The Pratt Motor Buggy & The Elkhart Carriage and Harness Mfg. Co.
In 1888 the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Manufacturing Company was formed and produced horse drawn Elkhart Carriages, Elkhart Buggies and Elkhart Harnesses up to 1919. William Pratt and his sons established a plan of selling carriages direct to the consumer. The company made had a very large line of carriages, buggies and harness. The company employed from 300 to 500 people, shipping annually from 5,000 to 9,000 finished carriages. In 1891 F. B. Pratt turned over the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Manufacturing Company to his two sons, George B. Pratt and William B. Pratt.
1908 Elkhart Carriage and Harness Mfg. Company Advertising The Elkhart Carriage and Harness Manufacturing Company was an excellent example of a firm that made the transition from successful carriage and buggy manufacturer to a respected American Automobile manufacturer. After 25 years in the carriage and harness business, this Elkhart, Indiana based company introduced its first Motor Buggy in 1908 called the Pratt Motor Buggy. p> Pratt AutomobilesThe Pratts were a little late in entering the American Automobile manufacturing business. However, this played to their advantage due to the fact that much of the experimental period in the auto industry was over by 1908. The Pratts had all of the assets of a large carriage manufacturing business already in place. Having produced carriages for many years they had the factory space, machinery, tools, an established network of suppliers and skilled workers. In addition the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Mfg. Company had ample funds and available credit for a new start up automobile manufacturing business. The Pratt Brothers first experimented with a Motor Buggy in 1906. It was equipped with a 12 horsepower engine. A sturdy frame was build and a Corning type body attached. This was the same type body used on there horse carriages. By early 1908 the Pratt Bros. first American Automobile was build, trimmed out in typical buggy fashion but without a horse. It was sold locally before it was made and by 1916 had four owners. The immediate local interest in an Pratt Motor Buggy generated many orders. The cost was only $428.00 and with success of their Motor Buggy came request for more bodies and styles. So in 1909 a Piano body version of their auto buggy was made. Plus open and closed delivery wagons were produced for farm use. The Pratt Motor Buggy and Delivery Wagons represented a small part of the overall market for automobiles. The Pratts recognized that the real growth in the market was for automobiles in urban areas on paved roads. So they designed a roadster with a rumble seat that appeared in the fall of 1909. The Pratt-Elkhart roadster had a new 16 horsepower engine in the front and a drive train to the rear. It was 90 inches long, looked like a car and the cost was $590.00. Before the end of 1909 the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Mfg. Company produced a medium sized five passenger touring car which weighed 2,400 pounds. It's 4 cylinder 30 horsepower engine had a displacement of 270 cubic inches.
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