J. I. Case Company

The history of the Case is complicated to say the least. Jerome Increase Case opened his first factory in 1844 and began building his famous threshing machines and operated as the J. I. Case Company until 1880 at what time it became the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, Inc. J. I. Case founded the J. I. Case Plow Company, Inc. in 1878 and concentrated his efforts in this area until his death in 1891. Following Case’ s death, the two companies, which now had no common ownership or management shared the same factory until 1928. Massey-Harris purchased the Plow Works Company, and the Threshing Machine Company purchased all rights to the Case name from Massey-Harris, thus ending a long period of confusion for customers. During the development stages of tractor production for both of Case’ s Companies, it is important to note two completely divergent strategies. The Plow Company, although beginning its tractor manufacturing period with the large and cumbersome Wallis Bear, is widely credited with designing one of the first true row-crop tractors in the“ Wallis Cub”. Designed by company engineers Clarence Eason and Robert Hendrickson, the Cub’ s unitary design revolutionized the tractor industry. The“ Threshing” Company stayed with the giant traction engine concept well in to the early 1900s.