The Co-op brand has been used by various companies, associations or groups, and simply can signify any cooperative or group(s) that cooperate with its member-owners. The members each own shares or parts of the cooperative, which can give them voting rights towards the Co-ops activities, business, investments, etc... These shares can often be bought or sold, and the members can be individuals, other smaller co-ops, or privately-owned businesses.
Co-ops exist, or have existed, for agriculture, groceries, dry-goods/general merchandise, hardware, electric providers, etc...
Co-op Tractors/Equipment[]
There have been a couple of co-ops that marketed tractors and farm equipment under the Co-op brand.
 | |
| Successor | Cockshutt |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 |
| Defunct | 1952 |
| Headquarters | Bellevue, Ohio, USA |
| Number of locations | Shelbyville, Indiana, USA (tractors) |
| Products | agriculture machinery tractor |
 | |
| Headquarters | St. Paul, Minnesota, USA |
|---|---|
| Products | agriculture machinery tractor |
Probably the first Co-op tractors appeared in 1934 when Huber built some for a farmer co-op. There doesn't seem to be much record of these.[1]
National Farm Machinery Co-Operative[]
National Farm Machinery Co-Operative (NFMC) was a agricultural co-op based in Bellevue, Ohio, USA founded in 1942 by 13 regional co-ops. They developed and had tractors produced under the Co-op brand in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA in their own manufacturing facilities. Some of the tractors marketed by NFMC are identical to those by Farmer's Union Co-op, both sets being produced by Duplex Machinery Corp and its predecessors. Other tractors were built by Cockshutt in Canada and Cletrac in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.[2]
The Corn Belt Machinery Company of Waterloo, Iowa was moved to Shelbyville, Indiana, and the Ohio Cultivator Company of Bellevue, Ohio, which was most famous for the Black Hawk corn planter and the Thomas grain drill, were purchased by NFMC to manufacture equipment. Custom Manufacturing Corp was set up in Shelbyville, Indiana in 1944 by three principals of NFMC, including the Indiana Farm Bureau Co-op.[3][4]
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Co-op E7 pull-type combine harvester
An agreement was signed with Cockshutt for the supply of tractors and combine harvesters, while NFMC supplied implements to Cockshutt from its plants.[5] Some of the pull-type combines were produced in Canada by Co-op Implements, or CCIL.
In 1952, NFMC sold out to Cockshutt, as Cockshutt wanted access to the dealer network that Co-op had. Production plants in Bellevue, Ohio were included in the sale.
Farmer's Union Co-op[]
Farmer's Union Co-op was based in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, and marketed tractors built in Battlefield, Michigan, USA, first by the Duplex Machinery Company, then by Co-operative Manufacturing Company, and finally by Arthurdale Manufacturing Company of Arthurdale, West Virginia. Duplex began manufacturing the Co-op No.1 and Farmer's Union Co-op No. 1 in 1937. By 1938, the company's name had changed to the Co-operative Manufacturing Company and the No. 2 and No. 3 models were offered. By 1940, Arthurdale was listed as the manufacturer.[6] According to the USDA, the Arthurdale plant was provided by the Farm Security Administration and operated by the American Cooperatives, Inc. [7]
Farm Bureau Co-ops[]
Ohio Farm Bureau Co-op and Indiana Farm Bureau Co-op started selling the Co-op G in 1939 and 1941, built by Cletrac (the Cletrac General GG). It was later sold as the Co-op B1.[8] The Indiana group was then instrumental in setting up Custom Manufacturing Corp in 1944.
Models[]
Co-op Plow at Mid-America Threshing Show
Tractors[]
| Model | Year(s) Produced | Horsepower | Engine Type | Misc Notes | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-op No. 1 | 1937-1938 | Waukesha | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
| |
| Co-op No. 2 | 1936-? | 36 hp (27 kW) | Chrysler | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
|
| Co-op No. 3 | 1936-1950 | 42 hp (31 kW) | Chrysler | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
|
| Co-op B | 1941-1942 | 19 hp (14 kW) | Hercules | built in USA by Cletrac same as Cletrac GG |
|
| Co-op B2 | 1939-1941 | Chrysler | built in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA by Custom |
||
| Co-op B2 Jr. | 33 hp (25 kW) | Continental | built in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA by Custom |
||
| Co-op B3 | Chrysler | built in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA by Custom |
|||
| Co-op C | 1944 | Continental | built in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA by Custom |
| |
| Co-op D3 | 1945 | Chrysler | built in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA by Custom |
||
| Co-op E2 | 1952-1953 | 30 hp (22 kW) | Continental | built in Canada by Cockshutt a Cockshutt 20 |
|
| Co-op E3 | 28 hp (21 kW) | Buda | built in Canada by Cockshutt a Cockshutt 30 |
| |
| Co-op E4 | 1949-1958 | 43 hp (32 kW) | Buda | built in Canada by Cockshutt a Cockshutt 40 |
|
| Co-op E4 LPG | 43 hp (32 kW) | Buda | built in Canada by Cockshutt a Cockshutt 40 |
||
| Co-op E5 | built in Canada by Cockshutt a Cockshutt 50 |
| |||
| Co-op G | 1939-1941 | 19 hp (14 kW) | Hercules | built in USA by Cletrac same as Cletrac GG |
|
| Co-op (Huber) | 1934-? | built by Huber | 
| ||
| Farmer's Union Co-op No. 1 | 1937-1938 | Waukesha | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
| |
| Farmer's Union Co-op No. 2 | 1936-? | Chrysler | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
| |
| Farmer's Union Co-op No. 3 | 1936-1950 | 36 hp (27 kW) | Chrysler | built in USA by Duplex Machinery | 
|
| Farmer's Union Co-op No. 3S | 1948-1950 | 42 hp (31 kW) | Chrysler | built in USA by Duplex Machinery |
Harvesters[]
| Model | Year(s) Produced | Horsepower | Engine Type | Misc Notes | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-op 950 combine | built in Sweden by BM Volvo | ||||
| Co-op 951 combine | built in Sweden by BM Volvo | ||||
| Co-op 960 combine | |||||
| Co-op 9600 combine | |||||
| Co-op E112 combine | Chrysler | built in Canada by Cockshutt marketed by National Farm Machinery Co-Operative |
| ||
| Co-op E115 combine | Chrysler | built in Canada by Cockshutt marketed by National Farm Machinery Co-Operative |
|
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/lets-talk-rusty-iron-a-cletrac-co-op.aspx#axzz3LzKriwuq>
- ↑ http://sanweb.lib.msu.edu/DMC/MFN/1951/1951-2.pdf
- ↑ http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/cir120.pdf
- ↑ http://www.gasenginemagazine.com/farm-shows/co-op-and-cockshutt.aspx
- ↑ http://sanweb.lib.msu.edu/DMC/MFN/1951/1951-2.pdf
- ↑ "Encyclopedia of American Tractors", C.H.Wendel, Crestline, 1979,1992.
- ↑ http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/cir120.pdf
- ↑ http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/lets-talk-rusty-iron-a-cletrac-co-op.aspx#axzz3LzKriwuq
External Links[]
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