The Fordson Tractor Killed 136 American Farmers...Henry Ford Knew and Kept Selling Them

In April 1918, William Morrison became the first person in his Illinois county to buy a brand-new Fordson Model F tractor—the machine Henry Ford promised would revolutionize American farming. Three weeks later, Morrison was dead, crushed beneath 2,700 pounds of steel when the tractor flipped backward in his own cornfield. This is the untold story of how the Fordson tractor—one of the most influential pieces of farm equipment in American history—killed 136 farmers in its first decade of production. And Henry Ford knew about the fatal design flaw from the very beginning. In this documentary, we uncover the deadly 63-inch wheelbase design that Ford's own engineer warned against in 1916, the $90 decision that valued profit over human life, and how the farm crisis of the 1920s was made worse by equipment that farmers trusted with their lives. From the engineering flaw that caused rear-wheel flip accidents to the families left behind, this is the dark side of agricultural mechanization that changed American farming forever. 🚜 WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER: The exact design flaw that made the Fordson Model F a death trap Why Henry Ford ignored his chief engineer's safety warnings How 136 American farmers died operating this "miracle" machine The lawsuit that finally forced Ford to redesign the tractor The legacy of farm equipment safety regulations born from tragedy This documentary uses authentic 1918-1920s photography, period-accurate details, and documented evidence to tell the story of William Morrison and the 135 other farmers who paid the ultimate price for agricultural progress. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more untold stories from agricultural history, vintage farming machinery deep-dives, and the real stories behind the equipment that built America. #FordsonTractor #FarmingHistory #VintageTractors #AgriculturalHistory #HenryFord #TractorHistory #FarmEquipment #1918