In 1916 the Illinois Tractor Co., Bloomington, Ill., entered the young but increasingly competitive small tractor industry with the introduction of its Illinois Motor Cultivator. A crude, gangly-looking device powered by a 4 HP hopper-cooled stationary engine, it none-the-less provided the company with a starting point for its drive to grab a piece of the growing tractor market.
Development of a more substantial tractor came quickly, and in 1917 the company launched the decidedly sleek and modern Illinois
Super-Drive. Rated as an 18-36, the Super-Drive was equipped with a kerosene-burning 40 HP four-cylinder Climax with force-feed
lubrication. A separate, two-gallon tank held gasoline for starting, and once warmed up the engine was switched to draw from an 18-gallon kerosene tank.
A novel feature on the Illinois was its cushioned drive wheels, whereby a ‘driving spider’ mounted on springs in the rear drivers absorbed shock loads imposed on the driveline. Traction was advertised as secure, thanks to patented Loxon cast iron wheel lugs, claimed to be replaceable in as little as five minutes. Add in its automotive styling and unit construction and the Super-Drive was, in many respects, ahead of its time.
The ad shown here was a special four-page color insert in the March 1917 issue of The American Thresherman and Farm Power. Illinois clearly had big plans and high hopes for its latest offering and figured a special ad of this magnitude would garner more than a little bit of interest from prospective customers.
For all the Super-Drive’s attributes the new model did not, unfortunately, spell success. By 1921 the Illinois Tractor Co. was
history.
The Tractor That Every Farmer Wants - Advertising Slogans & Content
In order to do all farm work properly a tractor must be built mechanically correct
When a farmer intends to purchase a tractor, he compares several tractors point by point then makes his selection according to his
ideas of which tractor will best do his work.
Our unit construction consists of the Illinois Live Rear Axle and enclosed Transmission coupled direct to the Engine Cradle and
Front Axle Support. It is a frame and mechanism all in one self-contained, simple and powerful, and cannot get out of alignment. It eliminates excess weight and saves the user from many adjustment and costly repairs which he would have, if using a tractor of the old design.
Note the simplicity of design, the solid built-in strength of construction and Hyatt heavy duty roller bearings used throughout.
The ILLINOIS Enclosed Transmission
In the Illinois Transmission the two Cross-Over gears are placed on the outside of the transmission housing and completely enclosed
by an easily removable cover, provided for lubrication and protection. The position of the Cross-Over gears, as shown in cut, gives two speeds forward, 2 and 3 MPH and one speed reverse. For exceptionally heavy duty or drag work, gears may be reversed in
position, which would reduce speeds forward to 1 and 2 MPH, thus greatly increasing the horsepower at the drawbar. In case speeds
greater than 3 MPH are required for road or special work, special gears may be provided. Cross-Over gears may be interchanged in five minutes with a wrench and screwdriver even by an unskilled person.
ILLINOIS Planetary Live Axle Drive
The entire mechanism was designed to reduce friction to a minimum and to deliver maximum engine power to the drawbar. This Planetary Live Axle Drive is the most efficient Tractor Drive in existence.
The Final Planetary Live Axle Drive is engaged at all times at three points of contact, inwardly and outwardly, instead of the reduction being made through a single gear engaged at one point only, as is the case where driving pinion and bull gears are employed to act as a final drive. This Planetary Drive of the Illinois Super-Drive Tractor reduces wear, removes any chances of stripping gear teeth, protects all the gears indefinitely and delivers maximum engine power to the drawbar.
Exhaustive tests showed that this Planetary Super-Drive transmits at least 20% more power to the drawbar-without strain than any
other driving principle in tractor use. All gears used in the Illinois Super-Drive transmissions are case-hardened steel. They will never wear out if kept properly lubricated.
The ILLINOIS Driving Spider and Spring Cushion
Our Final Drive applies the power through a four-arm Driving Spider, which is securely fastened to the Live Axle. This Spider delivers the power (through spring cushions, which absorb jars, jolts and shocks) to four sturdy, V-shaped arms, which, in turn, deliver the power to the rims of the rear wheels and not through the hubs and spokes.