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Story: Farm mechanisation

Early tractor

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Early tractor

This Ivel tractor is pulling a plough on a South Canterbury farm in 1913. Ivel tractors were first imported from England in 1904. However, the early machines were very large and heavy, limiting their usefulness, and were slow to be adopted by farmers.

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Christchurch City Libraries

Reference: PhotoCD 9, IMG0034

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How to cite this page

James Watson, Farm mechanisation – Vehicles, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18396/early-tractor (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by James Watson, published 1 March 2009.