List of traction engine manufacturers

This is a list of the more notable companies that manufactured traction engines of any kind, including steam tractors, portable engines, and steam rollers.

Germany

• Borsig of Berlin, Germany
• Esterer, Germany (particularly known for their Ploughing engines)
• Hanomag, Hannover, Germany now part of Komatsu
• Henschel & Son, of Kassel, Germany
• Kemna Bau, Breslau, (then) Germany
• Heinrich Lanz AG, of Mannheim, Germany
• Otto Meyer KG [de], Wellentrup, Germany ( Media related to Ottomeyer ploughing engines in Emsland Moormuseum at Wikimedia Commons)
• Rudolf Ernst Wolf [de], Magdeburg, Germany ( Media related to R. Wolf portable engines at Wikimedia Commons)
• Ruthemeyer [de], Stadthalle Soest, Germany ( Media related to Ruthemeyer vehicles at Wikimedia Commons)
• Scharer & Gross, Germany ( Media related to Scharrer & Groß at Wikimedia Commons)
• Zettelmeyer [de], Germany ( Media related to Zettelmeyer vehicles at Wikimedia Commons)

Great Britain

There were a large number of manufacturers in Great Britain. Most started life as agricultural engineers, and many exported engines all over the world. Some of the manufacturers are listed below:

• William Allchin Ltd, Northampton – (MERL database entry)
• John Allen & Co., Oxford - best Known for the Allen Scythe.[1]
• Aveling & Porter, Rochester, Kent
• Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works Ltd Built steam wagons from 1904 to 1908[2]
• Brown & May, Devizes, Wiltshire[3]
• Charles Burrell & Sons, Thetford, Norfolk – (MERL database entry)
• Clayton & Shuttleworth, Lincoln – (MERL database entry)
• Edwin Foden, Sons & Co., Sandbach, Cheshire
• Durham and North Yorkshire Steam Cultivation Company Ltd
• William Foster & Co Ltd, Lincoln
• G J Fowell & Co, St Ives, Huntingdonshire[4]
• John Fowler & Co., Leeds, Yorkshire
• Gibbons & Robinson[5]
• Thomas Green & Son, Leeds, Yorkshire.
• James & Frederick Howard, Bedford
• Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company, Leeds, Yorkshire
• Marshall, Sons & Co., Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
• J&H McLaren & Co., Leeds, Yorkshire
• Paxman, Colchester, Suffolk
• Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd, Ipswich, Suffolk
• Richard Garrett & Sons, Leiston, Suffolk
• Robey & Co, Lincoln – (MERL database entry)
• Ruston & Hornsby Ltd, Lincoln
• F Savage, King's Lynn, Norfolk - Portable centre engines for amusement rides[6]
• Sentinel Waggon Works, Shrewsbury, Shropshire - Utilised vertical boilers
• Tasker & Sons, Andover, Hampshire
• William Tuxford & Sons, Boston, Lincolnshire.[7]
• Wallis & Steevens, Basingstoke, Hampshire – (MERL database entry)
• Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co. Leeds, Yorkshire

North America

Key: '~' indicates a manufacturer for whom no known products survive.

• Advance Thresher Co. – later merged with the M. Rumely Co. to create Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.
• Advance-Rumely Thresher Co., La Porte, Indiana
• ~Althaus Ewing & Co.
• ~American Engine Co.
• American-Abell Engine and Thresher Company, Toronto, Ontario[8]

Amongst other models, built three-wheelers with a single wheel mounted on a fork perch bracket beneath the smokebox.[9]

• Ames Iron Works
• ~Atlas Engine Works
• Aultman Co.
• Aultman-Taylor Machinery Co.
• Avery Power Machinery Co., Peoria, Illinois
• A.D. Baker Company
• Best Manufacturing Company, San Leandro, California
• Birdsall Engine Co.
• Blumentritt Co.
• Buffalo-Pitts Steam Roller Co.
• Buffalo-Springfield Roller Co.
• ~Byron, Jackson Machine Works
• Case, J.I. Co.
• Colean Mfg. Co.
• C & G Cooper & Co's.
• Crowel Mfg. Co.
• Clyde Iron Works Co., Duluth, MN
• D. June & Co.
• ~Davidson & Rutledge
• Farquhar, A.B. Co.
• ~Fishkill Landing Machine Co.
• Frick & Co.
• Gaar Scott & Co.
• Geiser Manufacturing, makers of the Peerless line of steam tractors, later bought out by Emerson-Brantingham
• ~George W. Morris
• ~George Page & Co.
• George White & Sons Co. Ltd., London and Brandon, Canada.
• Greyhound, Banting Mfg. Co.
• Groton, Charles Perrige & Co.
• ~Hagerstown Steam Engine & Machine Co.
• ~Harrisburg Car Mfg. Co.
• Harrison Machine Works (Jumbo)
• Heilman Machine Works
• ~Holt Manufacturing Company (became Caterpillar Inc.)
• ~Hooven, Owens & Rentschler Co.
• Huber Manufacturing Co.
• Illinois Thresher Co.
• ~Jacob Price
• ~James Means & Co.
• John Goodison Thresher Co. Ltd., Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
• ~J.M. Ross & Sons, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
• Keck-Gonnerman Co., Mount Vernon, Indiana
• O.S. Kelly Co., Springfield, Ohio
• Kitten, Ferdinand Foundry Co.
• ~Koppes W.M. & Co.
• Lang & Button Co., Ithaca, New York
• Lansing Iron Works Co. Lansing, Michigan
• Leader, Marion Mfg. Co., Marion, Ohio
• MacDonald Thresher Co., Stratford, Ontario, Canada
• McNamer Co., Newark, Ohio
• ~Merritt & Kellogg, Battle Creek, Michigan
• ~Messinger Mfg. Co., Tatamy, Pennsylvania
• Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., Hopkins, Minn.
• ~Morningstar Mfg. Co. (Napoleon), Napoleon, Ohio
• ~Muncy Traction Engine Co., Muncy, Pennsylvania
• New-Giant, Northwest Thresher Co., Stillwater, Minn.
• New Hamburg Mfg. Co. Ltd., New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada
• Nichols & Shepard Co., Battle Creek, Michigan
• ~Ohio Engine & Thresher Co., Upper Sandusky, Ohio
• ~Owens, Lane & Duyer Co., Hamilton, Ohio
• Peerless, Geiser Mfg. Co., Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
• Peterson N. C. & Sons, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
• Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co., Port Huron, Mich.
• Reeves & Co., Columbus, Indiana
• ~Remington Co., Woodburn, Oregon
• Robert-Bell Engine & Thresher Co., Seaforth, Ontario, Canada
• ~Roberts & Dean Co., Sacramento, California
• Robinson & Co., Richmond, Indiana
• M Rumley Co., LaPorte, Indiana – later merged with the Advance Thresher Co. to create Advance-Rumely Thresher Co.
• Russell & Company (Steam Tractor), Massillon, Ohio (1848-1962)
• ~Ryan & McDonald, Waterloo, New York
• Sawyer-Massey & Co. Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada after merger with Harris to form Massey-Harris later became Massey Ferguson
• Scheidler, R. Co., Newark, Ohio
• Springfield Engine & Thresher Co., Springfield, Ohio (later became OS Kelly Co and Kelly Springfield)
• Stevens, A. W. & Son Co., Auburn, New York
• Stevens, A. W. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin
• Twentieth Century Mfg. Co., Marinette, Wisconsin
• ~Union-Iron Works (Walker), Newark, Ohio
• Upton Mfg. Co., Port Huron, Michigan
• Waterloo Mfg. Co. Ltd., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Waterous Engine Works Co. Ltd., Bradford, Ontario, Canada
• Watertown Engine Company, Watertown, New York
• Westinghouse Co., Schenectady, New York Westinghouse Farm Engine
• Wood Brothers Thresher Co., Des Moines, Iowa
• Wood, S.W. & Son Co., Clyde, New York
• Wood, Taber & Morse Co., Eaton, New York

Rest of the world

• Aillot, France
• Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad, Sweden (not Bolinders), now part of Volvo group
• Vølund (virksomhed) [da], Denmark now part of Babcock & Wilcox

See also

• List of tractor manufacturers
• List of former tractor manufacturers
• List of steam energy topics
• List of steam car makers

References

1. John Allen and Sons (Oxford) www.gracesguide.co.uk, accessed 2 April 2021
2. The World Encyclopedia of Trucks, by Peter J Davis, ISBN 1-84309-201-8
3. "P is for PORTABLE ENGINE". www.lackhamcountrypark.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
4. G. J. Fowell & Co St Ives, Huntingdonshire, England, U.K. Manufacturer Class: Steam and Gas Engines vintagemachinery.org, accessed 2 April 2021
5. Oliver, Martin (2022). "General Purpose Engines". The Fifty-Second Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022 Official Programme. The Great DorSet Steam Fair Ltd. pp. 64–65.
6. Frederick Savage, Victorian Fairground Manufacturer of King’s Lynn www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk, accessed 2 April 2021
7. William Tuxford and Sons www.gracesguide.co.uk, accessed 2 April 2021
8. Placard at Saskatchewan Western Development Museum
9. Kelly, Maurice A (1995). The American Steam Traction Engine. CMS Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 0-9527470-0-6.