9n Seat Made From Soybeans

[steelwheeljim]

It has been said by former Ford engineers that Henry Ford made Tractor seats out of soybean fiber for the 9N, only to stop useing them because they cost too much to produce as opposed to steel seats. Does anyone have a tractor with one still on? Do any exist?
 

[Bruce (VA)]

Don't know about a tractor seat, but he used soybeans in car parts. Steering wheels, gear shift knobs, etc.
 

[kly]

I don't think the soybean seat went into production. I heard rats were eating the seats. The gear shift knobs on the late 8ns were made from soybeans.
 

[AJ-in-BC]

Henry had the right idea. Make plastics out of soy beans, instead of tofu! Seriously, I did study the technology used by Ford to make organic plastics; they invested quite heavily into it in the late 1930s and early 1940s. There was even a prototype car with plastic body around 1941, Henry repeatedly hit the body of it with an ax to demonstrate to the journalists present the strength of this plastic material!
 

[FACTS....John,PA]

Mr. FORD did a lotta of good for OUR "ECONOMY".

He made it possible for a lotta of people to get up in the "morning", eat breakfast, reside in some sorta dwelling, and suffer losses, too.

Mr. Ford, SIR.

BUT, he needed to have HIS personal protection devices. WHY......lot of haitred, ....WHY did Mr. Ford need bullet-proof cars, windows and such like?

John,PA PALL MALL
 

[ZANE]

You will never find a 1946 Ford car with all the dash board intact. At least not the original one. I don't know what kind of plastic it was made of but I do know it wasn't worth a dime. I had one in about 1956 and while I was driving it parts were always falling off the dash. Yes the gear shift lever knob too fell to pieces.

Zane
 

[steelwheeljim]

Henry Ford: Resisted the teamsters, and all unions in general. Was anti-Semetic. Was a racist bigot toward African-Americans. Hated both world wars,yet was paid heavily by the government for producing tanks,bombs,etc. Praised Adolf Hitler. Had several women on the side. And tried to force one of his brother-in-laws into bankruptcy just for starters.
I think he believed everyone felt the same way as him.
 

[fixerupper]

The story I got is Hitler praised and idolized Ford because Ford treated his workers the way Hitler treated his people. But Ford didn't communicate much with Hitler. He probably would have been thrown in prison if he had regular relations with Hitler during the war. Jim
 

[SAFETY...John,PA]

LOF.....Libby Owens FORD. should be on an OEM FORD, somehow. Plastic sandwiched between 2 ea. pieces of glass.

I really do not think that BONNIE AND CLYDE had such a Quality windshield.

John,PA

Cooking in an OWENS CORNING pot. Potwatcher.
 

[Scott PA]

I seen a 1942 9N about 20 years ago with a soybean seat. the 1943 and 1944 9N 3 point hitch lever knobs were made of soybean and many have fallen off, steering wheels may have had some in around this time also.
 

[jhill52]

My grandfather and his brothers lived and farmed in Southeast Mi and raised soybeans under contract for Henry Ford around 1940
to use for plastics.