Rezzi Tractors

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Revision as of 05:06, 19 June 2009

LnV Agricultural Equipment Inc. (more commonly known as Lynx) is an American business that manufacturers and sells agricultural equipment. LnV sells equipment under the Lynx Agriculture, Victor Equipment, Rezzi Tractors, Jayson Equipment, and Lyon Engine Technologies brands.

History

Henry Williams began manufacturing farm equipment in the early 1900s. Williams built his equipment in his own shop. A few years later, Williams decided to sell some of his equipment. It was successful enough that Williams opened a small manufacturing plant and sold equipment under the name HR Equipment.

By the end of the 1940s, Williams was ready to manufacture his first tractor. A deal was formed between Henry Williams and Lyon Engines for Lyon Engines to supply engines to HR Equipment. In return, Lyon Manufacturing would acquire 40% of HR Equipment. By the mid 1950s, Lyon Manufacturing had purchased HR Equipment.

HR Equipment was ready to expand when Lyon Engines was purchased by David Ashbery. In 1971, Ashbery made several changes including changing the name of Lyon Manufacturing to Lynx Equpment. In 1973, the Lynx Equipment headquarters were moved from Mississippi to Iowa.

In 1999, Lynx Equipment purchased Victor Tractors and LnV International was formed.

Victor Jayson Equipment Inc.

Victor Jayson Inc. was started as Victor Thomas Manufacturing by Victor Thomas. Thomas began selling agricultural equipment in 1949 with the introduction of the T49 tractor. In the 1950s, Thomas began producing other tractors under the Thomas Tractors brand. To mark the 25th anniversary of the T49, Thomas introduced a new tractor called the Victor74. In 1975, Thomas began selling both TT and Victor tractors.

In 1985, VT Manufacturing was purchased by Paul Reed. The last Thomas Tractors was produced in 1989 on the 40th anniversary of the T49. The very last Thomas Tractors were sold as the T89. Reed continued to sell tractors under the Victor brand.

In 1997, Paul Reed purchased 40% of Jayatsu America giving him majority ownership. Reed also purchased a 25% share in Jayatsu Manufacturing.

In 1999, Paul Reed sold VT Manufacturing and his share of Jayatsu to Lynx Equipment. In 2003, VT Manufacturing was renamed to VT Equipment Inc.

In 2008, LnV began selling Victor and Jayson equipment at Lynx dealerships. By mid 2008, LnV began closing Victor dealerships and moving them to nearby existing Lynx dealerships. LnV is also converting Victor dealerships into LnV dealerships if the other option is not possible. LnV plans on eliminating all Victor/Jayson only dealerships by 2010 to save money.

In May 2009, LnV announced that they would be merging VT Equipment Inc. and Jayson Ltd. to form Victor Jayson Inc. equipment lines and will begin selling Victor Jayson equipment in 2010.

Lynx

Lynx Agriculture Equipment was formed as HR Equipment by Henry Williams. Henry Williams began manufacturing farm equipment in the early 1900s. Williams eventually decided to sell some of his equipment. It was successful enough that Williams opened a small manufacturing plant and sold equipment under the name HR Equipment. HR Equipment was purchased by Lyon Manufacturing in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Lyon Manufacturing was purchased by David Ashbery. Lyon Manufacturing was renamed to Lynx Equipment and HR Equipment was renamed to Lynx Agriculture Equipment Manufacturing.

Lynx Agriculture Equipment is the premier division of LnV.

Victor Jayson

Victor and Jayson tractors are sold as base model tractors. Victor Jayson was formed after a merger between the Victor Thomas and Jayson equipment lines. In 2009, Victor Jayson tractors officially replaced Rezzi as the budget tractors from LnV.

Lyon Engines

Lyon Engine Technologies manufactures the engines for all tractors made by Lynx and Rezzi. Lyon Engines was started in Lyon, Mississippi by Paul McAllister. McAllister eventually moved his business, formed Lyon Manufacturing and purchased HR Equipment. In the 1970s, Lyon Manufacturing was renamed to Lynx Equipment.

In the early 1990s, Lyon Engines began researching into automotive engines. In 1992, the Lyon Engines headquarters moved to Daywood, North Carolina. In 1997, Lyon Engines expanded to aftermarket engine parts and the name was changed to Lyon Engine Technologies. Lyon Engine Technologies also announced that they are developing an engine for competition in automotive racing.

In 2009, VT Engine Manufacturing Ltd. was merged with Lyon Engines. Lyon Engine Technologies now manufacturers all the engines for Lynx, Victor-Jayson, and Rezzi tractors under their Lyon Industrial Division.

Macaulay Lyon Motorsports

See: Macaulay Lyon Motorsports

In 2001, L.E.T. Motorsports attempted their first NASCAR Cup race at Talladega Super Speedway. However, the #04 Pontiac failed to qualify. L.E.T. Motorsports returned in 2003 with Mike Alley in the #64 Pontiac. The team attempted three races (Talladega, Bristol, and Atlanta) and failed to qualify for all of them. In 2004, Lyon Engine Technologies began sponsoring RAM Racing. As of 2008, L.E.T. Motorsports is still working on their engine program.

In May 2009, a partnership was announced between RAM Racing and L.E.T. Motorsports. The partnership formed Macaulay Lyon Motorsports. MLM will attempt to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series later in 2009. RAM Racing will supply the cars and the driver(s) and Lyon Engine Technologies will supply the race engines. The partnership will help Lyon Engine Technologies test their new LE9 engine. Originally, the team was going to run in the Sprint Cup however, the team decided to switch to part-time in the Nationwide Series.

Rezzi

Rezzi Tractors (pronounced rez-e) were introduced in 1985 by Lynx Agriculture Equipment. Rezzi Tractors were originally cheaper versions of the Lynx Tractors. By the 1990s, Rezzi began selling other types of equipment. Soon after, Rezzi introduced their first riding mowers. However, by 1996, Rezzi scaled back production of their implements due to poor sales.

In 2002, production of all Rezzi Equipment was stopped due to changes at LnV. In 2004, Rezzi began selling riding mowers again. In 2006, Rezzi introduced the Rezzi 390GT. Rezzi has not produced a full size tractor since 2001. The Rezzi tractor line will be replaced in 2010 when the Victor Jayson tractor line is introduced. Rezzi will continue to produce riding mowers and small tractors.

See Also

• Jayson Farm Equipment