Gravely тракторларының тарихы және дамуы

Gravely, of Brillion, Wisconsin, is a manufacturer of powered lawn and garden implements which it describes as "walk behind, zero turn and outfront mowers". It started as a manufacturer of "walk behind" or two wheel tractors.

Benjamin Franklin Gravely (29 November 1876 – January 1953) of Dunbar, West Virginia, manufactured in 1916 a hand pushed plow fitted with an auxiliary Indian motorcycle engine and driven by belts. His goal was to build a tractor which would revolutionize gardening and lawn maintenance for the homeowner. F. W. Wilcox, a friend of Gravely, owned a machine shop in Middleport, Ohio. He allowed Gravely to build more tractors at his shop. It was there that Gravely designed the engine and built six or seven of the first tractors, which weighed about 190 pounds each. He also developed several new tools for the engine and drive train. His third generation grandson, Shawn Ryder, has his grandfather's Gravely tractor collection in Warrington, Pennsylvania.

The Gravely company was incorporated in 1922. In the mid 1920s, Gravely decided to build and market the tractors commercially. He and several backers raised enough capital to purchase an old factory in the Dunbar, West Virginia, area that had previously been used for the manufacture of tires.

The majority of Gravely riding tractors were, like the walk behinds, characterized as "all gear", that is, with a rear mounted engine mated to a transaxle powering the tractor's rear wheels. This design thus eliminated the need for drive belts to power the tractor forward or backwards. The only belts required on Gravely equipment (with the exception of the 408) is the blade drive belt for its mower decks, which is powered by a gear box on the deck, which receives power from a PTO driveshaft connected to the tractor's drivetrain. The tractor's direction is controlled by a lever to the right of the operator for forward, neutral, or reverse operation. Because of this, this tractor is often mistaken for having a hydrostatic drive. In 1965, Kelly G. Cunningham used the Gravely 7.6 tractor to create the Terramite Model 1 compact backhoe, now known as the T1. In 1967, Gravely introduced its 400 series riding tractors, with the all gear drivetrain that would come to define the company in future years. The tractor had four speeds, two in low range and two in high range, with power configurations of single cylinder 10, 12, or 14 horsepower Kohler or Onan engines. In 1969 was the debut of the 16.5 HP Onan CCKA twin cylinder powered Commercial 450, the most powerful tractor the company offered at the time. The commercial grade units were painted a characteristic yellow and white, while the home use units were painted red and white. The 400 series was produced until 1971, when Gravely introduced its replacement: the 800 series tractors, which gained popularity in the consumer market. This tractor had eight speeds, with four speeds each in low and high range, with engine options ranging from a cast iron 10 horsepower Kohler single cylinder, to an 18 horsepower cast aluminum twin cylinder Onan. The 800 series was replaced with the 8000 series by 1978, which offered more powerful engine configurations and an improved hydraulic lift option, yet retained the eight speed transaxle. Many of the parts for the 800 and 8000 series designs, excepting the engine, are the same or compatible, and are readily available as new and used parts online, in a rather impressive after market. The 8000 series remained in production until 1987, when it was replaced by the professional grade "G" series. The G series ended production in 2004. The eight speed transaxle was standard on all 800 and 8000 series tractors, with the engine being the only major difference. The design of the drive clutches was visibly changed to a simpler arrangement around the early 1980s; the two designs are generally interchangeable. The rear engine mounting and simple construction allowed Gravely owners to service and even upgrade their engines on their own. Gravely also released an economy version of tractor in 1970, featuring a belt driven 4 speed transmission and eight horsepower (Kohler) engine, known as the 408. The engine was mounted at the front. This did not sell nearly as well as the popular all gear units and was discontinued in 1977, when it was replaced with a heavy duty professional grade of tractor known as the 900 series. Another tractor of this type, called the 9000 series was also released later that same year and replaced the 900 the following year until production ended in 1982. This tractor, much larger than the 8000 series and its predecessors, was equipped with a 27 horsepower I 4 water cooled Continental engine.

In 2004 Gravely produced its last Gravely two wheeled tractor. As of 2006, Gravely provided a full line of power lawn implements, including zero turn mowers, reel mowers, and grass trimmers. In 2008, Gravely launched Gravely Turf Equipment, a division geared toward golf courses and turf management nationwide. Gravely was purchased by AriensCo located in Brillion, Wisconsin, in 1982. Today the Gravely brand operates as the commercial lawn division of AriensCo and its products continue to be sold exclusively through its dealer network. Gravely celebrated the 100th anniversary of Benjamin Gravely's plow patent in 2016.