In this issue of Oliver Heritage we will trace the second branch of the White Farm Equipment family tree in the early part of the 1970’s. Cockshutt is our focus as we take a snap shot look at the White subsidiary based north of the border.

The Cockshutt farm equipment story begins in 1877 when James Cockshutt started the Brantford Plow Works Market Street South operation in Brantford, Ontario. In 1882, the Plow Works was incorporated as the Cockshutt Plow Company. The company's products included plows, cultivators, harrows, seeders, and rollers. The company first entered the tractor business in 1924 when they became the Canadian distributor for Hart-Parr tractors. The 1930’s would prove to be an exciting decade for Cockshutt as it introduced its first tractor and combine. During the late 1920’s and early 1930’s Cockshutt sold its first tractors with the company name on them, which were outsourced to Allis-Chalmers for production. From, 1930 to 1945 Cockshutt sourced its tractors from Oliver. In 1946 Cockshutt introduced its first in-house designed, developed and produced tractor. In 1957 the English Transcontinental Company acquired the Cockshutt Plow Company and changed the name to the Cockshutt Farm Equipment Company to reflect the brand’s modern product offerings that included tractors, self-propelled combines and various implements. In 1962, the White Motor Corporation acquired the Cockshutt factory in Brantford, Ontario, the self-propelled combine line and the rights to the Cockshutt name.
White Motors formed the Cockshutt Farm Equipment of Canada and assimilated its subsidiary Oliver farm equipment line for sales in Canada under the Cockshutt label. White did not want to lose the valuable brand loyalty Canadian farmers had with Cockshutt tractors and equipment, White decided to continue the Cockshutt name, using the more advanced Oliver tractor models of the period to establish increased market share. Ironically, Cockshutt was once again marketing Oliver tractors.
The Brantford, Ontario Cockshutt built tractor line was replaced by Oliver’s Charles City, Iowa built tractors. The first Cockshutt/Oliver tractors sold in Canada after the brand merger under White Motors included the 1900, 1800, 1600, 770, 660 and 550 painted in the traditional tan and red Cockshutt colors. To further bring Cockshutt into the Oliver fold and reduce paint costs, the tractor colors were later changed to white and a new brand identity, Sumac Red.
The key reason for White’s interest in Cockshutt was for its renowned combine factory. Oliver’s combine factory in Battle Creek, MI was old and in need of major investments to meet modern combine requirements in the 1960’s. Cockshutt’s combines offered a better investment of White resources rather than building a modern factory and developing a new combine for Oliver.

To read the entire story, subscribe to Oliver Heritage.