[AJD] florida

[rmoomaw]

Is every body ok in florida?
----- Original Message -----
From: "E. Thatcher" <ethatche at hotmail.com>
To: <antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 9:55 PM
Subject: [AJD] A good tractor day


> 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
>
>
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