Once the dust settled over a lawsuit filed by Chrysler, the Plymouth tractor was renamed to fit its distinct silver-painted body. Silver King tractors serve to remind Plymouth locals how the innovations of engineers helped create and sustain a new industry in the 1930’s, a time when the economy needed something to pull through.
The Silver King Festival is a week-long event celebrating the community of Plymouth, coinciding with the Plymouth Fireman’s Festival. This year’s event will last August 1 through August 3.
Fate-Root-Heath engineered a farm tractor, ideal for the Ohio farm land of Plymouth, and it worked well within the company’s engineering and production ability. It was built to be light, maneuverable, and reasonably priced. The final product, a tractor named “Plymouth,” kept the village company employed. It was first built with a Hercules IXA engine, four speed transmission, and could plow through the economic despair 5 acres per day. The Plymouth could reach 25 miles per hour, remarkable in its heyday, and was revolutionary for being the first tractor designed to use rubber tires.
The Silver Kings of Yesteryear Club have not only kept this history alive, they’ve helped start a community tradition. Larry Laser and his wife Pat bring their knowledge and two Silver King tractors to this Festival; one tractor with a Hercules and the other with a Continental engine.
Pat Laser was a secretary at the engineering department. “One of the engineers I worked for, he had a lot of books about the history I wanted to preserve,” she stated.
When Plymouth Ohio celebrated the town’s 175th birthday, a group of Silver King tractor owners wanted to bring them home to Plymouth. With a strong showing of Silver King tractors and a significant bump of traffic into Plymouth, The Chamber of Commerce made The Silver King Festival a permanent part of the community calendar and decided it would coincide with the weekend Plymouth Fireman’s Festival.
The Silver Kings of Yesteryear Club is now in its 25th year in existence.
