The 9-18 was introduced in 1916 as their third series of gas/kerosene tractors. The first two were larger and not terribly successful. The 9-18, referred to as the "Crossmotor" for its transversely mounted engine, was produced in three models, the 9-18, the 9-18A and the 9-18B. The 9-18, naturally, was claimed to produce 9 HP at the drawbar and 18 at the belt from its 3.9L 4-cylinder kerosene engine. The Crossmotor series continued in production until 1929.
Case 9-18A Tractor manufactured between 1912 and 1918 with cross motor, 4 cylinder engine. Equipped with two fuel tanks, the upper a gasoline tank and the lower a kerosene tank. The tractor started on gasoline, with the turn of a valve, switched over to kerosene. Kerosene produced more power and was a cheaper fuel. The tractor had 9 horsepower at the drawbar and 18 horsepower at the belt drive. Case tractors manufactured during this time were painted green and red.
This Case 9-18 A Tractor came with the land when 0. F. Howe bought the Ferbrache place. His son, Don, loaned it to the hired man to take home to do some logging. While in the woods, 2 men stole the radiator and melted it down for lead scrap. They got $2.00 for a whole day's effort. Don was so mad that he took them to court, and the repeat offenders served jail time. The engine was dismantled (probably for repair) either before or after the theft and the parts became scattered and mostly lost. The tractor remains were abandoned on National Forest land.
- Terry Howe
In 1981, the Forest Service donated the Case Tractor to the Boundary County Museum. Pieces were hauled to the High School and the Bonners Ferry FFA Chapter reassembled the tractor as a BOAC (Building Our American Communities) Project. Over 1000 student hours were spent on the project during three school years. The Boundary County Museum and FFA Chapter in association with the Boundary County Fair Association placed the Case Tractor on display at the fairgrounds in 1984. In 2010, the Case Tractor was placed on display at the Museum.
In 1842 the inventor Jerome I. Case, who was a threshing machine manufacturer, founded the J.I. Case Company. In 1869 his company built its first portable steam engine and in 1878 they built their first steam traction engine. By 1892 they had produced an experimental gasoline traction engine. The gas models 30-60 and 20-40 which were introduced in 1912 were expensive, large and cumbersome and resembled the steam traction engines produced by Case. These machines were not really well suited for field work.
Acknowledging the demand for less-expensive, smaller tractors, the Case Company introduced the smaller more maneuverable 12-25 in 1914 and the three-wheel 10-20 in 1915. The most distinctive early Case gas tractors were the
Crossmotor series which were introduced in 1916 in the Model 9-18. They had transversely mounted engines and a solid appearance. The Crossmotor models included the 9-18B, 10-18, 12-20, 15-27, 18-32, Model K, 22-40, 25-45, Model T, and Model 40-72.
In 1929 the Crossmotors were followed by the Model L which was available in standard and industrial configurations; and the identical, but smaller, Model C, that was available in standard, row-crop, industrial, orchard, vineyard, cane and high-clearance configurations. The L and C were the first Case tractors with three speeds forward. Case introduced the Model RC, a row-crop tractor in 1935. This model was followed by the standard Model R in 1938.
From Antique Farming