Historic Hagie

This Hagie 260 dates from 1959 and is currently on display at the company's headquarters.

This Hagie 260 dates from 1959 and is currently on display at the company’s headquarters.

 

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In 1947, Ray Hagie invented the world’s first high-clearance self-propelled sparyer and founded Hagie Manufacturing Co. in Clarion, IA. In 1958, the company introduced the Hagie Model 260. This unit sported a 205-gallon solution tank and a 24-hp Kohler engine. The Hagie Model 260 also had a 6-volt electrical system that powered the unit’s starter and lights.

According to the company, the Hagie Model 260 proved popular enough with customers that it was produced for one dozen years, from 1958 until 1970, before being retired.

One Of The First

This particular Hagie Model 260 was built in 1959, not long after the unit was first introduced. Some of the unique features of this unit included its solution pump and drive train.

The solution pump was belt driven, not mechanical. It was operated via a foot pedal that the driver had positioned on the left side of the vehicle.

As for the drive train, this was controlled through the use of a centrifugal clutch. “[This] made slowing on a downhill grade challenging,” notes the company notes on its display plaque for the Hagie Model 260.

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