with the innovative Ford-Ferguson hydraulic lift, is widely regarded as one of the most significant agricultural innovations of the 20th century. Jamie from the Ford Archives provided critical details on the first set of photographs. “The two images you attached with 74950 numbers on them are described as ‘FORD FERGUSON TRACTOR – WITH MOWING MACHINES’ in our logbooks and are dated February 2, 1941. This date aligns perfectly with the development phase of the Ford Model 9N tractor and the Ferguson System.” Jamie also suggested that the images’ backgrounds, possibly depicting an elevated Miller Road near the Rotunda, indicate they may have been taken at the vast Rouge complex.[iv]
Enter WWII and Post-War Shifts
Only ten months after the 9N testing pictures were taken, WWII began, shifting the peacetime economy to full wartime status, under which most production came under government control. Although production of the Ford 9N officially ceased in 1942, the assembly line continued under the new brand name, the “2N”. This designation was initially a strategic move to circumvent the Office of Price Administration’s price freezes and to allow Ford to adjust pricing for the mechanically identical machine. However, as the war intensified, the War Production Board declared copper, rubber, and chromium critical, forcing Ford to drastically alter the 2N’s composition.[v]
According to his son, Fred was drafted into service in 1943. He advanced to the rank of Sergeant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 460th Division, and toured Europe and North Africa. He was discharged in December 1945, returning home to find his job had vanished, a common experience for many veterans.
Ford tractor production did not stop and restart after V-J Day; instead, it underwent a rapid evolution culminating in July 1947. While the wartime 2N slowly regained electrical components and rubber tires as supply chains normalized in 1945 and 1946, the most significant change was corporate. To stop financial losses, Henry Ford II ended the long-standing “handshake agreement” with Harry Ferguson.
Engineers were tasked with modernizing the platform to avoid patent infringement and create a distinct identity for Ford’s new distribution arm, Dearborn Motors. The result was the Ford 8N, a machine that visually and mechanically broke from the “Ferguson era”. The 8N, nicknamed the “Red Belly” due to its Vermilion Red and Light Grey livery, addressed the primary complaints of 9N and 2N users. Its new features included a four-speed transmission for better field-speed selection, a “Position Control” hydraulic setting for precise implement holding, and a revised brake layout with both pedals on the right side. These changes transformed the N-series into a modern post-war icon.
Ferguson: A Critical Juncture
Larry doesn’t know specific details about his father’s employment immediately after the war. Once again, Fred’s photo collection provides vital clues. The inscription on the back of a photograph reads “Furgeson Education Farm, July 1946.” This places Fred within the Ferguson organization at a highly critical moment. An AI analysis of the image identified the tractor as a Ferguson TE-20, distinguished from the Ford 2N by its smooth upper grille and a hidden radiator cap. The oval badge placement further confirmed that it was a British-built machine. Fortunately, my human-based real-intelligence friend identified the error. I submitted the prompt again, and this time the AI bot was sure it was model 2N.
The stamp on the back of the photo identifies the host as the Truck-Tractor Equipment Co., the authorized regional distributor in Columbus, Ohio. The team of traveling technicians’ role was to train local dealers on the mechanics of the “Ferguson System.” The “Ferguson Educational Farm” was a temporary demonstration site or a mobile training event, not a permanent institution. Harry Ferguson used the events to demonstrate that his 3-point system, rather than the tractor, was the key factor.
Fred, who is standing tall and centered in the photograph, would have been a valuable asset to the Ferguson team. His prior testing experience with the 9N would have made him an ideal instructor for the “Ferguson System”. The photo thus captures a little-known chapter of the “Ford vs. Ferguson” split. At this exact moment, Truck-Tractor Equipment Co. was still distributing the Ford-built 2N and 9N models. However, by the following year, distributors like this one had to choose sides: stay with Ford for the upcoming 8N model or follow Ferguson to his new independent line (the TE-20/TO-20).
The Newgren Company and Willys Jeep
While the photographs of Fred driving the Jeep lack information beyond an ID number, they are easy to date. The Jeep is a CJ-2A model equipped with a Newgren implement lift, which was in production from late 1946 to late 1948. The photo may have been taken at Charles Sorensen’s CESOR Farms, the exact location where the 1939 Ford 9N had been tested.[vi]
Charles Sorensen, Henry Ford’s right-hand man for forty years, became president of Willys-Overland in 1944 and oversaw the development of the civilian Jeep. He also instructed two of his employees to form a company to provide hydraulic implement lifts and equipment to compete with Ford and Ferguson. Given Willys’ relationship with Newgren, Fred could have been employed by either company.
My initial interest in Fred’s story stemmed from these Jeep photos. The photographer’s catalog number in the lower-left-hand corner indicated that these were “factory photos.” My first thought was that Ford was testing the Jeep as a competitor’s tractor. However, learning more about Fred and Ford at the time made it clear this was not the case.
The Newgren company was purchased by the Monroe Auto Equipment Company in 1948.[vii] Monroe, known for shock absorbers, had created its own hydraulic lift for the Jeep and assumed responsibility for marketing, testing, and distributing lifts and implements. There is no information on Fred’s employment between 1948 and 1950. It is possible that he continued testing the Jeep. Monroe had its own testing farms, including one near Monroe, Michigan, not far from Detroit. Willys/Monroe appears to have been conducting testing at both CESOR Farms and Monroe’s farm during this period.
The importance of these photos cannot be overstated. Aside from stills taken from promotional films from this period, Fred’s two photos are the only record of Farm Jeep testing found todate.
Meanwhile, Back at Ford: The NAA & T&ID
Larry believes that his father returned to Ford around 1950. Post-Ferguson, Ford needed to create an entirely new tractor line that did not violate the N-tractor settlement and simultaneously met the market demand for tractors with greater horsepower.
The Ford NAA tractor, launched in 1953, was Ford’s first truly independent design since the pre-Ferguson era.[viii] It was structurally required to incorporate proprietary hydraulic controls that did not infringe on Ferguson’s patents and was powered by the new 134-cubic-inch “Red Tiger” engine. Ford would have had a clear need for experienced tractor testers, and Fred could easily have rejoined the company during this period, remaining through the formation of the Tractor & Implement Division (T&ID).
The Farm Machinery Research and Engineering Center was established in Birmingham, Michigan, in June 1955, centralizing the design process for T&ID’s new structure and formalizing a commitment to independent engineering by gathering approximately 1100 specialized personnel under one roof. This facility implemented a rigorous, dual-team engineering culture—a “constructive” team for new equipment design and a “destructive” team specialized in scientific failure analysis using sophisticated testing equipment—to achieve Chief Engineer Dale Roeder’s goal of elevating farm tools to industrial efficiency standards. The heavy investment reflected management’s goal to seize control over product quality and innovation, correcting past issues with external partners and wartime compromises. However, this engineering rigor was sometimes undermined by corporate urgency.
Larry wrote about his father: Fred’s work at T&ID required not only a strong mechanical aptitude but also a broad familiarity with metalworking, machining, metallurgy, foundry engineering, production techniques, forensic analytics, and technical writing. Along with the chest of tools he used daily, he carried a large leather briefcase containing binders of handwritten notes and formal, detailed reports that documented his testing methodology and approach, failure/success identification, troubleshooting, and problem-solving recommendations. As with some of his peers, he demonstrated meticulous penmanship, proper use of language, and effective communication. The conglomerate of his work would be reviewed by management and engineering, then forwarded and merged into manufacturing and technical processing. I still have one of those briefcases.
I submitted a prompt to Google Gemini asking it to analyze the stamp. Here is the result:
This stamp places the photograph within a very specific era of Ford’s agricultural history:
The Engineering Lab: Because it originated from the “Engineering Photographic Lab,” this image was likely not a publicity shot for consumers, but rather a technical record. These photos typically documented prototypes, field tests, component failures, or new implement attachments for internal engineering review.
The Division: The “Ford Tractor & Implement Division” was formed in 1953 after Ford dissolved the Dearborn Motors Corporation (the independent distribution entity). It operated under this specific name through the mid-1950s and 1960s.
The Location: The 2500 East Maple Road address in Birmingham (now Troy), Michigan, was the headquarters for Ford’s tractor engineering and administrative operations during this period.
The Select-O-Speed Failure
Fred Stobbe was at the center of one of the most infamous events in Ford tractor history. A photograph shows Fred as one of the testers of the new Select-O-Speed transmission.
Harold Brock, who had been hand-picked by Henry Ford to lead the original 9N development, was T&ID’s Chief Engineer two decades later. Brock was deeply concerned about the test results.[ix] He informed the executives that, based on the testing, the system was not reliable or ready for mass production, and he refused to sign off on the project. In what is described as one of the worst management decisions of the twentieth century, Brock was fired, and the tractor was sent into production.
As Brock had warned, every tractor Ford sold had to be recalled and rebuilt with a redesigned system. The managers responsible for firing Brock were subsequently fired themselves, and though Ford attempted to rehire him, Brock refused to return. Production of tractors was halted for 18 months while the problems identified in testing and in the field were corrected. When the recalled tractors were returned to owners, they carried a new blue-and-light-gray paint scheme, marking a symbolic, albeit costly, organizational reset. Beyond the millions spent to rectify the error, Ford’s failure gave competitor John Deere a significant market boost for years to come.
The John Deere 4020, launched in 1963, was an immediate and overwhelming success. Designed by the team Brock led, the 4020 is remembered as one of the most influential and important tractors in U.S. history. Its defining competitive advantage was its transmission: the John Deere 4020 featured the “first successful full powershift transmission” (the Power Shift), which offered the same functional advantage as Ford had sought, but with proven reliability.
Larry writes: I recall my mother explaining when I was very young that Fred had been laid off from Ford. Although it was temporary, it was undetermined at the time whether he would be called back. Having just started a family, mom and dad were a bit traumatized as Fred attempted to find other work he was qualified for. At one point, he tried to sell consumer-oriented products door-to-door and distribute aftermarket automotive accessories. It wasn’t enough, and eventually, because of his trade and technical studies that familiarized him with metallurgy, he was hired as a supervisor at a steel mill in Plymouth, Michigan, where they were living at the time. Apparently, it was not the ideal situation, and fortunately, he was eventually either reinstated or hired again at Ford. I recall some deliberation about this; it was somewhat complicated getting back in at Ford T&ID.
The Final Years: From 9N to 8000
Fred testing the new Model 8000
Fred’s final photographs from his career as a tractor tester demonstrate the enormous changes over three decades. He had tested everything from the small 9N, which offered the driver no comforts, to the modern Model 8000, which featured heated and air-conditioned cabs. He witnessed technological changes, both large and small, that fundamentally shaped modern farming.
Fred testing the new Model 8000
The disciplined engineering approach that followed the Select-O-Speed debacle allowed Ford to successfully re-enter the high-horsepower segment by the end of the 1960s.[x] The introduction of the Model 8000 in 1968 marked a turning point for Ford, restoring its reputation. Over the next three decades, Ford pursued strategies that would eventually lead to the elimination of its tractor production.
According to Larry, Fred continued his career with T&ID until 1974, when economic-related cost-cutting forced him and many other “seasoned” personnel into early retirement. Fred passed away suddenly shortly thereafter at the age of 60.
More memories of Fred
Larry writes: Fred demonstrated strong business acumen. Every evening after coming home from work, he would retreat to his favorite chair, smoking his pipe and intensely reading the newspaper. Dinner would follow at 6:00 pm, and while we ate, we would listen to the business report on AM-760, WJR, from Detroit. It was like gospel. Dinner was followed by national news on TV, and more with the newspaper, and a re-fire of the remainder of his pipe from earlier. Sometimes the TV would stay on and provide entertainment for relaxation.
My best friend from school once observed Fred’s character as so rock-solid, calm, and composed that if all of us were standing out front of the house and there were to be some nuclear event, he would have just lit his pipe and quietly instructed us to go back inside and resume our lives as if nothing else had happened.
Among Fred’s possessions was the keychain shown above. Introduced by Ford in 1954, it was a part of a marketing campaign to soften the image of car dealers. Larry writes: We felt that Ford depicted him as its marketing mascot, ‘Friendly Fred’. Because he knew many people from his career and from his frequent visits to “The Glass House,” as Ford HQ was referred to, it’s quite possible that the scheme could have been based on him. If you met him, you would have easily found him to be one of the more pleasant acquaintances you could ever meet. That’s just who he was.
Conclusion: The Importance of the Tester and Fred’s Photo Collection
Most people associate tractor testing with the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory. Fred Stobbe’s photographs, however, have provided a new, more profound understanding of the importance of manufacturers’ in-house testing programs. Each of his photos tells a compelling story of 20th-century tractor development and highlights the critical role of the tractor technicians—the testers—who helped shape the future of farming.
I quickly discovered that “factory photos” are rare. Ford has early items in their archives, but nothing from the T&ID years. When Ford left the tractor business, all documentation went to the new owner. Attempts to contact Case/New Holland failed. Further research, including AI analysis, indicated that the Ford documentation had been discarded or destroyed at some point because it had no value in the new organization.
There may be Willys archives that have yet to be discovered. I’ve found nothing on Ferguson, and it was another manufacturer that went through transformations. It is highly likely that Fred’s collection is one-of-a-kind.
We wish to thank Larry for sharing his father’s legacy.
Author’s Note: Much of the research conducted for this story was accomplished by using AI technology. Traditional methods would have taken me months, if not years. However, I have endeavored to verify all the data. I required that AI documents include all sources. That does not mean I have not made errors, and I hope the reader will let me know if I have.
[i] Personal email exchanges between the author and Larry were used throughout the article.
[ii] This information was gathered from AI-based research.
[iii] From email exchanges with Larry.
[iv] From email exchanges with Ford Archivist Jamie Myler.
[v] This information was gathered from AI-based research.
[vi] “The Farm Jeep’s Unlikely Hero: How the Ford 9N Tractor Saved Willys” in the July 2023 issue of Farm Collector magazine.
[vii] See https://www.farmjeep.com/lifts/monroe-lift/monroe-lift-history/
[viii] This information was gathered from AI-based research.
[ix] This information was gathered from AI-based research.
[x] This information was gathered from AI-based research.