Combines AGCO

I know this has nothing to do with combines but while you guys are on the subject of agco, does anyone know if HESSTONS old FIElD QUEEN plants are still standing, or have they been torn down or convertedIJ Im very interested in FQ history because i run one in the summer. I know that there is a company in KS that makes parts. Any info. is appriciated greatly. THanks and Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

We have sold quite a few and having very good luck with them. The guys love them. We had a little software problems at first but have since been corrected.

When the mgmt of Deutz-Allis did the 'Brier Rabbit in the Briar Patch' deal and accomplished the leveraged buyout from Kluckner-Humbolt-Deutz, they struggled days on end with this. Allis-Chalmers wanted 1,000,000 for the name and the logo. Also there were restrictions as to how the name Allis was used. As it turned out they could have used about anything they wanted as AC -one guy - had no $ to pay a lawyer to sue anyone- Best they could come up with was Allis Gleaner COmpany. At an introduction a few of the dealers started belly-aching about the name; the old man kind of threw up his hands and ask for a better name from all the gripers. No one did and it wouldn't of mattered anyway. Any time you do anything there is someone who comes along with a better idea in arrears. I hope all this and the way the company started - some of the inside stuff still hasn't been made public - is written down for posterity. Some young employee or customer 50 years from now should know the roots of AGCO- it is a story of a preservation of heritages that would have gone into oblivia if it were not for five brave soles who risked everything to start a new company in the worst of times.

you do know that part of the allis name (fiat-allis) is part of CNHIJ

Thanks. As an ag-equipment company historian myself, I did not know this. Everyone thinks that all the merger stuff of the last 20 years is something new. For example, it took MANY companies over the first years of the 1900's to form what we later knew as International Harvester. I'm sure back then, the farmers of those days were sitting around the local grocery (a much lower tech way of what we do here) wondering how the world would survive without Plano Mfg Co or Deering Harvester Co. And all these companies would fall under the umbrella of one large company they would ask one anotherIJIJ Hey, it was about making money then as it is today. The ag equipment business needs to be purged and merged now more than ever. As in the above post, I too hope someone is keeping track of all this, so that in 50 to 100 years when names disappear and new ones appear, we (they) will know the roots of all these great companies that provide the tools for the business of agriculture. With all the goings on of the AGCO_Cat thing, I think only good things will come out of it. There is now more real competition for the big green monster, and I think it will only make the end products to the user better from every company, no matter what the color. Happy New Year

Good point. General Motors came about the same way and the world didnt stop turning. Tom in MN

This is interesting to me. I do hope that they keep these old brand names on equipment especially Gleaner! Thanks for the information.

The Fiat-Allis name came about in the late 60's or 70's when Allis Chalmers sold off it's Industrial line to Fiat, Fiat had no worldwide name in Industrial Eq. and bought the Allis rights for name sake. This was a very profitable line for Allis as was the farm machinery. AC was getting burned by Gov. contracts and started to sell off profitable divisions to keep afloat. With the Energy Crisis of the 70's and the poor Ag economy of the 80's AC ran out of profitable capital to stay in major business(as we know it)with no profitable divisions left to raise capital in sales. Deutz shot themselves in the foot with their poor management. Allis Chalmers Ag. Div. was profitable according to the records that I have seen til that day in 85 when Deutz took over, then the RED INK flowed! At one point, during a plant tour in Independence, MO (Gleaner) the top people there under Deutz Allis were in fear of losing there jobs to out of the US people, Mexico or Europe, Gleaner as we know it almost died under Deutz. The "l4" rights had already been sold and gone south. Within a year after that tour AGCO had taken over.

Its Great to hear that Agco is showing the farm machinery industry that it and its products are being so well received. I know we have faith in its products as our family purchased a new DT 160 FWA this fall and traded another tractor up to a 9695 FWA. I hope great things come as a result of your meetings....thanks for being our spokesman for our ideas

THANKS!!!