Interesting Case dealer pricing

[Don Rudolph]

I found this ad from several Montana Case dealers very interesting. It shows dealers were having trouble getting rid of 1951 models that didn't have live PTO and hydraulics. Two years later they would have trouble getting rid of DC's and SC's that did have live power. No wonder JI Case had financial difficulties, along with their dealers in the early to mid 50's continuing into the 60's.

 

[tomturkey]

I am ignorant about what farmers grow in Montana. I initially thought wheat, but don't know. I was thinking all their equipment would be pull type. I guess I got that idea from the wheatland/western specials that had drawbar and hydraulic remotes. School me....gobble

 

[Don Rudolph]

I am ignorant about what farmers grow in Montana. I initially thought wheat, but don't know. I was thinking all their equipment would be pull type. I guess I got that idea from the wheatland/western specials that had drawbar and hydraulic remotes. School me....gobble

TT,

I am as uninformed as you when it comes to cropping in Montana. I would guess small grains and lots of hay. In my historical research I always look at the background economic picture. Farm income declined through most of the 50's, while equipment design improved continually. This was a much different picture than the post war years, when dealers could sell anything they could get their hands on. It is eye opening to see the number of people who became Case dealers and soon went out of business, for many reasons, from the 30's all the way to the 70's.

In my opinion, farmers who could afford tractors and machinery in the 50's wanted the latest innovations and simply bypassed older models that didn't have the features they wanted. Resulting in unsold inventory that had to be severely discounted in order to sell. JI Case management misread the marketplace and produced too many tractors without features that were in demand. The retrofit program for 4" pistons in the D series comes to mind. And, the fact you could still buy a new 1953 DC in 1957. Another example is the VA series not having live PTO, when more and more equipment was turning to PTO power.

The 400 was a significant step forward, but was too little, too late to save the Case percentage of the tractor sales market. Not to mention Case inability to update their machinery offerings quickly enough to satisfy potential customers.

 

[Tom Railsback]

I've lived in Montana for 42 years and have many good friends who farm. The primary crop is wheat due to the cold winters and dry climate. However, chick peas and other crops are grown but names escape me at the moment.

 

[Ande]

Yes Don, and I really dont think they ever recovered from the nasty strike, and its interesting to not that Case repeated this fatal error of dumping tractors again in the 1980s and believe me, I sold like other dealers a lot of 94 series before Magnum came in. I have often wondered about old ways of management, and the factories they bought well others were producing and selling big #s Good post Don

 

[Don Rudolph]

Yes Don, and I really dont think they ever recovered from the nasty strike, and its interesting to not that Case repeated this fatal error of dumping tractors again in the 1980s and believe me, I sold like other dealers a lot of 94 series before Magnum came in. I have often wondered about old ways of management, and the factories they bought well others were producing and selling big #s Good post Don

Dan,

After reading all these Case dealer histories I can't begin to imagine how hard it was to be a successful Case dealer. With the Depression, WWII, the 410 day strike, the financial troubles of the company, the struggling farm economy of the 50's, the dropping of harvesting equipment, then tillage equipment, and on and on. I am amazed at the tenacity of these dealers in spite of the hand they were dealt.

 

[tomturkey]

Looking at the ad and thinking what a bargain a DC tractor would have been discounted like that. But realizing what the annual income of many folks in 1951 was and with a poor agriculture market, It must have broke a lot of dealers. gobble

 

[casecollectorsc]

Looking at the ad and thinking what a bargain a DC tractor would have been discounted like that. But realizing what the annual income of many folks in 1951 was and with a poor agriculture market, It must have broke a lot of dealers. gobble

But in the early 50s the price of flax was about 13 bucks a bushel. It was said that you could pay for a quarter of land in one year with a decent flax crop. Flax was used to make linseed oil. I have a friend of the family's 50 DC bought new in 50 along with a 3 btm plow, new 50 Oldsmobile and he built a new house in 1950. Milked about 40 cows. The painted DC is his. E SD.

 

[karl h]

I've lived in Montana for 42 years and have many good friends who farm. The primary crop is wheat due to the cold winters and dry climate. However, chick peas and other crops are grown but names escape me at the moment.

Hello Tom. I haven’t seen you post for a while. How are things in Great Falls? We just got back from a hockey tournament in Bozeman last weekend.

 

[Tom Railsback]

Hello Tom. I haven’t seen you post for a while. How are things in Great Falls? We just got back from a hockey tournament in Bozeman last weekend.

We had winter 2.5 weeks ago with temperatures in the minus 30 range but this week we have set new record highs approaching plus 70.

 

[Ande]

But in the early 50s the price of flax was about 13 bucks a bushel. It was said that you could pay for a quarter of land in one year with a decent flax crop. Flax was used to make linseed oil. I have a friend of the family's 50 DC bought new in 50 along with a 3 btm plow, new 50 Oldsmobile and he built a new house in 1950. Milked about 40 cows. The painted DC is his. E SD.View attachment 4206

Steve, you have quite a team!

 

[Mike Fitz]

It would be interesting to know how WWII rationing worked into tractor sales at this time. I have a 1949 DC bought from the original owner, who told me it was a tractor he bought on a government lottery after his service in the war,it was a take or leave it thing, it wasn't what he wanted but he liked it anyway. I don't know if it was a GI bill thing or if all tractor markets were restricted in some way.

 

[olgentdc]

It would be interesting to know how WWII rationing worked into tractor sales at this time. I have a 1949 DC bought from the original owner, who told me it was a tractor he bought on a government lottery after his service in the war,it was a take or leave it thing, it wasn't what he wanted but he liked it anyway. I don't know if it was a GI bill thing or if all tractor markets were restricted in some way.

perhaps they were still doing lottery in some areas ,, But Most lottery items began to ease at the dawning of 1946 except fror cars and housing , in louisville area .. new brides lived in chiken houses with their new husband soldier boy according 2 stories around these parts . getting exactly what you wanted in a tractor , combines . corn pikers and elevators were hard to get for awhile too.

 

[GreenEnvy]

I found this ad from several Montana Case dealers very interesting. It shows dealers were having trouble getting rid of 1951 models that didn't have live PTO and hydraulics. Two years later they would have trouble getting rid of DC's and SC's that did have live power. No wonder JI Case had financial difficulties, along with their dealers in the early to mid 50's continuing into the 60's.

I farm and live in MT. I can’t comment on the Ds and S series because there simply wasn’t hardly any around. But what did hurt Case in my area was not putting a diesel powered tractor on the market until 53’. IH was way ahead of the game with the WD9 series but JD and Massey both had diesels by the end of the 40s when the big diesel wheatland sales started to take off. I don’t know how a Case dealer would have sold a LA against a WD-9.

 

[Don Rudolph]

I believe you are 100 % correct. Too little, too late.

 

[Ande]

perhaps they were still doing lottery in some areas ,, But Most lottery items began to ease at the dawning of 1946 except fror cars and housing , in louisville area .. new brides lived in chiken houses with their new husband soldier boy according 2 stories around these parts . getting exactly what you wanted in a tractor , combines . corn pikers and elevators were hard to get for awhile too.

Agree, as my Dad come home from Europe, and bought a old government grainery, fixed it into a house. He went on to farm 2500acres of farmland, and own and operate a J.I. Case dealership. Help restart the fire department, became fire chief. and Justest of the peace. He was known to provide great service. Yes,,, they were the greatest generation