Farm collector 092016

MOLINE PLOW CO.

October 2016

FRIENDS TEAM UP TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO 1923 McCORMICK-DEERING

Toolbox Trade Works Out MINNESOTA MAN ADDS RARE ROCKOL TRACTOR TO HIS COLLECTION

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ROTARY REAPER

Volume 19, Issue 3

Restoring a

Wooden

Thresher

$4.95 US, $5.95 CAN

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Display until October 17, 2016

ROCKOL TRACTORS

18 DEPARTMENTS

2 First Things Living the golden rule.

4 Letters 6 What-Is-It? Can you name these gizmos and gadgets?

10 Let’s Talk Rusty Iron Rise and Fall of Moline Plow Co. Sam Moore

18 First Hand Baldwin’s Rotary Reaper roars back to life.

Richard Stout

43 Line Up 44 Classifieds 48 Sprouts A place for kids.

FEATURES

OCTOBER 2016

14 Toolbox Trade Works Out

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Minnesota man adds rare Rockol to his tractor collection.

Bill Vossler

24 Restoring a Wooden Thresher Friends team up to breathe new life into 1923 McCormick-Deering.

Leslie C. McManus

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28 Buried in the Barn Unique vehicle emerges for second time in 64 years.

Clell G. Ballard

32 “As near perfect as it can be” No. 4 Victor double-huller clover machine survives in fine original condition.

Loretta Sorensen

36 A Night to Remember

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Fire sparked by lightning strike threatens farm family’s barn.

Clyde Eide

14 24 On the cover: Jim Koltes and Tim Fischer joined forces to restore this 1923 McCormick-Deering 22x38 threshing machine.

Photo by Leslie C. McManus.

First Things Richard Backus Leslie C. McManus Landon Hall Arthur Hur Karen Rooman Terry Price Kirsten Martinez Caitlin Wilson Anita Fisher

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Farm Collector ISSN 1522-3523 October 2016, Vol.19, Issue #3 is published monthly by Ogden Publications Inc., 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609 by Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. Periodicals Postage Paid at Topeka, KS and additional mailing offices.

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Living the golden rule

W

hen Darius Harms died in July, this community lost one of its giants. A passionate collector of old iron, Darius was one of the founders of the stunningly successful Half Century of Progress show in Rantoul, Illinois, and a key leader in the I&I Antique Tractor & Gas Engine Club’s Historic Farm Days, Penfield, Illinois.

In a hobby as diverse as this, leaders demonstrate their strengths in many ways. Darius was the consummate organizer, the kind of man who knows how to make things happen. Detailoriented, visionary and resourceful, Darius saw opportunity where others saw obstacles. “Many times he would not take ‘no’ for an answer,” says John Fredrickson, vice chairman at the Half Century show. “If a job needed to get done, he proceeded to get it done.”

“The old order changeth,” the poet writes, “yielding place to new.” The shows, clubs and tractor pulls Darius left his mark on will move forward. “It will probably take two or three of us to handle what he did,” allows Chuck Stelter, president of the I & I club. But no one will fold up tents and retreat.

They were taught better than that.

When I visited with Darius at the 2015 Half Century show, we talked about the show’s robust safety program. This massive show in a massive setting draws tens of thousands of visitors, hundreds of golf carts and other small vehicles and non-stop demonstrations – all with an amazingly small number of incidents. And yet, the official approach to safety is respectful rather than heavy-handed. “We try to treat people the way we’d like to be treated,” Darius said.

In the old days, we called that the golden rule. One senses that it was a rule Darius held close to his heart. And that is why, in the end, Darius Harms is the rare individual who will be widely remembered as both an exceptional leader, and a kind and decent man. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Leslie C. McManus LMcManus@ogdenpubs.com

Memories Of A Former Kid®

Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. © 2016 Ogden Publications Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.

Printed in the USA

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October 2016

Farm Collector

Letters to the Editors

Building stacks of hay The article by Clell G. Ballard (“The Hay Hook,” Farm Collector, July 2016) was interesting, and its point about the advantages of a hay hook was very much on target. It made me tired to learn how many times bales were handled in the system the author described. An alternate system my father developed for use building stacks on a farm in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, employed a hydraulic hay stacker mounted on a tractor (in our case, a 1941 John Deere A). His first stacker was a Superior, the predecessor to the Farmhand. He sold it very soon after acquiring it. His second stacker – the one I used – was a Johnson.

Its main advantage was that it could be mounted and removed from the tractor far more easily. The stacker had a basket with wooden teeth on the front. The basket was about 12 feet wide and extended about 9 feet in front of the tractor. The tractor/stacker would fill its basket with hay from the windrows made by a side-delivery rake, then turn around, fill it again and pile it on top of the first bunch in order to get a full, level basket before taking it to the stack.

A rectangular base would be created by pushing together several baskets of hay. Additional baskets of hay were carefully placed on that base. Each layer involved two baskets on one side, two on the other and one from each end. A man in the stack moved just enough hay to keep the stack level and square. When the stack was as high as the stacker would go (about 20 feet), the man in the stack would pull hay from the basket and create a rounded top. The result was a stack that looked a little like a large loaf of bread, rounded just enough to shed water.

When my father purchased his first hydraulic stacker in the early 1940s, one of his neighbors scoffed, saying he could pitch a lot of hay for $600 (its cost). But soon he and others were asking my father to help put up their hay, and for a time he stacked hay for many nearby farmers. In those days, all of them had at least eight or 10 cows to milk and usually other livestock. Then, when it took too much time away from his own farm work, he encouraged them to purchase their own.

A local implement dealer would sell a Johnson stacker, and he would help mount it on whatever brand of tractor the farmer had. Others purchased Farmhand stackers from a dealer in a neighboring town.

In the fall, he would remove the hay basket and mount a homemade attachment with a grapple fork to the front of the hay stacker. The four tines of the grapple fork would be inserted in the haystack. The stacker would lift a bunch of hay and place it in a hayrack on top of a rope sling, then another and another.

The hayrack would be pulled home, placed in front of the barn and, with a small tractor hooked to the end of the hay rope, the slings full of hay would be pulled up and into the haymow.

The Ballards were forming bales for long-distance transport.

Since we were putting hay in a stack, hay was never lifted by hand. Yes, some of it was moved around by the person in the stack, and in the winter it was pushed to the openings in the floor 4

October 2016

of the haymow so it could drop down into the hay manger along one side of the barn, but the investment of labor pales in comparison to lifting and stacking and lifting again and restacking bales.

In the 1950s, the system was improved in two ways. First, my father and neighbor built a rectangular stack frame out of pipes that could be filled with hay before anyone got into the stack.

Once the hay had been packed (by walking around in it), the stack frame was removed and the rest of the stack was built.

Second, my father and that same neighbor built a tractorpulled stack mover. It was like a large trailer, made of a modified truck axle and wheels, an I-beam frame, steel pipes for the deck and a PTO-driven winch. With that, a stack could be moved from the field to the farmyard, and it could be winched off in front of the barn (or anywhere else). The same grapple fork was then attached to the hay carrier and, piece by piece, the hay in the stack was lifted into the haymow.

For some farmers, there certainly were advantages to baling.

Hay could be more easily transported long distances, it could be sold more easily and more hay could be stored in the same amount of barn space. But none of these applied to our farm.

In addition to labor saved, stacking had other advantages.

Alfalfa, in particular, could be stacked sooner than it could be baled, and that often reduced the loss of leaves. This system also saved the ongoing expense of buying twine. With a touch of exaggeration, my father would say that baling involved, “buying your own hay back.”

Darrell Jodock 1600 Riverview Rd., St. Peter, MN 56082 Clell Ballard responds: I’m impressed by the activities of your father and the others you mentioned. That is one of the great things about the American farmer. He is creative as he figures how to do the hard farm work in a more efficient manner.

Send letters to: Farm Collector Editorial, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609 FAX: (785) 274-4385; email: editor@farmcollector.com; online at: www.farmcollector.com Farm Collector

What Is It?

WANTED:

T

he genius of pioneer inventors can confound us. Countless contraptions that revolutionized farming in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become contemporary curiosities, or even mysteries. Here are six sent in by readers. Do you know what they are?

Answers to the October 2016 items will appear in the December 2016 issue.

Answers for new items in this issue must be received by Oct. 6, 2016.

GADGETS, GIZMOS & CONTRAPTIONS OCTOBER MYSTERY TOOLS B.

A.

C.

D.

E.

A.

Marked “P108” and “Dec 53.” Pieces measure 2-1/2 inches wide when open, 1-3/4 inches wide when closed. Two small metal pegs on back as if to hold them off a surface. Made of cast metal with traces of black paint. When spread open, the rollers move over the crimped surface.

B.

Cast iron tool measuring 11-3/4 inches long. Traces of silver paint. Section on the back center is hollowed out and approximately 5/8-inch radius.

C.

Steel combination tool measures 6-1/2 inches on its longest dimension. The three legs consist of a screwdriver, a hook and a square driver. The square driver has a 3/8-inch recess. What would this have been used for?

D. E.

Tool measures about 8 inches long; jaws measure 3/4-inch.

F.

Found in an old stone wall near Delafield, Wis. No markings. The land it was on has been farmed since 1850. Measures 35 inches wide by 9-1/2 inches tall by 2 inches deep; weighs about 50 pounds.

Size of a garden rake with tines cut from one piece of metal. The back is curved. Used for a special purpose, or just a homemade rake?

To submit photos: Send prints to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Send digital images to editor@farmcollector.com.

• Photos should be taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece. We cannot guarantee every photo will be published, nor can we respond to inquiries regarding when photos will be published.

No photos will be returned.

• Digital photos should be sent as .jpgs at a minimum of 300 dpi.

F.

To identify an item:

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October 2016

Send answers (with your name and address) to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Email responses may be sent to editor@farmcollector.com.

Answers for new items shown in this issue must be received Farm

by Oct. Collector 6, 2016.

ANSWERS TO

AUGUST

MYSTERY TOOLS

B. Valve lapper/grinder, used to grind valves for internal combustion engines. Identified by Royle Bailard; Roger Pavlis, Hudson, Wis.; Steve Sylvester, Centuria, Wis.; Richard Hines, South Charleston, Ohio; Gailey Henderson, Williamstown, W. Va.; Vern Notestine, Frankenmuth, Mich.; Tom Sterrett, Paxico, Kan.; Charles Asmussen, Trappe, Md.; Jim Glascock; John Gruman, Raymond, Iowa; Bob Zvacek, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Denny Schleicher, Roscoe, Ill.; Ronald Young, Madison, Ind.; Alan Duffield, Browns Valley, Minn.; Willard Ottman, Lemmon, S.D.; and John S. Rauth, Ridgely, Md. See patent no. 1,155,489 for a similar piece. Photo submitted by Al Fortney, Clarkston, Wash.

Patent no. 1,155,489: Valve grinder.

Patent granted to Christian F. Hess, Chicago, assignor to Alexander Nelson, Chicago, Oct. 5, 1915.

C.

Flint & Walling well pump pipe puller. Identified by Gary Southall, Ripley, W. Va.; Larry F. Whitesell, Tipton, Ind.; Robert Scholz; Bob Zvacek; Nick Cerbo, Parasippany, N.J.; Willard Ottman, Lemmon, S.D.; and John S. Rauth, Ridgely, Md. “The tool was positioned directly over the well casing,” Bob says. “The piece connected to the pump handle held a piece with a U-shaped notch in the side that, when slipped on the pipe, gripped the pipe on the down stroke of the pump handle. By pushing down on the pump handle, the pipe would be raised. When the pump handle was lifted, a pipe wrench-type jaw gripped the pipe and held it while the U-shaped piece slid down the pipe and re-gripped it to allow the process to be repeated. Eventually, by disconnecting lengths of pipe, you had the pump out of the well.

Photo submitted by Max Fannon, St. Joseph, Mo.

Patent no. 500,695: Vegetable chopper. Patent granted to Chauncey Burdett, Groton, N.Y., assignor to Hiram G. Moe, Groton, July 4, 1893.

E. Horse harness using a yoke supported beneath the horses, connected by short traces to the hames, serving for the connection of the draftchain between the horses. By dispensing with use of ordinary traces, control of plows became much easier and injury to shrubbery and trees was minimized.

Identified by Royle Bailard; Howard Olson, Pigeon Falls, Wis.; Bob Zvacek; Gary Southall; Robert Scholz; Gailey Henderson; Linda Star; Nick Cerbo; Jim Glascock; Alan Duffield; and Willard Ottman, Lemmon, S.D. See patent no. 309,317. Photo submitted by Erwin Fullerton, S. Woodstock, Vt.

Image courtesy Gary Southall, Ripley, W. Va.

A. Vegetable chopper, typically used in large wooden bowl. Blade cutting edges are rounded to match bowl’s contours. Identified by Royle Bailard, Alto, Mich.; Bob Wittersheim, Saline, Mich.; Jim Glascock, Cedar Grove, Ind.; Robert Scholz, Elmo, Mo.; Linda Star, Corsica, S.D.; Scott E. Allen, Ephrata, Pa.; Mike Moller, Palo Cedro, Calif.; Donald Shively, Celina, Ohio; and John S. Rauth, Ridgely, Md. See patent no. 500,695 for a similar piece, one from which this piece may have evolved. Photo submitted by David Ruark, Pomeroy, Wash.

Patent no. 309,317: Harness. Patent granted to Allen Sherwood, Auburn, N.Y., Dec. 16, 1884.

D. Possible waffle grates.

Identified by John S. Rauth, Ridgely, Md. Photo submitted

by Erwin Fullerton, S. Woodstock, Vt.

www.FarmCollector.com

F.

Unidentified.

Photo submitted by William Rudicil, West Harrison, Ind.

October 2016

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Let’s Talk Rusty Iron Sam Moore

2

1. A Moline two-way plow.

2. Cover art from a circa-1920 Moline Plow Co. catalog.

3. Front view of a Moline Universal Model D tractor at the 2010 Antique Gas Engine & Tractor Show, Hudson Mills Metropark, Mich.

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The Rise Fall of Moline Plow Co.

I

n about 1850, Alonzo Nourse had an agricultural warehouse at Main and Wells streets in Moline, Illinois. There he sold eastern-made revolving hay rakes and built fanning mills and a few other implements to order with the help of Henry W. Candee, and, a few years later, Robert K. Swan.

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October 2016

Farm Collector

In 1854, Candee and Swan bought the place, giving birth to what was to become Moline Plow Co. At about the same time, a Swedish immigrant named Andrew Friberg came to Moline and went to work for John Deere building plows, soon becoming foreman of Deere’s blacksmith shop.

In 1864, Friberg developed lung problems and moved to the Rocky Mountains for his health. He returned a year later to work for Candee, Swan & Co., after which they began to build the Moline line of plows. This upset Deere, who had been using the Moline name for some of his plows (even the logo Candee, Swan & Co. used was similar to Deere’s) and he sued. The court battle dragged on for three years and Deere lost, after which Candee and Swan were free to incorporate in 1870 as Moline Plow Co. with Swan as president.

Broad expansion of product line The Moline product line increased through the 1870s and ’80s. In 1884, a 3-wheel “Flying Dutchman” sulky plow was introduced. The plow’s third wheel allowed the plow bottom to be carried on the plow frame, rather than being dragged through the ground, and made square corners easy.

The Moline Champion corn planter came out in 1886. It was the first to gear the dropping mechanism to the planter wheel so one kernel at a time could be dropped into the valve, allowing corn to be checkrow or drill planted.

Other products were added, including harrows, cultivators, stalk cutters, cotton planters, potato diggers and sugar beet tools. Acquisitions included Henny Buggy Co., Freeport, Illinois, in 1903; Mandt Wagon Co., Stoughton, Wisconsin, in 1906; Monitor Drill Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1909; and Adriance, Platt & Co. in 1913. These acquisitions gave Moline a line of vehicles, grain drills, and haying and harvesting machinery.

A 1908 account tells us that Moline Plow Co. then had “14 magnificent branch houses,” capital stock in the amount of $6,000,000, nearly 2,000 factory hands, and some 200 traveling men to sell their goods, and that the firm’s “foreign trade has grown until it is a very considerable business in itself.”

Embracing new technology By 1910, Moline Plow was interested in the relatively new internal combustion engine. They began by selling gas engines built by the Alamo Mfg. Co., Hillsdale, Michigan, although the engines were rebadged with the Flying Dutchman name.

At about the same time, Moline Plow began suffering from the tractor itch and reportedly designed a motor plow. International Harvester Co. built a few samples of the machine for Moline, but they proved unsatisfactory.

Meanwhile, Universal Tractor Mfg. Co., Columbus, Ohio, had been building a 2-cylinder, 10 hp motor cultivator. Universal bought specially built plows for it from Moline Plow. In 1915, Moline bought Universal for $150,000. While it built a similar machine for a year or two, in 1917 a 4-cylinder engine (possibly built by Root & VanDervoort, at least initially) was adopted. The new Moline Universal Model D 9-18 was tested at Nebraska in 1920 and developed 17.4 drawbar horsepower, far higher than the 9 hp manufacturer rating.

Electric governor, starter and lights were uncommon in that era, but they were standard equipment on the Moline Universal. A good many Universals were sold, but there were some inherent drawbacks to the Universal’s design, such as the narrow wheel span and high center of gravity that made the thing prone to upsets, as well as the difficulty in backing up when the hitch tended to buckle upwards.

Struggling in economic downturn Moline Plow got into the automobile business for a while when the buggy business fell off before World War I (anti-German sentiment during the war also caused Moline to temporarily discontinue use of the Flying Dutchman trademark). George W. Stephens had been company president at one time, and the new auto, which was made in the Henny factory, was named the Stephens. Introduced in 1916, the Stephens Salient Six was in full production in 1917, with more than 1,300 built that year.

By the war’s end, even though it was the fifth largest farm equipment company in the world, Moline Plow Co. was in trouble. Like a lot of firms, Moline had overextended itself during the war, and in addition had sold a lot of machinery to czarist Russia.

After the 1917 revolution, the new Soviet government refused to pay the old Imperial government’s bills, leaving Moline high and dry. The Agricultural Depression of the early 1920s badly hurt the company.

In an attempt to survive, Moline Plow built the Moline Model 10, a 1-1/2-ton truck, for three or four years during the early 1920s, but it didn’t prove to be a big seller. In 1924, Moline Plow, even though weakened by the business downturn, bought the Milwaukee line of harvesting machinery from IHC, which had been forced to sell it and others by the U.S. government.

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October 2016

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An interesting aside: On Oct. 3, 1920, the Moline Universal Tractors, a professional football team, played the Decatur Staleys, a team affiliated with the newly organized American Professional Football Conference (which later became what is today’s NFL). Under player/ coach George Halas, the Staleys won 20-0 and went on to become the famous Chicago Bears.

Last-ditch efforts Moline leadership did everything it could to keep the company alive. In 1923, when most farmers were opting for conventional tractors, Moline dropped manufacture of the Universal tractor. In 1925, the company changed its name from Moline Plow Co. to Moline Implement Co. Nothing seemed to help.

An interesting aside: On Oct. 3, 1920, the Moline Universal Tractors, a professional football team, played the Decatur Staleys, a team affiliated with the newly organized American Professional Football Conference (which later became what is today’s NFL). Under player/coach George Halas, the Staleys won 20-0 and went on to become the famous Chicago Bears.

That 20-0 football loss set the tone for the struggling Moline Plow Co. during the 1920s. Finally, in 1929, a merger was worked out between Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Co., Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., and Moline Plow Co. The new firm thus created was Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Co., which was one of the major farm equipment companies for more than three decades before White Motor Co. bought it in 1963. FC

Rear view of a Moline Universal Model D tractor with a Moline 2-bottom plow at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in 1993. Photo by Sam Moore.

– Sam Moore grew up on a farm in western Pennsylvania. He now lives in Salem, Ohio, and collects antique tractors, implements and related items. Contact Sam by email at letstalkrustyiron@att.net.

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Toolbox Trade Works Out MINNESOTA MAN ADDS RARE ROCKOL TRACTOR TO HIS COLLECTION

P

Article and photos by Bill Vossler

aul Husmann knows a good deal when he sees one, so when he got the opportunity to trade a toolbox for a tractor, he jumped at the chance. Even better, the tractor is a rare 1949 Rockol Model B 77, sold by Rock Oil Co. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

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But there was nothing underhanded about the deal. “I’d been bugging my brother-in-law about that tractor for a few years until he decided to sell it or trade it,” Paul says. “He said he needed a toolbox for his shop, and I had an empty one available, so we made the trade. He knew it was a rare tractor, and he decided he was never going to do anything about restoring it, so we traded.”

ers want something that will go fast, pulling the auger down the road, going from place to place,” Paul says. “The Rockol did that.”

When the engine on the Rockol went bad, the tractor was abandoned to a weed patch behind Paul’s brother-in-law’s shop for about five years, until Paul convinced his brother-in-law to give it up.

Abandoned to a weed patch

Rockol gets second looks

The Rockol was not Paul’s first old iron project, as evidenced by several antique tractors on his property near Cold Spring, Minnesota: a Ford 9N, an Oliver 70 Standard, a Farmall 450 and a Minneapolis-Moline 445. “On our dairy farm, the Moline is what I grew up on,” he says.

From Edmonton, his Rockol was shipped to Divide County, North Dakota, where a local farmer owned it for several years. Later, Paul’s brotherin-law and cousin bought it at an estate sale to use it as an auger tractor.

Farms in that area are large and fields are not always adjacent. The Rockol, with road speeds of up to 40 mph, worked well for moving augers from one place to another. “A lot of those big farms have various bin locations, and the farm-

Paul quickly found out just how unusual the Rockol was when he took it to the LeSueur (Minnesota) Pioneer Power Show in 2002, where the Custom Club International was holding its national meet that year. “That was the first time any of those guys had seen a Rockol,” he says.

“They were pretty amazed, because nobody knew there was such a thing.”

The Rockol is a sister tractor to four other tractors produced by various manufacturers and sold in the U.S.: the Custom (including models 96R, 96W, 98R and 98W), the Regal Custom, the Lehr Big Boy and the Wards. People who had come to the LeSueur grounds to see those four types of tractors were in for a big surprise when they saw the Rockol.

1. The restored and repainted front of the Rockol tractor renews the sleek of a machine that is some 66 years old.

2. Side views of the rare 1949 Rockol Model B 77 tractor.

3. The Rockol used a Dodge 217-cubicinch, 6-cylinder flathead engine.

4. Steering wheel and dash gauges on the Rockol Model B 77.

5. Paul Husmann at the wheel of his rare 1949 Rockol Model B 77.

6. Rear view of the Rockol tractor, which was rated to pull three 14-inch plows. “I suspect this tractor had more power than a tractor of the same rating,” Paul says, “even though it has less weight.”

5

6

Replacing internal components Paul had owned the Rockol for five years before he started restoration work in 2001. The sheet metal was in “pretty good condition,” he says, except for a dent in the nose that he straightened. “The paint was horribly faded,” he says. “I checked the underside of the hood and buffed it out to get as close to the right color as I could.”

Body work was the most difficult part of the project. “I’m not experienced at that,” Paul says. “The mechanical stuff was easy, because I’ve done it all my life. But the body work was tougher.”

The tractor had a few mechanical issues, including a bad knock in the engine. “I completely rebuilt the engine, put a clutch in and put on new tires,” Paul says. “I’ve been a mechanic all my life. Maybe I was born with that ability.”

The crankshaft had to be ground, and Paul added new piston rings, bearings and oil pump. He also had the radiator cleaned. “Nearly all of the internal components were replaced, because they were just worn out,” he says. “I completely disassembled that tractor, sandblasted everything, primed and painted it, and put it back together.”

The most difficult part of the project was finding the correct oil pump. “A local parts store had gotten the wrong oil pump a couple of times, so I talked to an engine builder friend,” he says. “He didn’t have one, but he told me to call a number in Duluth, Minnesota. They had that variety there right on the shelf. I had them pull one off the shelf and describe it to me. It’s different than most oil pumps, and by their description, I knew it was the right one.”

Cousin to a Dodge truck Besides its rarity, one of the Rockol’s unusual features is that its engine, transmission and rear end are all Dodge truck components. “It’s a Dodge 217-cubic-inch 6-cylinder with a 5-speed New Process transmission,” Paul says, “and a 2-1/2 ton truck rear end. It’s a flathead 6, and it runs great.”

The tractor handles really well, too. “It goes pretty fast, definitely faster than most tractors,” he says, “especially those built in that era.” That makes it a good candidate for tractor rides. “If we’re going far, I load it and transport it,” he says, “but sometimes I just cruise around the neighborhood on a nice evening in the summer.” His neighbors like it, he says, smiling and waving as he goes by.

He’s also taken the Rockol to several shows in central Minnesota, including one in Crosby, North Dakota, in Divide County where the Rockol was originally shipped from Cana16

October 2016

da. He’s demonstrated it at shows, plowing and discing, but doesn’t otherwise work the tractor.

Onlookers ask interesting questions, he says. “The weirdest is, ‘Is that a real tractor? Did you build that yourself?’ Most of the time people say, ‘I’ve never seen one of those before,’ or ‘Is that actually a factory-built tractor?’ They don’t know anything about them. Everybody’s got a John Deere or International Harvester, but nobody has one like this.”

A different approach to model names Perhaps 2,000 tractors were built by Rock Oil Co. under the five names, Paul says, and most of them are wide-fronts.

“Rockols were made in wide-fronts, like mine, as well as narrow-fronts,” he says, “but I don’t recall seeing a narrow-front in this vintage. Most of those sold out of Edmonton would be wide-fronts because they were used in the plains as Wheatland tractors. The narrow-front Rockols are even more rare.”

One of the unexplainable curiosities about the Rockols is the way they were named. The wide-front Rockols are dubbed “B” models and the narrow-fronts are “C” models. But Custom, Regal Custom, the Lehr Big Boy and Wards are the exactly the opposite. Wide-front tractors from those builders wear the Model C designation and narrow-fronts are badged as Model B’s.

“That’s what I’ve found,” he says. “I don’t know why they changed the model for the Canadian tractors. They did make some other changes, like with the different style transmissions and, with some, a different rear end. And the later Rockols also had stamped steel frames instead of the channel iron on mine, so maybe that had something to do with it. I’ve tried to do as much of the research as I could and find out as much as I could about these tractors.”

Restoration of the unusual tractor was fun, he says. “But hearing it run after all the work was done was the best part.”

FC – For more information: Paul Husmann, Paul Husmann, 22914 Foxfire Ct., Cold Spring, MN 56320; (320) 290-2934; Paulhusmann1@gmail.com.

Minnesota ✭

Above: Four unique tractors (left to right): Custom 98, Wards, Custom Model C and a Rockol.

One of the unexplainable curiosities about the Rockols is the way they were named. The wide-front Rockols are dubbed “B” models and the narrow-fronts are “C” models. But Custom, Regal Custom, the Lehr Big Boy and Wards are the exactly the opposite. Wide-front tractors from those builders wear the Model C designation and narrow-fronts are badged as Model B’s.

– Bill Vossler is a freelance writer and author Cold of several books on antique farm tractors and toys. Spring Contact him at Box 372, 400 Caroline Ln., Rockville, MN 56369; email: bvossler@juno.com.

Farm Collector

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Richard Stout

First Hand

1

Rotary Reaper

2

CURTIS BALDWIN’S INNOVATIVE DESIGN COMES ROARING BACK TO LIFE

W

By Richard Stout

ilfred Ables, who lived west of Clay Center, Kansas, came home with many unusual farm machines over the years. He told his neighbor, Jim Unruh (who is also my son-in-law), that he was hauling home an uncommon combine that he had gotten at a farm sale. Jim sent photos to me. It was unusual, all right. It was a Rotary Reaper, built in the early 1940s in Ottawa, Kansas, by Curtis C. Baldwin.

I had reworked a Fordson-mounted Gleaner combine in part, but this was a really different machine.

I saw Wilfred at the Waukee, Iowa, swap meet the next May, and he wanted to know when I was coming out to buy that combine. In July, I went out to Kansas. Wilfred had laid out the parts somewhat as they should go together. Wilfred did this kind of thing a lot with old cars, tractors or what not.

Someone would come, drooling and dreaming over what the project would look like when it was done.

Wilfred said you had to pick the cherries when they were ripe.

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October 2016

The Rotary Reaper was unusual in that it had a stripper head and used blowers instead of elevators to move grain into the bin and return the tailings.

Years before, someone had torn the sieve unit apart and took the two fans to be used on a truck to unload grain.

When Wilfred was hauling the combine home, a wheel unit had a tree growing through it, so he just cut the unit off with a fire axe and left it in the tree.

Luckily, when he was loading it, a fellow said there was a bin in a nearby barn with “Rotary Reaper” lettered on it, and Wilfred also took that home.

3

Farm Collector

ROTARY REAPER COMBINE PATENT NO. 2,212,465 – SERIAL NO. 113 CYLINDER, BAR, OVERSHOT, CHAIN DRIVE, 34 inches wide, 1,200 rpm; 9-foot swath LENGTH OF SEPARATOR: 140 inches of raddle chain LENGTH OF CHAFFER: 48 inches LENGTH OF CLEANING SIEVE: 34 inches BIN CAPACITY: 38 bushels

1. The only non-rotary processing elements in the Rotary Reaper are the cutter bar and cleaning shoe.

2. The Rotary Reaper cut with a special sickle in combination with tapered steel guards (shown here) and delivered with a spiral conveyor.

3. The Rotary Reaper is semimounted on an International Harvester Farmall F-20.

www.FarmCollector.com

October 2016

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Wilfred Ables with the Rotary Reaper at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

Later, when I got to know Gene Lahodny, Concordia, Kansas, and Ernest Nutsch, Washington, Kansas, they told me that three Rotary Reaper combines were sold north of Morrowville, Kansas, a mile or two south of the Kansas/ Nebraska border. Lew Prellwitz, Albert Nutsch and Joe Nutsch each got a combine. Two of the machines were tried and sent back to the factory. The Prellwitz combine, which was semi-mounted on a Farmall F-20, was used for two years in about 1940. The second year, they put a Model A Ford engine on for auxiliary power. The blowers for the bin and tailings were a problem when trying to cut tough grain.

I bought what Wilfred had. We took the header off and Wilfred loaded it on my trailer with his Ford-Ferguson and steel-wheeled PTO boom cart. Since the combine had no wheels, I had to build a trailer to its size when I got it home.

I had no building to put it. As this was looking like a long-haul project, I built a tin roof over the trailer to get it out of the weather. When I did chores, I’d give it a squirt of WD-40 on the bolts, bearings and whatever else looked like it would have to come apart. There was also the problem of trying to figure out how it was built, the combine being in pieces and some of them missing completely.

‘Conglomeration of junk’

The combine’s lift and drives.

The Rotary Reaper’s sieve unit going together.

A tree was growing through the combine’s outer wheel assembly, so the previous owner cut off the branch and left the iron in the tree. Years later, when the tree died and crumbled, Richard retrieved the assembly.

Richard hand-lettered the manufacturer’s name on his Rotary Reaper.

In September 1991, I was showing a Fordson-mounted Gleaner combine at the Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. I put a photo on the Gleaner of the Rotary Reaper asking for information. A fellow named Frank Hamata wrote to me in October of that year.

“Just before World War II, I was a part-time flunky for Minneapolis-Moline and we had an exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair. Just east of us, probably a half a block, Curtis Baldwin was showing a Rotary Reaper. I didn’t get a close look. I thought perhaps the boss wouldn’t appreciate my going over there, but I could see it had a ‘stripper’ type header such as I had seen on pictures of harvesting in Australia.

“Also, you could see a blower arrangement for putting the grain up in the bin. The machine was mounted on the right side of an Oliver Row-Crop 70, and the right side of the machine was carried by a wire spoke wheel and rubber tire that I felt was obtained at an auto junkyard off of some big tub of an automobile. I didn’t like the looks of a wire spoke wheel on a farm machine. I felt that Baldwin was showing a conglomeration of junk. I wish I had gone over to see that one they had at the Lincoln fair.”

Sold for $225, ‘truck and all’ Frank also told me that there was a pull-type Rotary Reaper combine at the Culbertson, Montana, threshing show. The Northeastern Montana Threshers Assn. directed me to Clifford L. Johnson, Poplar, Montana. The son of the original owner, Clifford sent photos, dimensions and information that helped me, although my machine was quite different from the one he remembers. Here is what he wrote to me in 1991-92: “I was glad to hear from someone who is acquainted with the Rotary Reaper. In either 1940 or ’41, my father went into Poplar to hire a combiner and here is what he came home with. It was a custom operator out of Kansas. He only had this one machine. It was pulled by a 1929 GMC truck cut off short (also the top of the cab was cut off). We did have a picture, but it got lost over the years. The serial number plate has been robbed off. It also has a recleaner separator.

“This was originally a PTO machine. A Hercules engine had been put on, but that has also been robbed off, so we put on an engine from an old IHC combine. Also, the lift mechanism was added, as originally it was a one-man machine.

“My father, Andrew Johnson, ended up buying this rig and the man went back to Kansas. He bought it for $225, truck and all, and the guy threw in 120 acres that he had already cut. I think he was cutting for $1.25 an acre. Quite a contrast from today!

“My father owned the Rotary Reaper for just two years before selling it. It sat for 40 years before we got it. The wheels were gone. It had duals on both sides. It appears the grain tank may have been raised to have clearance for a truck. The frame is made mostly of pipe of various sizes up to 4 inches.

“The grain is put in the tank by means of a blower. The blower runs the same speed as the cylinder. This seems very fast for a blower. That would account for the cracking of the grain by the blower in light grain, which I remember my dad complaining about. I was quite young, about 14, when we had this machine in the field. There are a lot of Ford and Gleaner parts on it.”

Tracking down the patent Later, my son-in-law, Larry Gugel, and I went to the Culbertson, Montana, show and I got to meet Mr. Johnson. That winter, I got the combine loosened up, and reworked the raddle chains with some new sticks and different links to get them to turn over. I put the repaired bottoms in the cylinder, beater unit, got the header loosened up and bolted back on the thresher unit. All that time I was looking for information on the machine. I even wrote to the library in Ottawa, Kansas, where it was made. Later I sent the library what information I had collected on the Rotary Reaper Co. for their files.

Finally, I went to the patent index at the University of Iowa Library in Iowa City, Iowa, and found the patent number. I wrote the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., to get the complete patent and drawings, which showed something like my machine. All this time I was piecing together the machine. Another year went by with my “help wanted” sign on the Gleaner displayed at Old Threshers. Then, in 1993, James Gall, Reserve, Kansas, told me his neighbor had a Rotary Reaper.

“I can remember the Rotary Reaper combine,” James said.

“The main machine was on the right side of the tractor with a large wheel on the right side. The header was in front of the machine and tractor with a small wheel under the right end of the header with a tie rod connector between it and the front wheels of the tractor. The grain bin was mounted on the tractor, above the operator. An extra engine was www.FarmCollector.com

mounted behind the operator in such a way that the operator could shift a hand clutch in or out when it was needed.

“They used the machine one summer, and the company recalled it to make it into a pull-type machine. In the time it took to return the machine to the factory, the company closed its doors and the combine was never seen again. The neighbor who owned it was William Spare. His oldest son operated it. The tractor they used was a 1936 John Deere Model A that belonged to another neighbor.”

Semi-mounted on an F-20 The next summer, I decided I needed a place where I could work on the combine and keep it inside, so I built a 25- by 16-foot lean-to, putting another Kansas son-in-law, Marlin Schmidt, to work during his vacation. I had to guess how high to build the shed, hoping the bin would fit under the roof.

A couple years earlier, a local man (Daniel Richards) had a Farmall F-20 for sale. I looked at the tractor by flashlight in his garage one cold, dark evening. The tires were up, there was antifreeze in it, it had been shedded, the paint was fair, the engine turned over and he said it would run, so I bought it. Daniel towed the F-20 to my farm and pushed it into the shed. Then I took the roof off the combine, put the unit in the shed, removed the trailer and left the combine on blocks. I had hung the combine bin from the roof of the shed, so it was above the tractor before I put it in the shed.

At that point, I was rebuilding the sieve shakers, fans, augers and making side panels to hold it all together. One thing I like to do when I rework old combines is to find decent used galvanized sheet metal, as it blends in with the original metal. I got the unit together and got it fitted up under the back. I was pleasantly surprised when it pivoted, shook, turned over and did not drag or hit on anything. This unit pivots by cable to be self-leveling when the header is raised and lowered.

Then I moved the combine beside the F-20, rebuilding the missing parts of the mounting pipe, and got it semi-mounted on the right side of the F-20. I let the bin down over the seat and the rear wheels, putting longer angle irons on the bin legs to get it over the tractor and still got it out of the shed. I got the blower pipes to the bin and tailings made and installed. I got all the chains, sprockets and U-joints to the PTO hooked up so everything turned over by hand.

On the outside of the thresher unit, there were two tandem wheels, one in line with the rear wheels of the tractor.

The other was parallel to the tractor’s front wheels. These two wheels oscillated, like on a tandem trailer, to give a smoother ride. Originally, the front wheel was attached with a pipe to the front wheels of the F-20 and steered. Wilfred had cut off the steering portion and the front wheel of the tandem, leaving it in the tree. So I got a used caster wheel unit from a New Idea corn husking bed unit to replace it.

Third time’s a charm When my son, Eric, Jim Unruh and I tried to start the F-20, we found old gas and no spark. Later, I drained the gas and got a local mechanic, Robert Anderson, to put points on the magneto. He had to loosen a couple of valves, one with a weak spring, but he got it to run.

When I tried to shift into gear, all I could do was grind the gears. The clutch would not release. Thank goodness, taking apart an F-20 clutch wasn’t difficult. By the time I had done it three times, I was quite good at it. At some point, the clutch housing cover was lost and mice had moved in.

When they heeded the call of nature, the resulting moisture swelled up the clutch plate, so I had to reset the clutch plate fingers to get the clutch adjusted to release.

October 2016

21

Right: A pulltype Rotary Reaper on display at the Old Threshers grounds, Culbertson, Mont.

Left: Curtis Baldwin’s Bear Cat combine with reel.

Left: Hauling the unrestored Rotary Reaper from Kansas to Iowa.

Right: A 1940 photo of the Rotary Reaper at work in the field.

The only non-rotary processing elements in the Rotary Reaper are the cutter bar and cleaning shoe.

Rotary Reaper on the move In 2003, I received a letter from Eugene Hand, Lawrence, Kansas. He had gotten my name from the Ottawa library when he was looking for information on the Rotary Reaper.

“In searching through records at the Ottawa, Kansas, Record Center on the Rotary Reaper combine,” he said, “I found your letter concerning a Rotary Reaper in Poplar, Montana.

“In 1939, we were living in Tonganoxie, Kansas, 14 miles northeast of Lawrence,” he said. “Dad was helping a man from Nebraska convert a Rotary Reaper to a self-propelled combine in Ottawa. It had two engines on it. I drove it about a block to another location the first time it was ever moved.

My only connection was taking Dad down there to work on it. I don’t remember how he connected with the man, but he stayed down there all week.

“On June 15, 1940, a man named Leonard Slotzhauer bought a Rotary Reaper and started combining in Winfield, Kansas, with me as a helper. The Rotary Reaper was new when he bought it. Near as I can remember, we had very little trouble with it. There was a bearing I had to replace.

I think it was on the sieve in the second stage section. We pulled it with a GMC truck that had been shortened. I had towed it as fast as 70 miles per hour on the highway.

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October 2016

“We got reports from elevators that it was some of the cleanest wheat they had seen. We were cutting on a farm 16 miles north of Alliance, Nebraska. The lady owned about a thousand acres. We had cut several hundred acres when she hired another combine to help. I was at the house getting water when he came. He told her that you can’t cut that fast.

We were going 15-20 miles per hour. She told him to drive her out there. I followed them. She got down on her hands and knees, looking for grain on the ground, and then she looked at the wheat in the truck. She said there was none on the ground, and it was clean. The guy dropped his price to $1 an acre. Slotzhauer said he couldn’t cut for that, so we went to Harden, Montana, and on to the Kopack Farm, the largest wheat grower in Montana. From his long driveway, we saw 14 combines, each 20 feet long, coming down the field, each behind the other. What a sight!

“South of Poplar, Montana, we crossed the Missouri River on a ferry. The ferry operator told us not to come back that way, because the combine nearly sank the ferry! We combined for a farmer whose land bordered the river. This was in August. After combining a couple of days, he bought the rig. This combine had an engine for power.”

Saved from the scrap man Now I know that there are purists and nitpickers out there who’ll say I should have it like new and ready to go to the field. But I started out with a pile that most people would have junked because it would have taken more than a coat of paint to rework it. When Wilfred bought it at the sale, if anyone bid against him, I’m pretty sure it was the scrap man. I feel Wilfred and I saved a rare machine from being cut up and scrapped. After I am done with it, the next fellow can have the challenge of fixing it just right. FC – Richard Stout is ably assisted in his writing endeavors by his granddaughter, Ashley Stout. Contact Richard at 3105 Larch Ave., Washington, IA 52353.

Iowa Washington

✭

Then I started the tractor, got the combine to turn over and watched all the dirt fog out as it sped up. I felt good enough about it that I cut out stencils and painted the Rotary Reaper logo on the bin and back hood. After more than two years of spare-time work, I took the machine to the Old Threshers Reunion at Mt. Pleasant, where it has been on display ever since.

Andrew Sewell, an agricultural engineer from England, contacted me for information on the Rotary Reaper. He was doing a paper on the various types of combines. Later he came to see it, as he was working for a U.S. company at the time. The best part was that he told me of someone I could contact to get a copy of an advertising flyer for the Rotary Reaper combine.

Farm Collector

Wooden T Thresher RESTORING A

FRIENDS TEAM UP TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO 1923 MCCORMICK-DEERING

his is a story about the restoration of a 1923 McCormick-Deering woodframe 22x38 threshing machine. But in actuality, this story is bigger than an old thresher, even if it is a rare piece. This is the story of an old thresher brought back to life by two people working side by side. It is the story of two men learning from each other.

And in the end, it is a story of a friendship. As Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

By Leslie McManus

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October 2016

1. This 1923 McCormick-Deering wood-frame 22x38 threshing machine was restored by Jim Koltes and Tim Fischer.

2. Most of the thresher’s history is unknown, but Jim does have documentation showing that Edward Schier bought it in the early 1940s and used it on his farm near McMillan, Wis., until 1956.

3. Years ago, as portions of the thresher’s feeder became worn, a previous owner patched the holes with what are now antique tin signs.

4. The Hart cleaner, which removed weed seed from the grain, was optional equipment. A bushel scale and a bagger, driven by the auger shaft, was also an option.

5. Examination of the thresher’s underside revealed traces of original paint. “The T-axles still had original paint,” Tim says.

“That’s how we knew what colors to use.”

6. The thresher’s original workmanship was impressive, Tim says. “For being a machine shop in the 1920s, they did amazing work,” he says.

4

6

5

The thresher The threshing machine was in good shape for its age, but condition didn’t matter to the seller. He just wanted rid of the old thing. He put a classified ad in a magazine. If he didn’t get any takers, it was going to the junkyard.

“I saw the ad in a paper or a farm magazine in the fall of 2013,” Jim Koltes recalls.

“He reads every ad in every magazine ever published, ever,” says his neighbor and friend, Tim Fischer, in mock exasperation.

Jim owns a 1913 Nichols & Shephard 20-70 steam engine his dad bought for $250 in 1945. For 40 years, he, his brothers and his dad used the engine to steam tobacco beds, killing weed seeds. Jim wanted a Red River Special thresher (the line was built by Nichols & Shepard) to pair with the steam engine, but they’re hard to come by. When the McCormickDeering turned up, he decided to hedge his bet. He’d continue to look for a Red River Special, but in the meantime he’d keep a fine antique out of the junkyard, and mark an item off his bucket list.

The friendship The two men met when Tim moved into the neighborhood near Jim’s home in DeForest, Wisconsin. “We’ve become great friends,” Tim says. “I’m a city boy

from Green Bay. I didn’t know what a corn plant was when I moved here. Jim’s taught me a lot.”

Now they are nearly constant companions. “Oh yeah,” Tim says, rolling his eyes to signal a wisecrack. “I have breakfast with the old coots every Tuesday.” Over the years, the two have hunted together, gone to antique iron shows together and, last fall, attended steam school together. When Jim wrestled with health issues, it was only natural that his friend and neighbor would lend a hand.

Compact and wiry, Jim looks the picture of health for a man of 77. But he has a long history of poor health, including heart surgery since buying the thresher. “Tim’s helped me a lot,” Jim says. “He helps me get to the hospital or the doctor. And a lot of times I can’t drive home after treatments.” The thresher project proved a useful distraction during a rough stretch. “We’d be working on it and he’d be talking about buying a casket,” Tim says. “I just told him, ‘No way. That’s not going to happen.’”

The thresher Close examination was the first step of the restoration.

“You could still see original lettering,” Jim marvels. Then the two restorers took pictures from every angle as a reference.

Part of the wood frame had broken off. “That was the first major thing we had to fix,” Tim says.

All of the unit’s canvas had to be replaced, as were the tongue, belts, a missing feeder finger and clean-out cover.

The auger trough, positioned close to the ground, was rusted beyond repair and was replaced, as was the auger bottom.

And then there was the matter of cleanup.

3 October 2016

25

Below left: Friends Jim Koltes (left) and Tim Fischer.

“It was dirty, greasy, grimy and gross,” Tim recalls. “The thresher was in good shape, but it was still rusty. We washed it and then we used a steel brush on all the metal parts. We took all the pulleys off, brushed them and gave them a clear coat.” They were not satisfied with their efforts to clean galvanized parts. “We used 10 different cleaners,” Jim says, “but nothing really worked.”

The work was often tedious. “We cleaned a lot. I actually got sick of it,” Tim admits.

“I’d say, ‘I’m going to burn it up!’ I’d go home mad, but I always came back.”

Then it was time to paint. By the gallon, by the can, the nearly century-old wood sucked up red paint like a sponge. “We found the original color underneath, on some real greasy parts,” Jim says. “We ended up using 100 cans of red spray paint. And we went through a lot of wire brushes.”

The friendship

Above and below: Original detail on the thresher was just clear enough to enable production of new decals.

The thresher in its “before” state.

The two men invested more than 2,000 hours in the restoration.

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October 2016

Jim has never lost sight of his initial goal.

Despite all the time and money poured into the McCormick-Deering, he’d sell it in a minute if he found a Red River Special. “I just want to thresh with a Red River on that steam engine,” he says. In lieu of that, he’d thresh with the McCormick.

It is not a goal Tim shares. “If we use it,” he says in tone more typically reserved for discussions pertaining to end times, “it will get dirty instantly.”

The conversation moves in a different direction. “Every year there were major changes in these threshers,” Tim says. “The technology changed so rapidly. Innovation was moving so fast.”

“Ours has babbit bearings,” Jim adds.

“Some were worn a little bit, but we’re not going to use it that much.”

Tim comes back to life. “We’re not going to use it at all,” he admonishes. “Threshing is a dirty business!”

Jim forges ahead. “I used an old grain drill to plant a field of oats,” he says brightly.

“We’ll get enough oats to shock.”

Tim glares. “Don’t tell him I poisoned them,” he says.

An experienced woodworker, Tim had a clear plan for the finish. “I wanted to put on as little paint as possible. I didn’t want to overdo it,” he says. “The final coat will be a dull finish clear coat. Protection against ultraviolet rays is very important.”

“And that way,” Jim says with a ornery grin, “I can use it for custom work.”

The thresher McCormick-Deering produced wood threshers from 1912 to 1925, when the company built its first steel thresher.

Jim’s thresher is a comparatively small model; it would have been used to harvest clover, oats, wheat and flax on small farms. “We found a couple of McCormick-Deering threshers at shows,” he says, “but both were bigger than this one.”

In fact, despite extensive research and inquiries, neither Jim nor Tim has been able to learn much about the thresher.

“We contacted the Wisconsin Historical Society and a big International Harvester dealer,” Tim says. “Nobody knew anything about it. I’ve looked online and couldn’t find anything. We’ve been to shows all over, just looking at threshers, but we’ve never seen another 22inch McCormick-Deering.”

Their only resource is an original parts book. “The prices are unbelievable,” Jim says. “Things were priced for 25 cents, 75 cents.” The fact that the thresher survived at all, let alone nearly totally complete, is equally unbelievable. “Eighty percent of these wood threshers burned in the field,” Tim says.

“The bearings would get hot, or there’d be sparks from the steam engine that would land on the wood, and they’d catch fire.”

The friendship By late May, the project was 95 percent complete. “I figure we’ve got 2,000 hours in it,” Jim says. “It’s my biggest project ever. When we pulled it out of the shed today, I got goose bumps.”

With the exception of summer, when both men are busy with gardens and mowing, the project moved along at a brisk clip. “We worked on it almost every day,” Tim says. “Jim’s shop has a heated floor, so we did a lot in the winter.”

Good-natured ribbing aside, the thresher restoration is the happy product of a chance friendship. “His help just made my day,” Jim says. “I’ve got two sons, but they’re not really interested in this stuff.”

“I don’t know how he roped me in,” Tim grumbles. “I almost got a divorce over it.”

Jim responds with a wall-to-wall grin.

He’s heard it all before. FC – For more information: Jim Koltes, (608) 576-2511; Tim Fischer, walleyemaniac2@ yahoo.com.

– Leslie McManus is senior editor of Farm Collector. Contact her at LMcManus@ogdenpubs.com.

Wisconsin ✭

Left: Jim and Tim unfold the feeder from transportation mode.

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Unique Vehicle EMERGES FOR SECOND TIME IN 64 YEARS

By Clell G. Ballard

W

hat interesting object is stored in one of your farm outbuildings? Almost every farm that has been in existence since the mid-20th century has one or more items that the average person would find intriguing. This story is about one of them.

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October 2016

Harry Truman was president in 1951 when a little 1938 Italian Fiat car (commonly called a “topolino,” Italian for “little mouse”) was stashed in an Idaho farm outbuilding.

It was permanently stored there by its owner after the tragic death of her husband in a mining accident.

She later married a relative of mine who asked me, back in 1990, to transport the tiny car to a specified location and then bring it back where it was stored. An article in the January 2014 issue of Farm Collector told the story of how that was accomplished, even though the only vehicle I had to haul it with was a small World War II-era Dodge half-ton military truck.

Farm Collector

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When the Fiat was removed from the shed in 1990, all we had to do was open the doors, clear a path and push out the car. Not this time. It was obvious that a serious effort had been made to make the car inaccessible, perhaps forever. But why?

1. High grass had to be cut and stored agricultural equipment moved in order to gain access to a long-shuttered farm building.

2. The building was completely full of stuff with no car in sight.

3. A buckboard reportedly last used in 1963 had to be rolled out.

4. The retrieval crew, taking the 1938 Fiat back to civilization.

5. We finally found the pathetic little Fiat stored right up against the shed’s back wall.

6. The owner (in the white hat) discussing the little car that sits on the trailer with a flat front tire.

4

Committing to a new future After that, the little Fiat was again stored in the outbuilding and basically forgotten. Recently this author took it on himself to inquire about the car.

In 24 years, from 1990 to 2014, family situations changed a lot, but the doors of the old farm shed were rarely, if ever, opened. Both the woman who owned the car, and her husband, have passed away. The farm, one of the oldest in our part of western America, is now being operated by their son, a relative of mine. When I contacted him, he agreed that it was kind of sad that the cute little Fiat just the same as didn’t exist, since it was seen only briefly in 1990 and not again since.

He was receptive to the suggestion that I help him get the car out where it could be appreciated.

Like before, such an undertaking took quite some doing. Back in 1990, my brother and two collegeage sons helped me. At this late date, I had two other sons, now full-grown adults, available to lend a hand.

Since the storage building was located some distance from regular activities of the farm, a major effort was necessary just to get to it. As in most farm operations, equipment of various kinds was

placed in unused spaces. Foliage had grown up over a lot of undetermined (and almost impossible to see) stuff that had been piled in front. All of that had to be moved just so the doors could be opened.

Determined to bury the past When the Fiat was removed from the shed in 1990, all we had to do was open the doors, clear a path and push out the car. Not this time. It was obvious that a serious effort had been made to make the car inaccessible, perhaps forever. But why? As best as can be determined, the woman who owned the car didn’t want anyone to ever have access to it because it belonged to her deceased first husband. Her second husband, my relative, took it on himself to display it for a short time, against her wishes, because of a historical event: our state’s 100th birthday celebration in 1990. She apparently vowed that the car would never again see the light of day.

To guarantee that, she had the Fiat put sideways in the shed, which was only a few feet wider than the length of the car, and pushed as close to the back wall as possible. It was then almost

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completely covered by old carpeting. Another vehicle, the horse-drawn buckboard, was also put in the shed sideways, “smack-dab” against the car. That made the car impossible to see. In the succeeding years, all kinds of “stuff” was stored in the building closer to the door. Believe it or not, the woman’s two adult children knew the car existed, but when I asked about it, said they couldn’t remember ever having seen it.

Entombed in an overflowing shed

A realistic undertaking Although the car was thought to be in non-running condition, the family’s understanding was that a head gasket was all that was needed to put it into running condition.

Since the engine is partially disassembled, that may be overly optimistic. However, in the past 25 years, access to hardto-find auto parts has expanded greatly. There is no question that needed parts can be found today, even if they have to be sourced in Europe. The prognosis for the little Fiat is decent: It may someday be “back on the road again” after a decades-long hibernation.

This author has offered the Fiat’s current owner a place to store the car where it is accessible both for viewing and mechanical upgrading, and that offer has been accepted. Although almost a decade younger than the little car, I won’t be around forever. Fortunately, it appears that even after I’m long gone, this little Fiat that spent most of its existence as an agricultural recluse can still be appreciated by anyone who recognizes how unique it is in addition to being really cute.

One felt somewhat like a famous archaeologist delving into an Egyptian pharaoh’s long-lost tomb as the building doors were pulled open on screeching hinges. Until then, it had been impossible to enter the shed because it was so full that even the walkin side door was blocked. What we saw would make the faint-of-heart give up before beginning. It was impossible to believe that a car of any size could be somewhere in all the stuff that confronted us. After all, the shed was small: If we couldn’t see even a smidgen of the car, it must not be there.

We five adults (the owner, his helper and the three of us) spent more than an hour carrying things outside. We strugProtected for posterity gled with several items that weighed close to 200 pounds. Our efforts finally What would have happened to brought us to a horse-drawn buckboard the car if it had not been resurrectIn 1990 the little Fiat was transported to a sitting crossways. Fortunately it was ed recently? As a lifetime resident new location. It then remained hidden for fairly light. With at least two people liftof this isolated area, I can tell you 24 years. ing on each end, we managed to get it that its fate probably would have turned long-ways so it could be rolled been one of two things, both unout. At long last we could see the pathetic-looking little Fiat pleasant. When ignored and not used from time to time, old sitting crossways against the back wall, covered with old farm buildings (this one is more than a century old) detepieces of carpeting. On top of the rugs were boxes of unused riorate to the point that it is not unusual for roofs to fall in. aluminum siding.

At our altitude of more than 5,000 feet, we have at least 3 feet of snow on the ground for as many as four months at a Two decades of caked-on dust time. The snow load on buildings is phenomenal in regular The first thing we did was attempt to inflate the long-flat circumstances. On the rare occasions when temperatures get tires with a portable air compressor. Surprisingly, three of warm enough that rain falls on the accumulated snow, even the four held enough air to make them round enough to strong new buildings collapse. Vehicles in collapsed buildroll. (Even ancient tires that have inner tubes usually will ings are smashed beyond repair.

The other possible scenario in our super-dry area is fire. hold up to 20 pounds of air pressure if inflation is attempted before the vehicle is moved.) Brute power had to be exerted Just this past summer, lightning-caused fires burned thouto lift the front of the car so it could be pointed toward the sands of acres and many rural homes and outbuildings only door. From that point on, it was easy to roll, even though a few miles from where this car was stored. Tall grass surrounding the building where the Fiat was stored would go the right front tire was flat.

Some may find it amazing that the 1941 Dodge military up like a torch.

Does any of this matter? No. But those of us who value truck that was originally used 24 years earlier as an auto transporter is still in regular use. Again it was called upon historical objects, in this case, a cute little car, try to do our to bring out the 1938 Fiat. This time it was used as a tow ve- best to preserve them for later generations to see and enjoy. hicle for a tilt-bed car trailer. Its short truck bed was needed We “car guys” are happy that this unique motorized 4-wheel only to carry the portable air compressor, jacks and a chest vehicle’s future should be a pleasant one. FC with log chains and other tie-down equipment.

– A retired high school history teacher, The car trailer’s small electric winch pulled the tiny car up so it could be securely fastened for a trip back into civiliza- Clell G. Ballard has worked on farms since tion. We hoped the wind would blow away the thick layer he was in grade school, including 53 sumof dust that covered it, but were disappointed. It stuck on mers spent working on his uncle’s dryland almost like glue. In rural areas, where most roads are dirt or hay and grain ranch. He also is a dealer gravel, an unbelievable amount of dust seeps into the cracks of World War II-era military vehicles and Idaho of all buildings, but especially into old farm buildings that parts. Contact him at (208) 764-2313 Fairfield are considerably less than airtight. Add to that the dust gen- (and bear in mind the time difference with erated by implements cultivating fields surrounding most Mountain Standard Time) or by email at farms and you can imagine the depth of a 24-year accumu- cballard@northrim.net. lation. ✭

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October 2016

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1

“As near perfect as it can be”

NO. 4 VICTOR DOUBLE-HULLER CLOVER MACHINE SURVIVES IN FINE ORIGINAL CONDITION

By Loretta Sorensen

T

he Barns in Marcus, Iowa – JR Pearson’s museum – is full of exceptional horse-drawn farm implements gathered during the past 30 years. But there’s always space for a new rare piece. His latest addition is a No. 4 Victor double-huller clover machine manufactured in 1889 by Newark Machine Co., Columbus, Ohio. The all-wood huller has original paint and pinstriping.

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Farm Collector

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1. This No. 4 Victor double-huller clover machine was manufactured in 1889 by Newark Machine Co., Columbus, Ohio.

2. Iron emblems on the huller carry “V” for Victor, the name of the huller. The emblems are visible on at least half a dozen places on the huller.

3. Victor nameplate on the huller’s left side, and the shaft that turns the main pulley to operate the machine.

4. The Victor’s design includes an improved shaker, apron and net system that was easily accessed for maintenance and designed to make operation of the machine as trouble-free as possible.

5. Detail of a wheel on the horse-drawn No. 4 Victor. The entire rig sold for $475 in 1889.

5

“There aren’t many clover hullers around. When I saw what good condition this one was in, I knew I wanted to include it in my museum,” JR says. “And because it’s smaller than most threshing machines, it fits inside the museum much better.”

After bringing it home, JR used water to clean accumulated dust and dirt off the huller. He then applied a penetrating urethane clear coat to help preserve the wood and enhance the machine’s original color and striping.

“The clear coat gives the wood a gloss look that makes it easier to read any lettering on it and makes pinstriping stand out,” JR says. “If you take an old sign and wet it with water, you’ll be able to see the wording much better, until it dries out again. The clear coat retains that gloss.”

Key part of crop rotation JR dates the huller by the original operator’s manual that came with the machine. According to the manual, which is dated 1889, the No. 4 was the largest of Newark Machine Co.’s line of four hullers. The original sale price of $475 (the rough equivalent of $12,000 today) included the huller, a wagon, wagon brake, neck yoke, double and single trees, stacker and Grube’s new patent seed cleaner. If a customer wanted just the huller, the price of the additional items was deducted.

“Our machine for the 1889 trade is about as near perfect as it can be made,” the manual proclaims. “This machine has been manufactured by ourselves and our predecessors www.FarmCollector.com

for the past 26 years and during that time valuable improvements were continually made.”

In the late 1800s, red clover had become an essential part of crop rotation in the U.S., both providing fodder for livestock and enriching the soil by turning it under with a plow. Improvements in clover hullers were a key to that, and to creating a market for clover seed.

Threshing and hulling, in one machine John C. Birdsell is credited with production of the first combined clover huller in 1855. That first effort was plagued by design defects, but improvements over the next two years were effective. In 1857, Birdsell’s patented huller was exhibited at the New York State Fair in Buffalo.

The unit’s combination of threshing and hulling functions set it apart from standard threshing machines. Birdsell’s design included a bolting apparatus to separate the seed from the straw, a conveying apparatus to take the seed to the hulling cylinder, and a winnowing apparatus to clean the seed from the chaff after hulling.

According to an account in Stoddart’s 1883 Encyclopedia Americana, prior to Birdsell’s invention, threshing and hulling were performed separately, “after the clover heads were broken off by the flail or with the tramp of horses, by first tossing the straw with forks until the straw and heads were separated from each other, then sacking the heads and seed and carrying them to a huller, running them through, resacking and conveying back to the barn where the whole October 2016

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was cleaned with a common fanning mill.” Enough seed was usually left in the chaff for sowing on the farm that raised it, and the cleaned seed was sold.

Clover hullers were capable of cleaning seed from 20 to 30 acres of clover per day. If the clover crop was good, more than 100 bushels of seed could be cleaned each day. The December 1880 Milwaukee Annual Trade and Commerce report noted that from 1870 through 1880, red clover sold there between $3.75 and $5 per bushel.

Newark Machine Co. began building farm machinery, sawmills and fodder cutters in 1854. Hullers were added to the line in 1863. The company was sold several times and eventually incorporated as The Newark Machine Co. A disastrous 1884 fire caused the company to relocate to Columbus, Ohio, from 1885 until 1913.

Innovative design maximized yields In operation, clover was hand-fed into the huller’s threshing cylinder, with straw passing over vibrating racks to the rear. Hulling was accomplished with a drum beneath the threshing cylinder. Much of the seed escaped with its husk on the first pass through the machine, so a large tailings (or return) elevator carried it back for a second pass. From that point, seed went through a small re-cleaner located on the side of the machine.

The 1889 No. 4 had cast iron sides on the upper huller, into which the clover was first fed. “These sides cannot wear out, shrink, warp, rot and give trouble, which is the case with wooden sides,” the owner’s manual reads.

The huller also featured Newark’s eight-beater open cylinder, “which has important advantages over the closed or drum cylinder and over the over-shot cylinder.” Rubbers used in the cylinders were “of the best quality steel,” 1-3/4 inches long from the cylinder and 7/8 inches wide, fluted to roughen the surface between them.

A dust confinement feature eliminated the need for a blower to push dust away from the machine. Fluted rubbers on the beaters were easy to maintain and replace. Seed was rubbed out of hulls “as fast as it can be fed into the machine.”

Once seed was separated from hulls, it dropped into the lower huller. The Victor’s lower huller cylinder was open, a “new, novel and useful” feature, allowing access to the beaters for maintenance purposes. In closed cylinders, rubbers were known to wear, loosen and sometimes ruin concaves by running through them.

A lucrative seed crop Huller testimonials fill several pages of the owner’s manual. Many customers affirmed that the Victor clover huller was “all you claim for it.” Testimonials came from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado. “The money farmers could make on clover during the 1880s was pretty good,” JR says.

JR has no plans to use the museum-worthy piece. Before bringing it into his museum, he made sure there was no grain in it that might attract mice or bugs. Most of the huller’s original belts came with the machine. He’s having new ones made to replace the few that were missing. “I expect museum visitors to enjoy seeing and learning about this unique machine for years to come,” he says. FC – For more information: Museum tours by appointment only.

Contact JR Pearson, 5506 B Ave., Marcus, IA 51035; (712) 229-4809; email: pearson41@evertek.net.

– Loretta Sorensen is a lifelong resident of southeast South Dakota. She and her husband farm with Belgian draft horses and collect vintage farm equipment. Email her at sorensenlms@gmail.com.

Marcus

✭

Iowa 1. Detail showing original paint on the No. 4 Victor huller.

2. The double-huller’s original toolbox.

3. The huller’s discharge chute folds flat for transport and storage.

3

34

October 2016

Farm Collector

Introducing

MORE GAS ENGINE RESTORATION Restoration techniques and tips from engine restorer Peter Rooke

PRESERVATION SERIES

M 5WZ - PETER ROOKE -

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Restoration techniques and tips for beginners and experts

A follow-up to his highly regarded first book, Gas Engine Restoration, this newest gas engine restoration guide from veteran vintage engine restorer Peter Rooke offers a wealth of practical, hands-on information for both the new and experienced engine hobbyist. Drawing from his exhaustive experience repairing and restoring gas engines, Peter Rooke shares the tips and techniques he’s acquired over the years to aid engine restorers in almost every facet of the restoration process.

Mechanical considerations run from the basics of setting ignition and valve timing to repairing and making pistons.

Dedicated chapters on restoring common Webster and Wico magnetos will help you ensure your engine runs at its best, while chapters on making mufflers, repairing cast iron, and learning how to paint and pinstripe will show you how to get your engine looking its best. $19.95 Item #7949 Promo code: MFCPAGA3 Price does not include shipping and handling.

call 866-624-9388, or visit www.FarmCollector.com/store to order.

A Night to

Remember

FIRE SPARKED BY LIGHTNING STRIKE THREATENS FARM FAMILY’S BARN

N

By Clyde Eide

ot unlike the start of a dime store novel, it really was a dark and stormy night. Threshing was just over and three mountainous straw piles were behind the big barn. The grain harvest was bountiful that year, during the late 1930s.

We could not sleep because of the lightning and thunder.

Suddenly, an extra loud boom rattled the house. Shortly, we heard a furious honking coming from the driveway. My aunt Stell stuck her head out the window and shouted, “What is it?” A loud voice yelled back, “Your straw pile is on fire!”

It was Rasche, the new butcher in our little town of Capron, Illinois. At the time, he was single and returning from a night of celebration in the big city of Harvard, with a population then of about 5,000. Later, he reported seeing a lightning bolt strike one of the straw piles as he drove across the flats (what we called the prairie to the east).

36

October 2016

Barn threatened by blaze I got up and looked outside. The barn was juxtaposed against an eerie red glow. My uncles Amos and Everett were already getting buckets of water from the big stock tank.

They futilely tossed the water at the growing inferno.

If it had just been a straw pile, they would have let it burn, but sparks were blowing toward the barn. Someone said to call the Capron Fire Department. It was a volunteer group and another uncle, Jerome, was the fire chief.

Illuminated by lightning, a surprising sight unfolded outside of a kitchen window. My older sister, Allene, was Farm Collector

leading the draft horses to the small pasture in the orchard.

She was going to make sure no horses were in the barn if it burned. This would have been a dangerous job for a man, let alone a teenage girl. Horses can be unpredictable in a storm, especially if there is a fire nearby.

Stymied by water shortage After what seemed an interminable amount of time, Uncle Jerome called and said they could not get the old Model T fire truck started. He said to call the Harvard Fire Department. Harvard was in McHenry County and Capron was in Boone County. Part of the farm was in each, so taxes were paid to both counties.

The Harvard Fire Department lost no time in arriving.

Their big pumper truck had a small tank of water, which they quickly exhausted. They then put a suction line in the stock tank. Even with the pump jack refilling the tank, that source was also rapidly drained.

About then, the Capron Fire Department arrived. To solve the water problem, they decided to build a mud dam across a nearby creek. But even with that water supply available, every time they thought they had the fire under control, it would blaze up again. “The fire is deep inside and we will have to upset the straw pile to get at it,” the Harvard chief said. “Get two big tractors. We will pull a cable through it.”

Amos got out the McCormick-Deering 15-30. Jerome asked Frank Nettleton, who was in charge of the Boone County road equipment for that area, to get the big Caterpillar. I do not know what size that crawler was, but it had a fully enclosed cab and it kept Frank dry. Amos, who was already soaked, got even wetter on the 15-30.

They ran a steel cable around the straw pile, hooked the 15-30 to one end and the Cat to the other. It was as though the two tractors were having a tug-of-war. The 15-30 spun its lugged wheels and yawed back and forth. The big Cat

– K & K Antique Tractors – DECALS John Deere (our specialty), licensed by Deere & Co. Massey-Harris, Cockshutt, Co-Op, and some IH. Looks like silk screening. These are pressure sensitive die-cut vinyl decals with no film between the letters.

slowly pulled the cable through the straw pile. The fire flared up at that point, but the firemen were ready to douse it. Soon the fire was tapped out.

Fellowship after the fire Meanwhile, someone drove my aunt Gine to Capron.

She worked at the general store and had a set of keys. She opened up and bought every doughnut they had. I am sure the proprietor did not mind, because it was a “fire sale.”

Back at the farmhouse, Grandma Johnson was vigorously turning the handle to the coffee grinder, which was attached to the kitchen wall. The vibrations reverberated through the house. Grandma always made fresh ground coffee.

After the firemen secured their gear, they were invited in for coffee and doughnuts. It was like the big threshing dinner all over again, except this time it was 3 a.m. They joked and told stories. After they left, it was already time for Amos and Everett to start the milking. The rest of us got to go to bed and get a few hours sleep.

Good from bad Later that day, Everett got a hay wagon and started loading up what was left of the still-smoldering straw pile. He hauled it back to the same field it came from and spread it out as best he could. Fortunately, the barn was still there, the grain was in the bins and no one was hurt.

While this was a scary event, three good things came of it. Capron soon got a new fire truck, the farm’s lightning rods were inspected and straw piles were never again set that close to the barn. FC Clyde Eide shares remembrances of his boyhood on the farm from his current home in Texas. Contact him at 3801 E. Crest Dr., Apt. 3205, Bryan, TX 77802.

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YYour source ffor lit literature t on allll types t off antique ti ffarm – related l t d equipment. i A M E R I C A’ S R U R A L Y E S T E R D AY AMERICA’S RURAL YESTERDAY, VOLUME 1: FIELDWORK

America’s Rural Yesterday transports the reader to another time, when life moved slower and family and community was important. More than 100 photos by famed photographer J.C. Allen show fieldwork, including planting, tilling, harvesting and more. Also included are shots of threshing, corn shelling, milling and haystacking. Horses, mules, oxen, vintage tractors and steam engines provided the power back when rural life was the norm.

Item # 7554 $24.95

AMERICA’S RURAL YESTERDAY, VOLUME 2: BARN & FARMYARD

Volume 2 of America’s Rural Yesterday includes photos of farmwork performed in dairy, poultry and hog barns, as well as the wide variety of tasks performed in the barnyard: ensilaging, stock feeding and watering, haymow loading, threshing, corn grinding, butchering, collecting eggs, root cellaring and much more.

Item # 7555 $24.95

HOW TO RESTORE TRACTOR MAGNETOS

GAS ENGINE RESTORATION

How to Restore Tractor Magnetos is the essential guide to farm tractor electrical systems and offers the tractor restorer all the information needed to restore, repair and diagnose magnetos. Authored by the late Neil Yerigan, who was a master of working with vintage electronics, the book comprehensively covers how magnetos function as well as how to troubleshoot and repair common problems.

Item # 6384 $24.95

From start to finish, Peter Rooke’s newly revised, easy-to-follow narrative will impress and educate both new and experienced hobbyists with exhaustive coverage of the process. In 112 pages, Rooke meticulously leads you from stripping an engine through rebuilding each component — from bearings to cylinder head to ignition. Tips along the way cover everything from repairing damaged threads to removing rust and zinc plating.

Item # 5463 $19.95

MEMORIES OF A FARM KITCHEN

TRACTOR SUPERSTARS

In the farm home of America’s past, the hearth of the home – the kitchen – represented the warmth and well-being of the family that met daily to enjoy hearty, homemade food and converse with pleasure. Filled with heirloom family recipes and cozy memories, and accompanied by Bob Artley’s signature pen-and-ink drawings and full-color illustrations, this memoir provides a nostalgic and affectionate look at rural life, family and food from a simpler time.

Item # 4717 $22.95

OLD-FASHIONED TOOLMAKING Bringing together the collective wisdom of a past generation of craftsmen, Old-Fashioned Toolmaking provides an in-depth record of the skills and techniques that made the mass production revolution of the 20th century possible.

It includes timeless practices as well as detailed descriptions of every procedure, essential mathematical rules and calculations for use in the workshop, and a number of illustrative figures.

Item # 7980 $16.99

Many companies have built hundreds of farm tractors over the years, from the 1910 Case 110 steam tractor to the latest-model John Deere 8320R. Tractor Superstar focuses on these remarkable tractors, including technical information such as the engine, horsepower, rpm, top speed, and weight.

A wide collection of detailed photographs makes this a book that no one interested in tractors, tractor collectors, or anyone nostalgic for farm life want to miss.

Item # 7814 $19.99

THE TRACTOR FACTOR

Vintage farm tractors are revered throughout the world as the source of mechanical labor, allowing the revolution of farming to take place in the 20th century. Some of the most interesting tractors are also the rarest, because they were produced in small quantities. The Tractor Factor is a richly illustrated book that reveals what makes a tractor collectible, showcases the rarest models, gives a history of the marque, and details specific finds.

Item # 7797 $27.00

AMERICA’S RURAL YESTERDAY, VOLUME 3: AT HOME & IN TOWN

This book, the third in the three-volume series, showcases what people did when they weren’t working in the fields, barns or farmyards in the 1920s-1940s.

More than 120 photos show rural families in their kitchens, parlors and dining rooms. There are photos of going to town and spending time at the library, grocery and general stores, the school and doctor’s office, and more.

Item # 7556 $24.95

A PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE TOOLS

Like previous editions, the guide includes more than 12,000 prices (individual and chart combinations) that represent extraordinary tools, as well as those found in flea markets. There is an explanation for each tool group that allows the reader to judge the condition of a tool (the most critical of all factors when determining price). To help even more, almost every tool is illustrated with a photograph or line drawing.

Item # 7234 $17.95

FIAT TRACTORS FROM 1919 TO THE PRESENT

This book uses original photographic documentation to illustrate the origins and development of the company’s agricultural products, tackling the technical and human aspects of a story that has seen the introduction of more than 500 models since 1918. This is the first comprehensive study of the Turin-based firm’s history in the agricultural sector. This updated edition includes all the New Holland new series presented from 2008 up to 2011.

Item # 6191 $59.95

MACHINERY PETE’S CLASSIC TRACTOR PRICE GUIDE

With four years of auction data, Machinery Pete presents his Classic Tractor Price Guide. This book provides his auction prices on machinery made before 1978, which includes tractors, combines, implements, pickups and more. This 400-page guide is the most referred to resource when determining classic machinery values.

Item # 7619 $29.95

Farm Collector Favorites

IHC HERITAGE: THE BEST OF INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

Featuring more than 30 articles about the great tractors, engines, equipment and implements that made International Harvester famous, IHC Heritage is a glossy–paged guide that is rich in history, facts, entertaining stories, photographs, and more.

Item # 6361 $7.99

OLD-FASHIONED LABOR-SAVING DEVICES

SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO.: THE BEST OF 1905-1910 COLLECTIBLES

FAIRBANKS MORSE: 100 YEARS OF ENGINE TECHNOLOGY 1893-1993

Take a 100-year excursion into the past when all your wishes and whims could be found within the pages of a Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue. In this compilation of the best collectibles from the 1905 through 1910 Sears catalogs, readers will find everything the early-20th-century American needed to outfit home, office, medicine chest or craft workshop.

Item # 5459 $17.95

GREAT FINDS: TALES OF HUNTING OLD IRON

From building a blast furnace and polishing metals to forging iron and steel and spinning metals on a lathe, this comprehensive guidebook includes the tools, materials, and processes that are fundamental to the art of metalworking. Included here is information on working with sheet metals, gold, and silver; building a dynamo and electric motor; making a vertical steam engine; and more!

Item # 5453 $17.95

This special collector’s edition brings together more than 35 great essays from Sam Moore, author of Let’s Talk Rusty Iron as featured in Farm Collector! Deeply researched and beautifully written, Moore’s essays recapture a time now irretrievably lost – but easily glimpsed through the pages of this exciting edition.

Item # 5568 $7.99

MONTGOMERY WARD & CO. CATALOGUE & BUYERS’ GUIDE 1895

This unabridged facsimile of the retail giant’s 1895 catalog showcases some 25,000 items, from the necessities of life (flour, shirts) to products for which the time has passed (ear trumpets). It is an important resource for antiquaries, students of Americana, writers of historical fiction, and anyone who wants to know how much his great–grandfather paid for his suspenders.

Item # 3664 $17.95

METALWORKING

HARVESTING HERITAGE: 150 YEARS ON THE AMERICAN FARM

TURN–OF–THE–CENTURY FARM TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS

The practical, intriguing American devices contained in this handbook come from an era long before milking machines, pesticide sprayers, and industrial hay balers. Discover how to transform odds and ends—scraps of lumber from old building projects, leftover sections of barbed wire, the box spring sitting in the attic—into handy household implements.

Item # 7581 $14.95

A treasure trove of tools, fertilizers, insecticides and other essentials, this 680–page catalog, originally published in 1898, has everything the turn–of–the–century garden, farm, greenhouse, lawn, orchard, poultry yard, stable and household needed. From cover to cover, you’ll find butter printers, cast-iron field rollers, corn harvesters, root cutters, cider mills, veterinary remedies and so much more.

Item # 6522 $12.95

FIELD GUIDE TO MYSTERY FARM TOOLS, VOL. 2

When Farm Collector put together a special edition dedicated solely to these mystery farm tools, readers snatched it up, making it a best-seller. This new edition includes more than 160 tools that have been identified and includes a small paragraph explaining what the tool was used for! You’ll read how to identify tools yourself using patents, online collector resources, and books and publications for collectors.

Item # 7399 $7.99

This book includes an extensive coverage of various models including patents, serial numbers and company chronology as appendices. Fairbanks Morse has more than 300 pictures to help tell the history.

Item # 1080 $24.95

METAL CASTING

THE FARMALL DYNASTY

Great Finds shares two dozen stories of tractors and engines found – and recovered – despite incredible obstacles. Nearly 100-pages are filled with great stories and pictures of finds, rescues and rebuilds of collector tractors, engines, steamers and more. More than 20 stories are included in this special collector’s edition from Farm Collector.

Item # 6849 $7.99

Stephen Chastain, a mechanical and materials engineer, shows the beginner how to make a sand mold and then how to hone skills to produce high–quality castings. Written in non–technical terms, the sand–casting manuals begin by melting aluminum cans over a charcoal fire and end by casting a cylinder head. Volume two contains advanced techniques.

Item # 2085, Volume 1 $19.95 Item # 2086, Volume 2 $19.95

The Farmall Dynasty recounts the dramatic story of the developmental history of tractors built by International Harvester, the dominant agricultural manufacturer of the early 20th century.

The book includes well–researched accounts of the development of the original Farmall, the Letter Series, the 4100, Cub and other legendary IHC tractors, with firsthand accounts from factory engineers describing the challenges they faced.

Item # 6382 $19.95

YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED 100% OR WE’LL REFUND YOUR MONEY

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Introducing

THE BEST OF JOHN DEERE! More than 25 stories that made the John Deere brand famous!

This one-of-a-kind guide describes the history of John Deere. When the founder and blacksmith John Deere hammered out his first plow from a broken sawmill blade in 1837, he was responding to a need, and in the process creating enormous opportunity not just for himself, but for every farmer working the soil in those early days of settling America. Inside you’ll find articles on the first John Deere tractors (Froelich and Dain), the Velie influence, Model E farm engines, and so much more.

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Dakotah Toys Ltd. The Parts Supplier Farm Toy & Pedal Tractor Parts Send $4.00 for Catalog 44718 S.D. Highway 34 Madison, SD 57042

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Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club Scale Model Giveaway This 1/16-scale diecast model of one of the most popular Caterpillar tracktype tractors ever produced features individually linked grousers and operable blade. Historically accurate and highly detailed, this firstin-series new release is already proving to be a highly sought after continuation of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club’s previous 1/16-scale collection. It is compatible with the #4 Road Patrol Grader and the #2 Terracer.

This prize package is valued at $170!

Visit www.FarmCollector.com/Antique-Caterpillar.

No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Open to legal residents of the continental United States or Canada (excluding Quebec, where the promotion is void). Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Sweepstakes begins 9/1/16 and ends 11/30/16. See official rules online at www.FarmCollector.com/antique-caterpillar | Sponsor: Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609

The Line Up Shows & Special Events

NEW MUSIC INSPIRED

BY POEMS FROM IRON-MEN ALBUM Performed by Musician and former Farm Collector Editor Christian Williams!

2016 SWAP MEET

Indiana Oct. 6-8, 2016: 12th Annual Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Assn. Swap and Sell. Club Grounds, 1010 N. Morton St., Portland, IN. Contact: Jack Rouch, President, 260-726-4036; Chris Englehardt, V.P., 260-3345516; Visit us online at: www.tristategasenginetractor. com Oct. 14-16th, 2016: Antique Steam and Gas Engine Club Annual Reunion and Show. Boonville, IN. Thresherman's Park, 2-1/2 miles north on W. New Harmony Road, 1/4 mile off Hwy. 61. Featuring John Deere tractors and Kitten steam engines. $5 entry fee per day. FRIDAY ONLY- SENIOR CITIZENS $3. Contact: Richard Dennis, 812-897-1453.

Mississippi

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POPPIN JOHNNIES

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I-35 & 85TH N.Wichita, Kansas Kevin..................316-651-6691 Marvin.................316-650-5707 www.wheatlandpoppinjohnnies.com poppinjohnnies@gmail.com New York

Antique Days, Yazoo City, MS. October 22nd, 2016, old hit and miss engines grinding corn meal, pumping water and sawing wood. Sugar cane mill will be making corn syrup, and biscuits made on grounds. Blacksmith demonstrations.

Kubbie Cookoff, local artists & crafts, Kids zone. Antique tractor show and "Carl Acuff Jr. show from Brason MO." Tour in a giant radio flyer wagon! www.antiquedays.com or call 662 590-5415

Fri.-Sat. Nov.4-5, 2016: 14th Annual Soul'e Live Steam Festival at Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, 1808 4th Street, Meridian, Mississippi. America's Only Steam Show held at historic steam engine factory! 1901 machine shop features operating 106' overhead line-shaft with belt-driven equipment. Early 20th century foundry with pattern shop. Operating Steam Engines include: Soule'Spee-d-twins and Rotary, Watts-Campbell Corliss, Manchester Locomotive Works, Taylor Tiger, Memphis Machine Works. Also Hit-and-Miss Engines and Tractors. Demonstrations: blacksmithing, broom-making, steam-driven letterpress print shop, much more. Other weekend events: Meridian Railroad Museum RailFest, Carousel Organ Association of America Fall Rally, Earth's Bounty Farmer's Market, Vintage Wheels Car Club of Meridian Car Show, Meridian Arts and Crafts Show. Information: VisitMeridian.com 888-868-7720; www.soulelivesteam.com soulelivesteam@comcast.net.

Directions: From I-20/59, take Exit 153, head north on 22nd Ave., cross overpass, right on Front St., go three blocks, left on 19th Ave. On-street parking available.

9th Fall Festival Craft, Car, Tractor & Small Engine Show! Saturday 10/08/16 Maple Ski Ridge, 518-3814700, www.MapleSkiRidge.com, Sch'dy NY Wisconsin PIONEER FARM DAYS, October 8 & 9, American Legion Park 9327 S. Shepard Avenue, Oak Creek, WI. Featuring Massey-Harris tractors and equipment.

Exhibitors welcome! Threshing, sawmill, blacksmith, steam tractors, flea market, farm toy show, farmer's market and reasonably priced food. 8am - 5pm both days. Adults $5, kids under 12 free. 6 miles South of Milwaukee. From I-94, exit at Ryan Road (Hwy 100).

Go East 2 miles to Shepard Avenue, then North toPark.

For more information, call 414-768-8580. www.pioneerfarmdays.com

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Order your CD today while supplies last!

Before gas tractors plowed the fields, steam traction engines ruled the prairie. Now, the glory days of steam farming live on through the words of the men and women who experienced them firsthand.

Twelve poems, originally submitted to Iron-Men Album back in the 1950s, have been unearthed and set to original music by folk musician Christian Williams on this audio CD. To give the album an old-time American feel, Williams used instruments unique to American folk music, including banjo, washtub bass, steel resonator guitar and autoharp. Enjoy this first-hand account of early American farming, and let the words and music take you back to a time when steam was king.

To order call toll-free 866-624-9388 or visit www.FarmCollector.com/Store Promo Code: MFCPAGA8

October 2016

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COST: Classified ads are $1.35 per word with a 20 word minimum. For photo with your ad, enclose $25 per photo. For classified display ads – those with special borders or type – call Terri Keitel at Farm Collector, 800-678-5779. Classified display ads are $65 per column inch (color). Bold words only $2 per word.

CLASSIFIED COMBO SPECIAL Place your ad in both farm collectible publications – Gas Engine Magazine and Farm Collector – for $2.25 per word. Save up to 22 cents per word with double the exposure!

TO PLACE AN AD: CALL US TOLL-FREE AT (866) 848-5346, FAX: (785) 274-4316 PAYMENT POLICY: Ads must be prepaid by check in U.S. funds, or charged to MasterCard, VISA, Discover or American Express credit card.

Remember to include your name and address, and/or phone number in the word count.

MAIL YOUR AD TO: FARM COLLECTOR MAGAZINE 1503 SW 42ND STREET TOPEKA, KS 66609 classifieds@FarmCollector.com

PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINES BELOW FOR THE NEXT FOUR ISSUES.

ISSUE

DEADLINE

Dec. 2016

Oct. 3, 2016

Jan. 2017

Nov. 3, 2016

Feb. 2017

Dec. 2, 2016

Mar. 2017

Jan. 2, 2016

IMPORTANT! Don’t forget to indicate ad classification and mark with “For Sale” or “Wanted.” Classifications appear below. Please write neatly. We reserve the right to edit your ad for consistency and clarity, and may reject any ad.

Ads received after the deadline will be held over for the next issue unless indicated otherwise.

Farm Collector may refuse to publish any advertisement at any time, according to our discretion. However, we are dedicated to providing our readers with the broadest range of alternatives possible. We believe our readers are generally intelligent, and trust them to exercise their own good judgment when choosing whether to patronize our advertisers. We cannot verify all claims made by advertisers. Please consider any advertiser’s claims carefully before buying.

– Bill Uhler, Publisher, Farm Collector

BEARINGS

BOOKS

BUILDING PLANS/BLUEPRINTS

SEND PAYMENT TO: Farm Collector, Attn: Matt Petty, Classified Advertising, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609.

JOHN DEERE MAIN BEARINGS FOR ALL 2-CYLINDER ENGINES! 100% Manufactured in the U.S.A. Made like the originals! Center Cam Bearings, Center Main Bearings and Rod Bearings Made-to-order / special I.D. & O.D.s also available.

MANITOWOC MOTOR MACHINING & PARTS, INC. www.motormachining.com Toll free 1-800-666-9129

BOOKS The Farm Wrench Book Vol 3 is here! 259 pgs, over 1200 new wrenches, and the history of 239 new companies, as well as corrections to Vol 1 and 2.

Supplement matches 6000 wrenches and has an updated price guide. Price incl. postage $55. Vol 1 is $60 and Vol 2 is $50. Combo for all three is $155.

P.T. Rathbone, 6767 Pershall Rd, Marsing ID 83639.

208-896-4478. lsr@rluckystarranch.com. Outside US, please call for a quote.

Magnetos and Magneto Service book, first published in 1942, this 46-page book has seven well-illustrated chapters on inductor type, flywheel type, Wico EK, magnetizing, building a magnet charger, magnetizing equipment and fine points on service. One of the few books ever written on magneto service. Shipped same day I receive your check or money order. Send $14.95 to Lee W. Pedersen, 78 Taft Ave., Lynbrook, NY 11563.

HORSELESS CARRIAGE Replica: Use riding lawnmower motor, transmission and differential. 26” wheels, 52” wide, 82” long and 36” wide seat for two. 1” square steel tube frame, centrifugal clutch, 8-10 MPH speed, 5-8 hp engine. Twenty pages computer-drawn detailed plans, parts supply and photos. Plans $20 each model. Check or money order. Jimmy Woods, P.O. Box 216, Coker, AL 35452; 205-339-8138.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Capper’s Insurance Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Ogden Publications, Inc., has provided valuable insurance protection since 1932. Career sales employment opportunities are available in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Explore our marketing advantages for excellent income, employee benefits and satisfying lifestyle. Call Bob Legault: 1-800-678-7741 or see www.cappersinsurance.com

CARBURETORS

Purchase online at www.grainelevatorpress.com or send check for $26 to Linda Laird, 1432 S. San Luis, Green Valley AZ 85614

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October 2016

Magneto ignition book, 62 well-illustrated full-size pages of theory, requirements, history, design, construction, application, impulse couplings, testing, service and repair. One of the most comprehensive books on magneto repair I’ve seen. For same day shipping, send check or money order for $19.95 to: Lee W. Pedersen, 78 Taft Ave., Lynbrook, NY 11563.

Carburetor, Water Pump Rebuilding, 6 Month Warranty. Farmers Service Incorporated. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST; 330-482-4180; www.farmersserviceinc.com

www.FarmCollector.com Farm Collector

DECALS

P.O. Box 373 Ainsworth, NE 69210

(800) 286-2171 www.tractordecal.com jonsal@threeriverwb.net

FOR SALE MAGNETIC DISPLAY SIGNS for Antique Tractors and Engines, Custom Engraved, Fast Friendly Service! www.TheBadgeFactory.com; 2215 Biglerville Rd No. 68, Gettysburg, PA, 17325. 410-239-3368 For Sale: 1950 JD G, head for un-styled JD A, wide round front end JD, nose cone for JD 720. Misc harvest equipment from 1930's, all working order. 319480-9455 (IA) For Sale: Maytags- 12 singles, 5 twins, plus lots of parts. One or all call and ask for Bud 562-867-0694.

(CA) 1959 Allis Chalmers All Crop Harvester 66, good restorable condition. Includes most all new parts needed. Asking $3,000 to cover parts. Southern Tennessee.

(931)469-7161 daytime, fallsmill@gmail.com.

ENGINES Wanted: Always buying hit-and-miss flywheel gas engines, big or small, one or whole collection. 419-7891159 or jon@sideshaft.com (OH) Wanted: Looking for old hit-and-miss gas engines to buy. 614-306-0908 or gasenginetom@hotmail.com.

(OH)

Carr's Repair: Restores those power houses to original!

New IH sleeves & piston kits for IH 9 series gas and diesel tractors and JD D and R piston kits.

Int'l Falls, MN No Sunday calls. Ph 807 487 2548, www.carrsrepairvintageparts.com For Sale: Taking offers 1942 Hardi wood tank sprayer; large harrow; vintage Hardi high pressure pump. 330398-1908, mattditchey@sbcglobal.net, Salem, Ohio 44460

FORD

For Sale: John Deere 730 front tractor weights. Part number A5345R, A5346R, A5347R. $1,600 plus shipping. Call 574-849-0631. (MI)

INTERESTED IN FORDS?

For Sale: 1916 20-40 Case, runs, extension rims, located in Miles City MT. $35,000. Call 406-698-3588

The quarterly magazine covering all Ford tractors and implements, 1939-1970s.

Write for more info and free sample, or just subscribe for $22.95 !

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

October 22, 2016, we are selling a 1958 John Deere 620 with 3 point hitch, factory top link and fresh paint, runs excellent. Also a 1952 Farmall Super M Good paint, good tires, runs great. Call 217-254-4980 Haiti Benefit Auction, Arthur Illinois For Sale: IHC 26" wooden threshing machine, in working order, stored inside. 701-367-5757 (ND)

The N-News Magazine

PO Box 275f • East Corinth, VT • 05040-0275

Tour the most famous tractor factory on earth with "Home of the Farmall Tractor" - the sixty year history of the Farmall Tractor Works on DVD No 8! Over 4 hours of IH movies. Watch previews at www.farmingtonimplement.com or call for a free sample. (715) 294-4166

JI CASE JOIN THE ORIGINAL J.I. CASE COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION Established 1984 $25/year U.S.! $25/year Canadian US FUNDS ONLY

Includes subscription to Old Abe’s News quarterly

MAIL REMITTANCE TO: PO Box 638 Beecher, IL 60401 johnston930@aol.com

JOHN DEERE JD tractor parts for G, D, A, B, H, MT, 50, 60, 70, 520, 620, 630, 720, 730, Darwin Gingerich, 620-3860071.

Parting: R, A’s, Unstyled B’s, 620, G’s, 720, “D’s”, 60’s”, 70LP, 4010, 4020; round and square wide fronts. 520 - 730 3-pt Hitches. “L” Belly Pans, $90.

Darwin Gingerich, 620-386-0071.

www.n-news.com e-mail: infon@n-news.com

LITERATURE/MANUALS

FOR SALE

Tractor Manuals and literature. Large selection available. Jim Robinett, 5141 Kimball Rd, Ontario, OR; 97914. E-mail: tractrmnul@aol.com. 206-713-3441.

For Sale: Pecan equipment, Savage 8261 picker, Nut Hustler cleaner, Nut Hustler pre-cleaner, Lockwood 3 point shaker, grain truck to receive nuts in. $20,000 for all. 918-366-2403 (OK)

ORGANIZATIONS For Sale: 1937 Graham Bradley. Model 503-93 Serial number 229218. Restored by Rosewood Restorations of WI. Family owned since new. Includes a David Bradley two row cultivator and original owners manuals. $15,000 or B/O 763-464-9493 (MN)

Call for no-obligation information today.

1503 SW 42nd STREET TOPEKA, KS 66609-1265 (800) 678-7741

www.FarmCollector.com

Dues: $25 per year

9288 Poland Road Warrensburg, Illinois 62573 aw aw New awshucks@frontier.com Website! www.cornitems.org

Quarterly “Bang Board” newsletter.

Membership Directory showing items collected.

Four main shows each year.

October 2016

45

2017

The annual Farm Collector Show Directory is the number one source for antique farm equipment shows in the world! Please contact us so we can tell you more about it.

You can’t afford to miss out!

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE 2017 SHOW DIRECTORY IS NOV. 2, 2016 Advertising and listing information for the 2017 directory was sent to the club representative in our database. If your club has not received a packet or has a new address or representative, please contact us immediately.

If you are only placing a free listing in next year’s book, please submit all your listings directly online.

To place an ad, please contact our office at 800-682-4704 or info@FarmCollectorShowDirectory.com.

Purchase the 2017 Farm Collector Show Directory today for only $14.95!

Item #8004 Call 866-624-9388 or visit

www.FarmCollectorShowDirectory.com Mention Promo code MFCPAGA6. (U.S. Funds please. Credit Cards preferred)

Sprouts

Ethan Fillmore Age 10 Fort Mill, S.C.

Wyatt Burkett Age 6 Alexandria, Ohio.

Shane Zimmerman Age 12 Greenwood, Wis.

Alonna Bauknech

t

Age 6 Antigo, Wis.

Drew Parker Age 12 Noblesville, Ind.

All ages shown were at time of submission. Farm Collector is pleased to receive Sprouts pict ures from the budding artists in our readers’ families , but please be patient waiting for your artist’s work to appear as response to Sprouts has been so overwhelm ingly positive we always have a backlog of art to display!

Eli Burkholder Age 9 Kutztown, Pa.

Make your tractor a part of the family

®

New parts for old tractors® Call for a FREE 2016 catalog!

1660 S. M-13, Lennon, Michigan 48449

www.SteinerTractor.com (800) 234-3280

Allis Chalmers Case • Co-Op / Cockshutt Ford International / Farmall John Deere Massey Minneapolis Moline Oliver