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Artifact Articles: The WDM’s Oldest Gas Tractor
Saunderson Universal Motor Type A
 By Collections Curator Ruth Bitner
October 2005
Saunderson Universal, Boomtown 1910, Saskatoon
Mark MacKenzie
What do Pioneer Settlement in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia and
the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada have in common? These museums boast the only two
Saunderson Universal Motor Type A tractors known to exist
anywhere in the world.
Both tractors were built at Bedford, England by H.P. Saunderson
& Co. Ltd at a time when almost all power on the farm was
supplied by animals or by steam engines. Even the word tractor
was new–a combination of the words traction and motor. The
company began operation in the early 1890s, building mowers and
other agricultural equipment. By 1905, Saunderson was testing
what they called farm motors at local field days. In 1906,
Saunderson won gold and silver medals–the gold for the “best and
most improved motor van, cart or wagon.” The Implement and
Machinery Review of August 2, 1906 declared, “No one can have
examined this motor at the Show without being impressed by its
compactness and convenience, and by the capital arrangement of
the three wheels, all of which are for propelling purposes. “
The Universal Motor Type A had a 4-cylinder engine with 6 inch
bore and 6 inch stroke; it had three forward and three reverse
gears of 2.5, 3.5 and 7 mph. It also had three drive wheels, two
in front and one slightly off-centre at the rear. Exactly when
the WDM’s Saunderson was built is not known, but indications are
that it was between 1907 and 1909 although one source states
that Saunderson did not build three-wheeled tractors after 1906.
Saunderson tractors prompted interest in faraway places. The
Implement and Machinery Review of February 1, 1907 stated that
France and Argentina, among others, were represented at the
field trials. Saunderson himself apparently conducted tests in
Portugal, Hungary, and Sweden.
Little is known about Saunderson’s venture into Canada. We know
that Saunderson set up an assembly plant in Regina about 1907.
According to H.A. Lewis, a former lecturer in the Agricultural
Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, transatlantic
shipping regulations at the time required all goods to be packed
in boxes or crates. Companies like Saunderson then set up
subsidiary operations to assemble “knocked down” machinery.
We also know that the Universal was a competitor at the 1908
Winnipeg Motor Trials, organized by the Winnipeg Industrial
Exhibition. Unfortunately, an untimely breakdown caused its
withdrawal from the competition. Perhaps because of its poor
showing in Winnipeg, sales lagged and by 1909 the Regina
operation closed its doors.
There is a further Saskatchewan twist to this story. According
to the August 1911 issue of Gas Power Age, British Canadian
Agricultural Tractors, Ltd. showed a tractor at the Regina
Exhibition that year. Gas Power Age stated that the company
“established works at Saskatoon, where the motors are erected
and tested and all spare parts kept in stock.” Little else is
known about its operation. Saunderson itself underwent a number
of changes and reorganized with new partners to produce updated
models. However, the outbreak of the First World War disrupted
British tractors imports into Canada. The last entry for
British-Canadian Agricultural Tractors, Saskatoon appears in the
1922-23 Hendersons Directory.
The WDM’s Saunderson Universal Motor Type A was acquired by the
WDM in 1954. It seems, however, that it saw little field work.
Fred Schafer of Olds, Alberta, told the WDM that he bought it
second-hand in 1910. The original owner used it to pump water
for his cattle. Schafer powered his cream separator with the
Saunderson for about 20 years.
This jewel in the WDM tractor collection is on exhibit in
Winning the Prairie Gamble: Farm Life in Saskatchewan. Phase One
of the Saskatoon WDM’s celebration of Saskatchewan’s centennial
opened September 4, exactly 100 years after Inauguration Day in
1905. We invite you to visit the WDM to see and enjoy the new
exhibit.
Sources:
Gas Power Age, Winnipeg, Canada, August, 1911, p. 34
Lewis, H.A. in a letter to F. Hal Higgins, October 30, 1958 (WDM
file 1973-S-344)
The Implement and Machinery Review, (a British publication)
January 2, 1906, p. 1037
ibid, August 2, 1906, p. 463-464
ibid, July 3, 1905, p. 320
ibid, February 1, 1907, p. 1191-1192
ibid, August 1, 1907, p. 481-482
Schafer, Fred; Artifact Questionnaire c. 1954; (WDM file
73-S-344)
Watson, John A.; Pioneer Settlement, Swan Hill, Victoria,
Australia; personal correspondence with the author, November 9,
2000
Williams, Gregory; Australia; personal correspondence with the
author, Feb. 28, 2003
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