The Ball Engine Company was founded in Erie, Pa., in 1883 to manufacture stationary industrial steam engines. Recognizing that the market for such engines was maturing, it began manufacturing steam shovels in 1914. This diversification took place following a conversation between a Ball vice president and A.C. Vicary, a salesman for Thew Shovel. Vicary had some forward-thinking ideas about improving the design, manufacture and marketing of steam shovels, and Ball hired him and applied his ideas.Ball used the name of its hometown as the trade name for its shovel line, as did Thew with its Lorain machines. Ball initially produced only two models, the 1/2-yard model A and the 3/4-yard B. The thinking behind this was to minimize costs by simplifying and streamlining manufacturing and service through the use of standardized, mass-produced parts that were interchangeable between the two models.
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