In 1916 Wilmont Crozier, a farmer near Osceola, Nebraska, purchased his first tractor. Mr. Crozier found the tractor did not perform as advertised and that it was virtually useless in his farming operation. He later purchased a different tractor and it performed much better.

In addition to being a farmer, Wilmont Crozier was a representative in the Nebraska legislature. In 1919, with the help of Professor L.W. Chase, Chairman of the Agriculture Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska, and a fellow farmer, state Senator Charles Warner, he drafted legislation establishing the Tractor Test Law. The bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the legislature. Nebraska currently has a unicameral legislature, but in 1919 it had two legislative branches.

It is my understanding that the original bill was less than one page long and basically established a test laboratory at the University of Nebraska. It also required manufacturers to test models of tractors sold in the state at the University and that these test results be provided to the public. It might be said that his law was one of the first to provide "consumer protection" for the buyer.

Initially, it was felt that the program would be short lived. A test laboratory building was constructed on the campus. Various pieces of equipment were assembled and tractor testing began in 1920. The initial fee for testing was $250 per tractor. Over the years, the Nebraska test results became recognized throughout the nation and indeed, the world, as the standard by which tractor horsepower and fuel economy are measured.

During the 1920's, tractor power was in the 20-40 horsepower range. Today, the laboratory has equipment to test tractors up to 700 horsepower. Early tractors were on steel wheels. Experiments began with rubber tires in the 1930's. The laboratory was the first to quantify the power advantages of rubber tires for the farmer. By 1950 virtually all tractors used rubber tires. To make testing more uniform, in 1956 the laboratory developed a concrete track for drawbar testing. In 2007, the track was upgraded to test much larger tractors and the new track will likely last for another 50 years.

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