Wesseler (Altenberge)
Coordinates: 52 ° 1 '3.7 " N , 7 ° 26" 34.7 " E
| Wesseler Altenberge (Westphalia)
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| legal form |
Open trading company (until 1967) Limited partnership (from 1967) |
| founding | 1879 |
| resolution | 1988 |
| Seat | Altenberge , Germany |
| management | Ludger and Paul Wesseler |
| Number of employees | 120 (financial year 1959/1960) |
Wesseler was a company in the field of agricultural technology from Altenberge in Westphalia . Founded as a smithy in the 19th century and specialized in agricultural technology as early as the 1930s, H. Wesseler oHG developed into a major tractor manufacturer during the industrialization of post-war agriculture . A total of around 3,600 tugs were built between 1936 and 1966. While the Wesseler brand name was used for tractors in Germany , the Feldmeister and Vewema brand names were mainly used in the Netherlands and Belgium . After the tractor boom subsided , tractor production was stopped and an agricultural machinery business was run as H. Wesseler KG until 1988.
history
Beginning time until the currency reform
In 1879 Bernhard Wesseler from Darup (today part of Nottuln) in the Münsterland acquired a building with the surrounding land in the Kümperheide von Altenberge (Kümper farmers). He ran agriculture there and set up a forge. This was expanded for the first time in 1909. Bernhard Wesseler's son, Heinrich Wesseler (1886–1966), joined the company in 1911 or 1912 and, in addition to doing blacksmithing, began setting up an agricultural machinery repair shop and an agricultural machinery trade. Until 1936, the biggest competitor was Schmitz, (later Schmitz Cargobull ), from whom the agricultural engineering spare parts were bought up that year. From then on, Schmitz concentrated on making trailers. In the same year, around 12 skilled workers were hired and the first tractor prototype was manufactured in a frame construction with an evaporative- cooled engine. This prototype was so much improved in 1938 that Wesseler presented it to the public. Up to 1940 a maximum of 20 tugs were built that corresponded to this prototype. Today none of these prototypes exist anymore. But the core business continued to be forging, and tractor construction only later became Wesseler's core business; In 1939 the company premises were expanded to include a new forge.
During the Second World War, part of the Wesseler workforce was drafted into military service, and two Polish slave laborers were temporarily at Wesseler. During the Second World War the tractor production was stopped. At the beginning of the Second World War, Wesseler was mainly busy repairing bicycles. After the end of the war there was a great shortage of materials, so that initially some vehicles with wood gas engines were built from old military trucks under the simplest conditions. Regular tractor production in block construction did not begin until after the currency reform in 1948, at which time 10 employees were working in the company.
Economic upturn with the tractor boom
Wesseler's economic boom began with the currency reform. Wesseler profited from the great demand for tractors at the beginning of the 1950s. At that time, Heinrich Wesseler's sons, Ludger (1928-2010) and Paul (1933-2001), were already working in the company. Initially, it was planned to take over a representation for Fahr , which failed due to delivery problems. In addition to driving tugs, other makes were also sold, including Normag and Schlüter ; Wesseler continued to offer in-house productions. In the following years, Wesseler signed a contract with the harvesting machine manufacturer Claas and became a Claas agency; Claas machines were from then on sold and repaired by Wesseler. The focus shifted more and more to tractor construction, in 1952 a farm machine locksmith's shop was built on the company premises, which was extended in 1959. In addition to tugs, Wesseler also produced enamel goods . There was also a BP petrol station on the Wesseler site .
A significant event was the 1949 DLG exhibition in Frankfurt, where the first MWM diesel engine was purchased. Previously, Wesseler had mainly used Deutz engines, which, however, had not proven to be stable due to poor engine oil quality, whereas MWM engines also proved to be suitable for operation with poor engine oil. From then on, MWM motors became standard in Wesseler tugs, from 1953 Wesseler offered every type of tractor with both water and air-cooled MWM motors of the same rated power. Initially, the engines were a Prometheus combined transmissions until Wesseler mid-1950s to IF - mesh gearbox Ground surrounded. Like the MWM engines with direct injection, these transmissions were considered to be progressive.
Soon Wesseler was himself an exhibitor at various trade fairs and built up an extensive sales network, a company branch was opened in Saerbeck . The main sales markets were the Münsterland to the Oldenburger Land and the Benelux countries . In the Netherlands , Wesseler tractors were sold in orange under the Feldmeister brand. The 20 hp performance class was particularly popular in the Netherlands, with around 800 field champions being sold. In Belgium, more powerful models were in demand. In the wine-growing regions in the Eifel and Moselle , some tractors could also be sold, here predominantly single-cylinder models with up to 15 HP and narrow-gauge versions for wine-growing were in demand. Wesseler tractors were also sold in Hesse and France.
Economic peak and decline
In 1958, Wesseler had 60 employees who worked in a two-shift system. This number of employees initially increased to around 80 and peaked at 120 in 1960. Most of the employees came from Altenberge and the surrounding area, some also from the Benelux countries. In the early 1950s, some employees built residential buildings on Wesseler land near the company premises, and Wesseler himself also built company apartments there in 1962. In the second half of the 1950s, at the height of the company's development, a tractor was built every day. Wesseler was initially able to follow trends such as the implement carrier , but the new company management under the dual leadership of Ludger and Paul Wesseler failed to invest in modern production machines. The resulting expensive labor-intensive production was not competitive, so that Wesseler finally had to file for bankruptcy, the tractor production was stopped in 1966, in that year 70 employees were still working at Wesseler. On June 6, 1967, the last tug, a WL 222, was delivered. With around 3,600 tractors manufactured, Wesseler still ranks fourth among the largest tractor manufacturers in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in terms of vehicle output.
Even before the bankruptcy, the first crisis talks about the company's realignment took place at the end of 1965. The tractor production was to be discontinued and Wesseler to be converted into a Fiat agency. This happened mainly at the endeavor of Paul Wesseler. Wesseler then became a limited partnership . Initially, after production was discontinued in 1966, the pure sales and distribution business developed excellently, so that the company premises were expanded in 1973 to include a new garage for agricultural machinery, which was enlarged in 1982. For a time, Wesseler was the second largest Fiat dealer in Germany. But towards the end of the 1980s it became apparent that the costs for the spare parts warehouse and staff were too high. On February 4, 1988, after more than 2000 Fiat tractors had been sold, bankruptcy was filed again. The Wesseler company finally ceased to exist. In 1995 the company Agrartechnik Altenberge was founded, which continued operations on the Wesseler site until 2003, before moving to its current location. The production halls were empty for some time, and the Altenberge tractor and equipment museum has been there since 2004 . They have been a listed building since May 20, 2010.
distribution
brand names
Wesseler tractors were marketed in Germany under the brand name Wesseler , implement carriers were called Wesseler Ackermeister . The Feldmeister brand was predominantly used in the Netherlands and Belgium, and around 800 Feldmeister were sold. In addition, sales in Belgium also took place under the brand names Ackermeister (but not only for the implement carriers and without the name Wesseler) and Wesseler-Benz . Benz is based on the MWM engine, since MWM originally produced the 1922 from Benz & Cie. outsourced engine division was. The brand names Vewema and Westfalia were also used in the Netherlands . The name was mainly based on the importer.
Wesseler agents and dealers
In Germany, Wesseler tugs were offered for prices between 5,000 and 10,000 DM. Wesseler himself operated a branch in Saerbeck from 1966 in addition to the branch in the Altenberge headquarters. Wesseler agents or authorized dealers not managed by Wesseler itself included the following:
- Hausberger in Trier
- Wirtz in Gangelt
- Weitz in Linnich
- Goudland Tractorploegenfabriek in Echt / Netherlands
- Roefs' machine trade in Venlo / Netherlands, brand name Westfalia
- Vewema NV in Gorinchem / Netherlands, brand name Vewema
- Etienne Decaupere Landbouwmachienenfabrik in Lichtervelde / Belgium, sales in Belgium and Luxembourg, brand names Feldmeister and Wesseler , until 1954
- Vanderpere in Lichtervelde / Belgium, brand name Wesseler-Benz , from 1954
- Gebr. Timmermans PVBA in Tielt / Belgium, brand name Ackermeister
- Coöp. Centrale Vereinigung Landbouwbelang GA in Roermond / Netherlands, here tractors of the following performance classes were sold under the brand name Feldmeister :
- 12 HP (9 kW) for DM 4,295
- 18 HP (13 kW) for DM 5,045
- 24 HP (17 kW) for DM 5,990
- 28 HP (21 kW) for DM 7,085
- 36 HP (26 kW) for DM 8,010
- 40 HP (29 kW) for DM 10,250
Tractor production
Before the Second World War, tractors with evaporative-cooled engines were manufactured in frame construction and in small numbers, the engine power of which was used in hp after the name Wesseler as the model designation. This system was maintained until the 1950s. As was common with other manufacturers at the time, the motor and gearbox for the tractor production were obtained from external companies, while the axles, hydraulic systems and sheet metal parts were manufactured by Wesseler itself. In the beginning, trailer hitches were also built by Schmitz after the introduction of the TÜV test. At first Wesseler built the tugs to order, then in stock. The tractors were characterized by extensive standard equipment (such as electric starters and batteries), which were extensively expanded upon customer request, for example with front loaders, three-point power lifts or roofs. The individual Wesseler types were only expandable basic models in the extensive range of types, which included almost every tractor in the power class from 12 to 60 HP (8.8 to 44.1 kW). There was no real large-scale production at Wesseler, nor were there any technical drawings or construction plans according to which the tugs were assembled. No patents were registered either. Today around 300 Wesselers are still registered for road traffic in Germany.
Type code
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As described above, the type designation initially only consisted of the horsepower number . After the introduction of air-cooled engines in the model range in 1953, this number was preceded by a W for Wesseler water-cooled . Air-cooled models were given an L , which could later be followed by a G for the implement carriers sold under the Ackermeister brand . An S stands for narrow-gauge tractor. After the horsepower number, another code letter could follow, L denotes a long version with a longer adapter , H a high-wheeler version and E an extra version . If the number of horsepower is three-digit, the first digit is the number of cylinders of the engine and the following digits are the horsepower output, these three-digit numbers were mainly used in later models with new engine models.
- Example of the type code on the W 12 (right picture)
- W 12 (water-cooled, 12 HP)
- W 12 E (water-cooled, 12 PS, extra version)
- W 12 H (water-cooled, 12 HP, high wheel version)
- WL 12 (air-cooled, 12 PS)
- WLG 12 (air-cooled equipment carrier, 12 PS)
- WLS 12 (air-cooled narrow-gauge tractor, 12 hp)
A WL 12 L or W 112 was never built, but there were other Wesseler models with a three-digit horsepower number and / or a long adapter.
Paintwork
Until 1953, the tractors sold under the Wesseler brand were painted in a blue-gray color with red decorative stripes, and the wheels were also painted red. From 1954 the leaf-green color was used, the trim and rim color was retained. A gentian blue color was chosen under the Vewema brand , field masters were given an orange paintwork. Wesseler used nitrocellulose paints .
- Brand name Wesseler , until 1953
| Structure: gray-blue | Wheels: fire red |
- Brand name Wesseler , from 1954
| Structure: leaf green | Wheels: fire red |
- Brand name Feldmeister
| Structure: blood orange | Wheels: golden yellow |
- Brand name Feldmeister
| Structure: pure orange | Wheels: zinc yellow |
- Brand name Vewema
| Structure: gentian blue | Wheels: fire red |
literature
- Westphalia in Wesseler hands. - Little known: tractor from Altenberge. (Company history) In: Schlepper Post, No. 6/2005.
- Franz Sundorf: Wesseler Chronicle
- Wolfgang H. Gebhardt: German tractors since 1907 . Motorbuch Verlag, 2003. ISBN 9783613023468 . P. 497 ff.
Web links
- Tractor and Equipment Museum Altenberge eV
- Homepage of the Wesseler Club
- deutz-traktoren.de: Wesseler oldtimer tractors
- Vehicleseiten.de - Wesseler
- Contribution of the WDR in the local time Münsterland
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c 1936 Construction of the tractor started ( memento of the original dated November 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - in Westfälische Nachrichten, 1966
- ↑ a b c Wesseler: Schlepper from Altenberge ( Memento of the original from November 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. –In Landwirtschaftliches Wochenblatt Westfalen / Lippe No. 33. August 16, 1990. Page 33
- ↑ a b 2000 Fiatagri tractors sold - in Eilbote, issue 22/1987. May 28, 1987.
- ↑ Agrartechnik Altenberge - Unternehmensentwicklung ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Academic thesis - possible topic
- ↑ Wesseler-Schlepper-Farben ( Memento of the original dated November 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
