A short while back we took a look at a Red E Tractor. In this post we’ll examine one of it’s siblings, cousins or whatever the family connection is between the Red E Tractor Co. and the Page, Dairy and Farm equipment Company.
Although I was able to find more sources of info about the Page than the Pioneer products, the exact nature of the relations between the two companies remains extremely sketchy.
Both companies were operating in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the mid 1920’s . According to vintagemachinery.org, Pioneer was doing business as M.B.M. Manufacturing Co. It wasn’t until 1946 that they changed their name to the Red E Tractor Co. and in 1949 they bought out Page and the companies merged.
The advertisement went on to gush about the machine’s many virtues. It had a headlight and an equipment light for night work. It had a direct drive, worm-gear transmission that employed cut gears and ball bearings. “No cheap belts or chains.” This model was offered as 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 hp models.
I have not been able to determine if either company was selling four wheel riding tractors before 1949 but I did find photos of a Page catalog dated 1950. The cover illustration shows Page’s rear engine riding model # ZA10FS with a 4 hp motor. What was readable on the cover was about all that I could glean from that site, so it remains a mystery when the engine moved to the front .
The tractor shown in these photos was exhibited at the Steam Expo in 2018. It is powered by a Wisconsin model AENI engine with a serial number 3353760 shown on the plate. If someone has a registry of Wisconsin engines they might be able to date this tractor by the motor, provided of course, that it is the original power plant.
Sources:
www.vintagemachinery.org
www.worthpoint.com
www.farmcollector.com Uncommon Garden Tractor Collection by Bill Vossler
