1924 Case 22-40 Tractor

 This tractor (serial #49637) was made by the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company of Racine, Wisconsin. Case produced the 22-40 from 1919 to 1924. The 22-40 was the successor to the 20-40, an example of which can be found nearby in this exhibit, and was succeeded by the 25-45. Weighing about 10,200 pounds, this particular tractor was reportedly purchased for $2,500 and used for threshing near Burress, Nebraska, in Fillmore County, about 65 miles southeast of Grand Island. The 22-40's Nebraska Tractor Test was #5, performed from April 7th to May 6th, 1920. You can view this test as a pdf by clicking or touching here.

 If you look closely at the front of this tractor, you will see the Case company's logo, the eagle. That eagle is based on a real-life eagle, Old Abe the Eagle, the nationally celebrated mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Old Abe, who lived from 1861 to 1881, was brought by the Wisconsin regiment to several battlefields during the last three years of the war. You can find the image of Old Abe on machines and individual parts made by J. I. Case from 1865 to 1969.