Take the motor and steering wheel off and replace it with a hitch; you'd have what my grandpappy worked in the field with. I'd spend hours sitting on his mowers acting like it was a truck or tank or ship or whatever. The pedals and levers were almost identical to what is shown here.
Those old big twins were amazing. Deer made diesel twins right up into the early 60's. They were so damned hard to start you had to use a pony engine- a little gas or diesel that was easy to start- and use that to start the big engine
The old John Deere tractors. My brothers friends dad ran a dairy farm. He had a John Deere tractor. I have no idea what it's model was, except that it was green. My brothers called it a "HUT" tractor because of its engine sound. Hut hut hut Hut HUt HUT HUT HUT HUT HUT HUt Hut, hut hut hut HUT HUT. Upon inspection (by a 14 year old that knew nothing) it had no engine, like the IH Farmall M and H that were also there. I do remember driving the Farmall M that had 1/2 turn of the steering wheel of free play between right and left action. I also remember riding on the trailer behind the bailer trying to handle the bales of hay and stack them as neatly as a 14 year old could.
Damn, but this brings back memories of my time as a kid on a farm back in the 1950's, here in Western Australia. Og mentioned the tractors where you had to use an engine to start the main engine. We had a big old Caterpillar tractor of that type that ran on the steel crawler tracks. The tractor Roger mentions I remember us kids calling it a 'poppa' tractor. Single stroke engine, and that thing actually blew perfect smoke rings, heh.
jefferson101, you've got a good point. In Cuba, tractors have been retrofitted with steel wheels rather than replacing costly tires. The possibility of bolting on an extra rim to turn a row crop wheel into a high flotation one is also appealing.
Little broth called our 2 lungers PUT BANGs. We farmed with A, B, G, and 70's of various ages and in various numbers.
I still have a '36 A that looks just like the photo, but a little bigger. Had to open a petcock to relieve cylinger pressure to hand crank start. It also has a Wyco type C magneto as the photo. I rescued it from a fence row in the mid '70s, completely disassembled and rebuilt by my best friend and I both 15 at the time.
Roger, 14 year olds can stack hay racks very neatly if they are taught by a genuine master beginning at the age of about 6 and get to practice on 10,000+ bales each summer. Such is the life of growing up on a dairy farm that also did custom baling.
Nice looking machine. My Grandfather had a model B that we used for mowing. It was on rubber though since we had to drive it over paved roads to other parts of the farm. Ours also was a duel fuel system with the Gasoline tank to start it and Kerosene for working.
We always used the Model A for the heavy work since it was newer, but the B was better at dodging rocks while mowing.
My father has the model B now and uses it for small stuff still. He's got several other Deere's and is restoring a GP.
I see a lot of steel wheel tractors in Amish country, so many that it makes me wonder if there is some kind of religious difference for them with rubber vs. steel wheels. In any case, it is definitely still possible to get them.
That must ride nicely!
ReplyDeleteBut the tires wear like iron!
Simplicity and reliability... :-)
ReplyDeleteTake the motor and steering wheel off and replace it with a hitch; you'd have what my grandpappy worked in the field with. I'd spend hours sitting on his mowers acting like it was a truck or tank or ship or whatever. The pedals and levers were almost identical to what is shown here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Tam. Loving these pictures!
Those old big twins were amazing. Deer made diesel twins right up into the early 60's. They were so damned hard to start you had to use a pony engine- a little gas or diesel that was easy to start- and use that to start the big engine
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veOcZjuQoko
The old John Deere tractors. My brothers friends dad ran a dairy farm. He had a John Deere tractor. I have no idea what it's model was, except that it was green.
ReplyDeleteMy brothers called it a "HUT" tractor because of its engine sound.
Hut hut hut Hut HUt HUT HUT HUT HUT HUT HUt Hut, hut hut hut HUT HUT.
Upon inspection (by a 14 year old that knew nothing) it had no engine, like the IH Farmall M and H that were also there.
I do remember driving the Farmall M that had 1/2 turn of the steering wheel of free play between right and left action.
I also remember riding on the trailer behind the bailer trying to handle the bales of hay and stack them as neatly as a 14 year old could.
You have to love the steel wheels. Back in the depths of the last Depression, nobody knew if they could afford tires for their tractors.
ReplyDeleteThey should really think about that sort of thing again, actually. We're about as broke as they were then in all respects that matter.
Were I buying a small tractor, those wheels would be a big selling point with me.
Damn, but this brings back memories of my time as a kid on a farm back in the 1950's, here in Western Australia. Og mentioned the tractors where you had to use an engine to start the main engine. We had a big old Caterpillar tractor of that type that ran on the steel crawler tracks. The tractor Roger mentions I remember us kids calling it a 'poppa' tractor. Single stroke engine, and that thing actually blew perfect smoke rings, heh.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories of life on a farm.
Wish I could make the motorcycle races at the fairgrounds Fri night. Love me some 100+ mph dirt track racing.
ReplyDeletejefferson101, you've got a good point. In Cuba, tractors have been retrofitted with steel wheels rather than replacing costly tires. The possibility of bolting on an extra rim to turn a row crop wheel into a high flotation one is also appealing.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
Little broth called our 2 lungers PUT BANGs. We farmed with A, B, G, and 70's of various ages and in various numbers.
ReplyDeleteI still have a '36 A that looks just like the photo, but a little bigger. Had to open a petcock to relieve cylinger pressure to hand crank start. It also has a Wyco type C magneto as the photo. I rescued it from a fence row in the mid '70s, completely disassembled and rebuilt by my best friend and I both 15 at the time.
Roger,
14 year olds can stack hay racks very neatly if they are taught by a genuine master beginning at the age of about 6 and get to practice on 10,000+ bales each summer. Such is the life of growing up on a dairy farm that also did custom baling.
That appears to be about as minimalist as a tractor could be and still function.
ReplyDeleteNice looking machine. My Grandfather had a model B that we used for mowing. It was on rubber though since we had to drive it over paved roads to other parts of the farm. Ours also was a duel fuel system with the Gasoline tank to start it and Kerosene for working.
ReplyDeleteWe always used the Model A for the heavy work since it was newer, but the B was better at dodging rocks while mowing.
My father has the model B now and uses it for small stuff still. He's got several other Deere's and is restoring a GP.
I see a lot of steel wheel tractors in Amish country, so many that it makes me wonder if there is some kind of religious difference for them with rubber vs. steel wheels. In any case, it is definitely still possible to get them.
ReplyDeleteAlath
Carmel IN