Skip to main content

Leader farm tractors

Leader was a tractor manufacturer founded in 1913 in Michigan, USA, following the acquisition of the Midland Tractor Company. It began production of its tractors, which were primarily aimed at domestic customers. It is pertinent to mention that the Leader brand name was used by several companies between the years 1913 and 1949. In 1915, the company along with several other firms merged with Dayton Foundry & Machine which resulted in the conception of a new company that assumed the title of Dayton-Dick. The company later changed its title to Dayton-Dowd and continued its operations until 1924. In the decade following 1940, the company made its appearance once again in the compact tractor manufacturing segment. However, it could not sustain the fierce competition and soon went out of business owing to financial constraints due to low sales. A total of 11 tractor models was all the company could offer to its customers. This became one of the reasons that forced Leader out of business. The machines produced by Leader ranged in power from 16 to 44 hp which meant that they were incapable of handling the needs of major clients with more challenging requirements. Some of the tractor models produced by Leader included but were not limited to 9-15, 12-18 and D 25-40.

List of tractor models

Model Power Year of production start Year of production end
B 31 hp 1945 1946
15-25 27 hp 1917 1917
9-15 16 hp 1916 1916
25-40 44 hp 1916 1920
12-18 20 hp 1913 1915