This 18-36 Hart Parr bears serial number 34385, indicating that it is an 18-36 I, the last of the three variations of the 18-36 (G, H, I), manufactured in 1928. Altogether, the 18-36 was manufactured from 1926 to 1930. Its engine, an 8.2 Litre 2-cylinder gasoline job, was mounted with the two side-by-side cylinders laying horizontally and the crankshaft mounted transversely, John Deere style.
Charles W. Hart and Charles H. Parr founded the Hart-Parr Company. First located in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1901 it was relocated to Charles City, Iowa, the hometown of Hart. Production started on tractor manufacturing in 1901 with the first tractor being sold in 1902. From 1902 to 1919 Hart-Parr built large, oil cooled tractors. These tractors were used to plow the virgin prairies of North America and to power various machines to help bring in the bounteous harvest of grain to feed the growing population of the the United States. In 1918 a new water cooled and smaller tractor was put into production, leaving behind the old concept that in order to have horsepower you must have a large and often times clumsy machine. Hart-Parr is credited for coining the word TRACTOR. These two men are known for being the Founders of the tractor Industry. In 1929 four companies merged to form the new Oliver Farm Equipment Company, putting an end to the old Hart-Parr name.
18-36 G Hart-Parr was great at advertising their tractors in non-stop plowing marathons. One instance was in Australia, plowing for 11 straight days, a world's record. The 18-36 was usually the tractor of choice for these demonstrations. When the 18-36 appeared on the market it was basically a model 16-30 with a slightly enlarged engine bore, now at 6.75 inches. This extra quarter inch larger bore gave this tractor a real boost in power. The model G still had the short fenders, but it did sport the winged decal and winged radiator cap. Although some early models had the screw in radiator cap. Some model G's came equipped with round spoke wheels both front and back.
18-36 H & I The model H and I have very little visible differences, but there are some basic differences between the model G and the H and I. Appearance wise the model H sported an oval fuel tank holding 12 more gallons of fuel to operate that larger engine. Also the fenders came down to the platform floor boards and the platform was slightly enlarged. The biggest major improvement was the addition of a 3 forward speed transmission. This gave more operating speeds and got the job done more efficiently. Flat spoke wheels were added in 1929, but fronts most often remained the heavy cast type.
These tractors are easy to work on and sound similar to a two cylinder John Deere. The 18-36 was the most popular tractor built of the lightweight models.
From Hart Parr Tractors