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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 with more than 10,000 pigs. 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.

FP Smith Parts Old Barn Warehouse

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.

FP Smith Parts Surplus Caterpillar D4

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.
Additional opportunities to buy came from many sources and Francis and his son, Pete, bought truckloads of parts for decades to fill their warehouses and become a major parts supplier.

FP Smith Parts Largest Tractor Part Inventory on the West Coast

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

FP Smith Parts Undercarriage

FP Smith Parts Undercarriage Stock

FP Smith Parts First to Import Undercarriage from Italy on West Coast

FP Smith Parts Large Inventory

FP Smith Parts Lamborghini Tractor Dealer

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.

FP Smith Parts US Army Rebuilt Diesel Engines

FP Smith Parts US Army Rebuilt Transmissions

FP Smith Parts Dresser M10A Diesel Engines

FP Smith Parts US Army Rebuilt Engines Ready for Shipping

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. During World War II, he once helped a fellow Japanese neighbor by buying his farm equipment at full price before the man and his family were sent to an internment camp. Other people had tried to steal the equipment at a very low price to take advantage of their situation. 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.

Francis P Smith

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.

FP Smith has been a member of the IDA Independent Distributors Association since the 1979

FP Smith Parts Ida Convention Host

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Tour

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party Biplane

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party Ice Sculpture

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party Equipment

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party Shooting

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party Biplane Aerial View

FP Smith Parts IDA Convention Party

Pete Smith became President of the Independent Dealers Association IDA in 2014.
Local sculptor, Phil Glasshoff gifted this pig statue to Pete Smith in 2024 as a tribute to FP Smith's impact on the community

FP Smith Parts Gifted Pig Commemorating "Piggy Smith"

FP Smith Aerial View
Acres of Dismantled Machines & Parts

FP Smith Aerial View Acres of Dismantled Machines & Parts

Our History | FP Smith Parts & Equipment Since 1947 | Fairfield, CA

Our History | FP Smith Parts & Equipment Since 1947

What began as a small family operation in Northern California has grown into one of the most respected names in heavy equipment and tractor parts on the West Coast. For nearly eight decades, FP Smith Parts & Equipment has remained family-owned and committed to quality, service, and integrity.

Our Origins

FP Smith Parts & Equipment traces its roots back to 1947 when Francis Peter “Piggy” Smith founded the business in the Cordelia area of Fairfield, California. The nickname “Piggy” came from the family’s early involvement in the local pig farming industry, which was prominent in Northern California during the 1920s through the 1940s.

What started as a modest operation quickly grew as “Piggy” Smith built a reputation for honesty, hard work, and treating customers fairly. Those values remain at the core of everything we do today.

Growth and Legacy

Over the decades, the company expanded its focus into heavy equipment and tractor parts. A significant turning point came through relationships with major manufacturers and the acquisition of surplus inventory from factory closures, most notably from International Harvester. These opportunities allowed FP Smith to build one of the largest physical inventories of new OEM surplus, used, and reconditioned parts in the region.

The business has always been about more than just parts. It has been about relationships — with customers, with the community, and with the equipment that keeps farms, construction sites, and industries running.

Our Values

From the very beginning, FP Smith Parts & Equipment has operated with a strong sense of community and fairness. The company has a long history of giving back — whether through donations to local fire and sheriff departments, support for the Salvation Army, or Francis “Piggy” Smith’s 46 years of volunteering as Santa Claus at community events.

These values of integrity, service, and community involvement continue to guide the business under the leadership of Pete Smith, who carries forward the legacy started by his father.

Today

Today, FP Smith Parts & Equipment operates from a 20-acre facility at 3190 Ramsey Road in Fairfield, California. We continue to specialize in new OEM surplus, quality used, and reconditioned parts for heavy construction, mining, agricultural, and industrial equipment.

While much has changed since 1947, our commitment to stocking real inventory, providing expert service, and treating every customer with respect remains the same. We are proud to serve customers locally and ship parts worldwide — all while staying true to the principles that built this company nearly 80 years ago.