Heider Manufacturing Company

Heider Manufacturing began in Carroll County, Iowa, when a farmer of more than 30 years decided to enter the farm equipment-manufacturing arena. John Heider and his two sons, H. J. and J. C. started their company, which first made plow eveners and other farm equipment sometime prior to 1911. Heider announced their first tractor patent in 1911. The unique feature was the friction drive system, that prevented the need for transmission gears and clutch, and the belt speed could also be varied to match the use of the implement. This tractor was extremely light at 4,500 pounds and was powered by a 4-cylinder engine. Heider experienced such good reviews on their unit that they entered into a selling arrangement with the powerful Rock Island Plow Company in 1914, and within a shorttime the orders were overwhelming the Heider facilities. As a direct result of this success, Rock Island Plow Company bought out the Heider tractor interests and continued to build several models of friction drive tractors under the Heider label until 1929.