A brief history of Le Roi

Le Roi began building stationary engines for things like ice cutters in about 1916 in Milwaukee WI. By the 20’s they were building 2 and 4 cylinder engines, air and water cooled, for tractors, air compressors and industrial applications. A company called Central Tractor Company of Greenwich Ohio became Centaur Tractor Corporation in 1928, used Le Roi engines in its tractors. They offered several models including the KV (Kleer View), KVM (Kleer View Mower) KW (wide KV) M (mower), Cl (Centaur Industrial), AG48, and the 105 Tractair. The Tractair had a 6 cylinder engine rated at 35hp, with the front 4 cylinders operating in a normal 4-stroke manner and the rear 2 were used to pump air into a 4 cubic foot receiving tank on the left side of the tractor. The 105 model number refered to the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of the compressor. Centaurs claim to fame was a sickle mower attachment that could mow in any position. By 1948 the Centaur company was so far in debt that they were taken over by Le Roi and became the Centaur Division of Le Roi. They continued tractor production at Greenwich for a year or two before the Centaur name was dropped, and the Le Roi Tractair 125 (125CFM compressor, 42hp) was introduced. Around 1954 the Le Roi Company was purchased by WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) and moved to Sydney, Ohio. The Le Roi Tractair 125 was produced into the 1960s, and was used mostly as construction and utility tractor for running jackhammers and sandblasters. The 125’s had power steering, 4 speed trannys with reverse and road gear (35 mph claimed). The Wagner company built front end loaders and accessories for Centaur and Le Roi tractors. Production figures are unclear for both Centaur and Le Roi tractors, but it seems likely there aren’t a lot of them still around. Le Roi still builds air compressors in Sidney, OH as a division of Dresser industries. As far as I can tell, there were no tractors produced in Milwaukee, as they were all from Greenwich OH, or later Sidney, OH. The small engine division of Le Roi located in Milwaukee was sold to Waukesha Engines in the 1940s. Also- somewhere along the line Le Roi had a deal with Allis-Chalmers where they both made engines for each other under contract.

The first Centaur tractor was the model F, produced between 1921-1926. It was a sulky-type tractor, designed for market garden type farms and used a 6 hp New Way single cylinder, air-cooled engine. In 1924, the model G (sulky-type also) was introduced. It used a liquid-cooled two cylinder Leroi L-head (model M) engine, making 10 hp. In 1929, the 2G was introduced using a slightly larger Leroi (model T) engine producing 12 hp. The confusing part is that I have a 1927 2G?!?! I also have sales literature for the G up to 1935, and apparently the G or 2G was available up until 1940, when Leroi discontinued the model T engine.With the sulky-type machines loosing popularity, Centaur designed the KV-22 in 1934. At least that's when the patent was applied for. It was a conventional type tractor, but the seat was placed far to the rear, like the older sulky-type tractors. Production must have started well into 1935. This assumption is based on the fact that I have the 29th built, and that wasn't until October of '35. It doesn't even have the patent number yet!. That didn't appear until sometime in 1936. Again, it must have, because I have a 1937 KV-22 with the patent number. These tractors were unstyled and used a L-head 4 cylinder Leroi engine. In 1939, the KV's were styled with rounded sheet metal and a larger 24hp Leroi overhead valve engine. All the various models you mention are virtually the same in appearance, except for the AG-48. This tractor uses the same D140 Leroi engine, transmission, final drives, but has a more forward-situated operator platform similar to other tractors. Meaning the operator sits between the fenders, as opposed to behind them. I have one, and have seen another (both within 6 serial numbers) and they both had a Monroe (yes, the shock absorber people) 3 point hitch, front mounted hydraulic pump, and pto. Absolutely no one has heard of this model designation. Mine is a 1949. Interestingly enough, I have a 1949 CI-6 mower tractor that's 163 serial numbers past my AG. So I can only conclude that the AG was a limited trial into a purely agricultural tractor, that came at a time when the company was catering to the industrial market??? I've been searching for several years for AG literature and such, but I'm almost convinced that none exists.