[AJD] A good tractor day

[E. Thatcher]

I just got back from a good day at the Labor Day Victorian Festival at the 
Hazel Dell farmstead just north of Jerseville, IL. Civil War reinactors and 
antique farm machinery in action...an unlikely combination but somehow it 
seems to work OK and everybody has a lot of fun. Some wheat seperating with 
a John Deere seperator powered by an unstyled G and I believe a Keck 
Gonnerman seperator powered by a 20 hp. Reeves Steam tractor. The Reeves it 
turns out was a 1916 Canadian model which later hooked up to a 1912 vintage 
Reeves six/16" bottom plow and proceeded to plow up some prairie. Very 
impressive! They had an operating shingle mill and saw mill as well as a 
corn sheller and stationary hay baylor. Some interesiting tractors on 
display too brought in by area collectors. A good size cross mount Case that 
looked to be either unrestored or a much older restoration. A nicely 
restored high crop styled JD G (nobody seemed interested in hanging any 
biographical info. on the tractors so unless you talked to the owner you 
couldn't easily tell the years) was on display as was a high clearance 
Styled A (between 47 and 49). The latter didn't have the extra long axles 
but was equiped with 42 inch wheels and wide front end.  No gaurantee the 
owner's necessarily knew what they had, I found out. I was talking to a guy 
running a Baker Fan with a late styled B and asked him what year it was. It 
had a nice set of fenders (over the wheel) and judging by the presences of a 
water pump, delco distributor and square axle housing, I assumed between a 
50 and a 52. Wrong...the guy said it was a 47!  I didn't argue with him 
since it was his tractor and he had done a nice job of restoring it in 
general. I'm still not convinced it was a 47 though. I know water pumps can 
be added on later but I didn't think square rear axle housings came along 
until 1950 or so. We owned an early 47 B and I swear it had round axle 
housings...but I'm getting old and maybe I'm starting to imagine things. 
What's the verdict out there, guys??

I saw something I had never seen before; an International Super MD wide 
front with a two cylinder Detroit Diesel. I talked to the fellow showing it 
who said it was one only a few around and he got it off the original owner 
who I think he had worked for at one time. He said while IHC was having some 
trials and tribulations getting their own proprietary diesel off the ground, 
GM began offering a Detroit Diesel conversion kit back in the mid to late 
1950's. He said the local Chevy dealer had installed it back then. It looked 
absolutely stock except when you took a second look and saw the GM blower 
hanging on the side of the engine. Of course it definately doesn't sound 
like an International when it runs. The guy said he estimated it was puting 
out about 70+ hp at a minimum since it had bigger injectors than the 
original Detroit had.

Anyway a small but interesting antique machinery show punctuated now and 
then by Rebel yells and the roar of about a dozen dueling Civil War 
artillery pieces. Gas fumes, diesel, wood and coal smoke and black powder 
smoke all at the same time...how can you beat it!? It wasn't Mt. Pleasant or 
the like but still good fun.

Have a good Labor Day, all.

Eric Thatcher
Carrollton, IL

52 JD A