Robert Avery came up with ideas for design of a corn planter while in prison at Andersonville during the American Civil War. When he was released from prison he constructed a working model of his planter, and in 1874 he founded the Avery Planter Company at Galesburg, Illinois with his brother Cyrus. The company relocated to Peoria in 1884 and in 1891 they began to manufacture steam engines and threshing machines. Their first attempt at producing a tractor was in 1910, and by the following year they had their 20-35 model for sale. Avery were soon offering a full line of heavyweight tractors, and these continued to be built well into the 1920s. It soon became apparent though that farmers were looking for smaller, lightweight tractors, and although Avery made the little 5-10 and 6-12 models, they still focussed on the heavier machines. In 1924 the company was declared bankrupt, and was subsequently reorganized as the Avery Power Machinery Company, although this new venture achieved little success.

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