1840 — Development of the first steam–powered traction engine in England for work in the fields, power output from 5 to 20 hp 1885 — Nikolaus August Otto invents the four–stroke petrol engine 1889 — Development of the first tractor using an Otto motor drive propulsion system by John Carter from Illinois, USA – regarded as the prototype of all subsequent tractors 1902 — The Hart–Parr company in Charles City, Iowa, begins to manufacture tractors under industrial conditions Hart–Parr 12/24 E 1908 — The Holt company (USA) begins production of its “Caterpillar” series of caterpillar track tractors 1914 — The first lightweight tractors are ready for marketing: the “Mogul” (8 – 16 hp) and the “Titan” (10 – 20 hp) from International Harvester, USA International Harvester Mogul 1917 — Minneapolis–Moline builds the first “Twin City 16/30” with electric starter motor and headlights 1918 — 85,000 tractors are working on the fields of the United States; start of mass tractor production by Ford (Fordson Model F) 1923 — Start of production of the “Waterloo Boy Model D”, which continues to be built successfully for 40 years 1921 — The Lanz company from Mannheim introduces the “Bulldog HL” field tractor with its hot–bulb engine onto the market Lanz Bulldog HL — The first German caterpillar track tractor, the “Panther”, is sold: made on the assembly line in the Moorburg Tractor Works (MTW) 1922 — Harry Ferguson (Ireland/Canada/USA) develops the three–point linkage for optimum power transmission from the tractor to the plough 1923 — Introduction of the first tractor with a diesel motor: the Benz–Sendling S7 tractor — – the first tractor with four–wheel drive: the “Lanz Bulldog HP” 1924 — Invention of the “Farmall” root crop tractor in the USA with its close–positioned front wheels (three–wheeled tractor) 1925 — Start of the full production run of the economically priced WD tractor (28 to 32 hp) at Hanomag Farmall F30 1932 — The Allis–Chambers corporation (USA) manufactures the first production model tractor with air–filled tyres 1933 — 23,953 farms in Germany are using tractors to cultivate their fields 1935 — Harry Ferguson (England/Canada/USA) develops the hydraulic lifting system which allows the tractor attachments to be lifted and lowered easily 1939 — 1.5 million tractors are in use in the USA — – The Minneapolis–Moline UDLX tractor is fitted with an all–steel cab, instrument panel, glazed windows, windscreen wipers, passenger seat, heating and radio — – At Porsche the “Junior” is designed and built as the “people’s tractor” with a single cylinder diesel motor Porsche Junior — The Swiss company Hürlimann produces the first tractors with 4–cylinder diesel direct injection 1940 — The tractive unit which transmits electrical power from the tractor to the implements is standardised and installed on production lines around the world 1947 — 310,000 tractors are registered in Germany 1950 — 27 firms in Germany produce 52,000 tractors with many new technical features: air cooling for diesel motors, direct injection, front loaders and implement carriers 1953 — Allis–Chalmers builds the innovative WD–45 tractor with powershift transmission, a second transmission system for a constant power supply, hydraulic system, automatic tractive resistance control Allis Chalmers WD 45 1955 — Development of the Ampli–Torc transmission system with 2 switching ranges (10 gears) without clutch operation (manufactured by Minneapolis–Moline, USA) 1959 — Maurice and Douglas Steiger develop their first supertractor: four–wheel drive, equal–sized wheels, two–part chassis and huge turbo diesel engine – the archetype of all future developments Steiger Panther 1961 — The Allis–Chalmers D19 – the world’s first turbo diesel tractor 1966 — John Deere builds rollover protection into mass–produced tractors 1967 — International Harvester introduces a hydrostatic drive for tractors 1972 — The first soundproofed cab (Sound–Gard) is introduced by John Deere 1973 — Daimler–Benz develops the successful MB–Trac system tractor with a centrally positioned cab (able to transport 2 loads or perform 2 passes on the field) — Valmet (Finland) introduces the first tractor with 6 tyres (Valmet 1502) onto the market, for better distribution of soil pressure 1985 — Manufacturers Massey–Ferguson introduce an electronic management system to control add–on implements 1986 — The “Challenger”, made by Caterpillar, is the first caterpillar track vehicle with reinforced rubber tracks for better ground adhesion when used in the field Caterpillar Challenger 1987 — Renault introduces the TZ Hydrostable cab on its tractors – with powerful vibration insulation for a significant improvement to driving comfort 1996 — Manufacturers SAME (Italy) introduce an innovative automatic load–changeable transmission for tractors