Clarence Wilson brought In ternational Harvester, along with another implement line, to the town of Kimberton in 1924. It took Wilson only a few years to drop the competing line, in order to devote more time to his increasing I.H. business, resulting in the firm’s first expansion in the mid-1930’5. During the latter part of this same decade Wilson took his two sons, Clarence P., and Howard Wilson, took the business, resulting m a three-way partnership that lasted until the elder Wilson’s death in December, 1946. With the two brothers now in control, the business facilities were once again expanded in 1947, resulting in a more spacious showroom and enlarged shop area. Though none of the firm’s four employees have spent as much time there as the Wilson brothers, the company’s personnel can hardly be considered short on experience, with Parts Manager, Leonard Shaner, and Bookkeeper, Barbara Yiaski accounting for a total of 54 years with the dealer ship. MUST ONE OF A KIND NEW m EQUIPMENT • 3288 Tractor • 684 Int. Tractor • 720 5 F-18” Plow • 450 V* Plow • 5507 Trailing Chisel Plow, 11 ft • 5507 Trailing Chisel Plow, 7 ft • 425 Baler • 510 Grain Drill 13x7 with grass Seedbox • 800 Planter, Plate 4 Row with Fert. & Granular Chem. Attach • 56 Planter Demonstrator 4 Row With Fert & Granular Chem. Attach m INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER CLARENCE WILSON & SONS Clarence Wilson & Sons meets challenges As well as handling I.H.’s line of agricultural and lawn and garden equipment, Clarence Wilson & Sons also handles RCA appliances, a part of their business dating back to the late 1940’s when In ternational began marketing refrigerators, home freezers, and air conditioners. Detecting a gradual loss of the area’s farmland to development following World War 11, the firm elected to diversify in an effort to lessen the impact of a possible decline in the agricultural market. And even though International eventually decided to sell their appliance business to RCA, Wilson continued dealing in appliances under the new name. With the dramatic rise in development during the 1960’s and ‘7o’s, what the Wilson brothers had predicted for the post-war era has indeed become well-documented history. Today Howard Wilson reports that the emphasis at Clarence Wilson & Sons has shifted from agricultural implements to 'H''- line of Outdoor Power Prod j i t Kimberton, PA 19442 (215)933-3581 of changing economy *25,295.00 *14,845.00 *7,195.00 *3,985.00 *3.479.00 *2,479.00 *4,495.00 *3,785.00 *7,470.00 *3,985.00 McCormick Deermg ,”l No 7 I Two-Horse \ ' Mower | / y Clarence Wilson and Sons reports that the emphasis has shifted from International's Ag line to Outdoor Power Products, at their Kimberton, PA dealership. Revolution (Continued from Page 26) and gun parts, artillery shells, and other tools of war The Company contracted to operate government owned factories and parts depots. The material of motorized warfare replaced tools and power for food production As the war continued, the great need for farm tractors and machines was again realized by government authorities, and In ternational Harvester was per mitted to produce units for distribution where needed most. Thus the International Harvester Company built and shipped equipment for both the fighting front and the home front. Postwar Decision Restrictions of the manufacture of civilian good during the early years of World War II produced an unprecedented postwar demand for motor trucks, construction equipment, and farm equipment Also, many thousands of young men who had operated In ternational Harvester’s motorized equipment in military service came home determined to let power and machines do more and more of their work. Matched against this demand were the International Harvester Company manufacturing facilities grown greater and greater to meet military needs. The decision had to be made whether the Company would scale down to prewar needs or reconvert for greater civilian production than ever before. Formation of International Harvester Company Early in the forties, the Com pany’s management recognized the need for major reorganization of a corporate structure that had remained virtually unchanged since the tune of the merger in 1902. To make sure that proper attention would be given to the design, manufacture, and sale of each of the product lines, it was decided that separate divisions, each responsible for a single group of products, should be established. The Company’s seven divisions- Construction Equipment Division, Supplement to Lancaster Farming, seturoey, wmiwry w~, ijs=T=g The Hough Division, Farm Equipment Division, Fiber and Twine Division, Motor Truck Division, Solar Division, and Wisconsin Steel Division that are responsible for the International Harvester Company’s nation-wide operations for the result of this decision. The Company continued with unabated vigor in the introduction of new and improved farm tractors and implements It brought out complete new lines of Farmall tractors designed for the requirements of postwar American farming. Many new features were made available for these new tractors. New two and three-point Fast-Hitch devices provided for rapid attachment and detachment of a wide variety of direct-mounted and semi-mounted implements. The International Harvester developed Torque Amplifier made it possible to double the number of tractor speeds and instantly change gear ntios without shifting gears or stopping the tractor. In 1965 In ternational Harvester introduced Hydrostatic Drive, the drive system of the future that provides an infinite variety of speeds through a simplified drive mechanism. Postwar development of In ternational Harvester’s farm implements offered the farmer a greatly increased variety of new and more efficient machines-many of them of larger, multi-row design. Among the many new machines introduced were new plows, tillage equipment, planters, cotton pickers, beet harvesters, hay balers, and combines. Valuable additions to the combine line were units for the picking and field shelling corn. Two, three, and four-row corn heads, mounted directly on the basic combine, permit two harvester operations at one and the same time. The Farm Equipment Division, the oldest part of the International Harvester Company, underwent a major reshaping in the postwar years. Early in its history, farm machines were largely animal powered and were built in factories adapted to smaller units. Having in mind the rapidly developing (Turn to Page 31)
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