South Bend, Indiana, 1958
Elmer Pond started assembling small garden tractors based on used automobile parts in his backyard garage in South Bend, Indiana, following World War II. Elmer’s son Cecil joined the growing company and in 1955, he designed the first true riding lawn 
and garden tractor. For the 1958 model year, Cecil patented an industry-first three-speed transaxle transmission with automotive type gears. The tiny bright red Wheel Horse riding tractors proved very popular with the exploding numbers of suburban homeowners across the nation looking for an easier way to care for their lawns.