Too Local: FWD Seagrave

(This is the first in what I hope is a series taken up by multiple authors discussing local history and news stories that may not be well known outside of the area. With the phrase that launched 1,000 Glibs, let us commence.)

In 1906 Otto Zachow met with attorney Walter A. Olen to submit a patent for the ball and socket steering joint.  This new steering joint would allow the front tires of a vehicle to be powered while still being able to be steered. The patent was granted 2 years later. In 1909 the two men, along with William Besserdich formed Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company in Clintonville, Wisconsin. The name would later change to just Four Wheel Drive or FWD.

In 1910 they created a truck called The Battleship (shown in the video below), It is considered the first successful four wheel drive automobile in the United States. In 1916 the US military ordered 120 trucks from FWD to use in their efforts to pursue Pancho Villa after his attack on Columbus, NM.

The US Military again ordered trucks from FWD for WWI and WW2. Between 1941 and 1943 FWD had supplied the US military with 24,000 vehicles. FWD returned to civilian production after WWII and by the 1960s had begun focusing on the production of Fire Trucks, and in 1963 purchased another Fire Truck builder Seagrave Corporation, moving all production to Clintonville, WI.

From the FWD Seagrave site:

Seagrave was founded by Fredric Seagrave in Detroit, Michigan, in 1881.  As such, Seagrave is the oldest manufacturer of fire apparatus in the United States.  The company moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1891, and remained there until 1963, when the company was purchased by FWD.

Too this day this company is one of the largest employers in the area. After the merger they were known as FWD Seagrave, but in 2019 they officially became  Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC. Their fire trucks are sold across the country.

FWD got a small amount of coverage on the History Channel series Truck wars. Although, a youtube commenter pointed out that not all of the photos they use are actually of FWD trucks.

If you’ve never heard of Clintonville, Wisconsin here are some facts:

  • Their school ‘mascot’ is The Truckers
  • Population on the 2020 Census 4,591
  • Most famous person is WBAY (Green Bay) newscaster Bill Jartz, who is also the stadium announcer at Lambeau Field