FP Smith Parts & Equipment

FP Smith Parts & Equipment History

FP Smith gained the nickname “Piggy Smith’s” many years before its current business was formed.

During the 1920s through the 1940s, Francis Peter Smith ran the largest pig farm in Northern California on his ranch in Cordelia. During World War II, his pigs were delivered under contract to the San Francisco stockyards to help with the war effort.

When World War II ended, Francis began buying large quantities of military surplus parts and tractors and phased out his hog business.

FP Smith (“Piggy Smith’s”) became known as the place to buy tractor parts among California’s agricultural community.

One of Francis's first purchases was a brand-new surplus Caterpillar D4 2T crawler dozer at the end of World War II. It arrived by rail car in a large wood crate. Not expecting the crawler to be crated, he had to return with tools to open it to drive the dozer on his trailer.

During the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s, FP Smith purchased large quantities of parts from International Harvester factories and dealers when they closed facilities.

FP Smith became one of the first importers of tractor undercarriage parts from Italy and built the largest inventory on the West Coast.

In the late 2000's, FP Smith was awarded a large contract by the US Army to provide hundreds of reconditioned diesel engines and transmissions.

Buying opportunities for OEM surplus Komatsu, Dresser, Dressta, Payhauler, Hough, Allis Chalmers and Caterpillar parts throughout the decades increased FP Smith's physical inventory to millions of parts available for immediate shipping to customers and additional warehouses were added.

FP Smith continues to support many in the California farm, ranch and winery communities. It has increased its business to rock quarries, construction and mining companies, power plants and other parts dealers worldwide.

Francis Smith was a very fair and giving person. He once helped a fellow Japanese neighbor by buying his farm equipment at full price while the man and his family were sent to an internment camp during WWII. Francis stored the equipment for years and returned it to the family after they were released.

He contributed to the local fire and sheriff departments, the Salvation Army, and volunteered as Santa Claus at annual local dinners for 46 years.

Currently headed by Francis’s son, Pete, FP Smith continues to carry on the legacy and still maintains one of the largest inventories of heavy equipment and tractor parts in the World.

In 2011, FP Smith hosted a special event at its Fairfield California facility for the annual Independent Distributors Association IDA convention. More than 300 members from 26 different countries visited FP Smith for a memorable day of fun, networking and meeting friends and business partners in the heavy equipment parts industry.

A member for nearly 30 years, Pete Smith became President of the Independent Dealers Association IDA in 2014.

FP Smith Parts & Equipment History

He contributed to the local fire and sheriff departments, the Salvation Army, and volunteered as Santa Claus at annual local dinners for 46 years.

Local sculptor, Phil Glasshoff gifted this pig statue to Pete Smith in 2024 as a tribute to FP Smith's impact on the community

He contributed to the local fire and sheriff departments, the Salvation Army, and volunteered as Santa Claus at annual local dinners for 46 years.

Local sculptor, Phil Glasshoff gifted this pig statue to Pete Smith in 2024 as a tribute to FP Smith's impact on the community