[AT] Need some help

[Francis Robinson]

	That is a great response John...

	Maybe a Hoyt-Clagwell ??? It should be rare, well, maybe not, yes it is, no
it isn't, yes it is, just ask Arnold or Mister Haney... (Diana is watching
Green Acres reruns almost daily right now).   ;-)
	My personal choice would be a tricycle "Custom" (Made in Shelbyville IN
after WWII). Another in the same vintage would be a "Shepard Diesel". I have
come to realize from attending tractor shows that my Farmall F-30 (still in
the very early stages) is pretty rare, at least around here. I have another
Farmall tractor that is not super rare but there were only about 30,000 sold
and they are rather coveted now. That is my Super MTA.
	There are quite a few Farmall Super A's here John but southeastern Indiana
had a lot of small plot tobacco production much like in Kentucky. If you
jumped over to an area like Illinois and Iowa I suspect you are right since
they tended to farm larger acreages.
	I love the really old stuff but I tend to prefer later stuff for me because
I like to be able to do stuff with them and I would feel too afraid of
scratching a restored one that was quite old or rare. I feel restricted
enough with my MM-R and Allis C after restoring them and so they tend to sit
a lot now where prior to new paint I thought nothing about firing one of
them up for just any old chore... My Super M with 3-point and a loader gets
frequent use but its restoration is now probably 25 years old and has no
shine left. My S-MTA has a nice friendly coat of rust and I use it
constantly. My little Yanmar 1500 diesel has taken a lot of small chore
running off of the others doing things like moving machinery around, pulling
trailers and wagons with bales and lot mowing. A lot of those jobs used to
be done with the #$%& Farmall CUB and I do still use it pretty regularly. My
Deere 4020 now just sits in the barn. I run it now and then and stick a
float charger on it some but it mostly just sits. It is too heavy to be
hauling it around to shows but I think I will paint it anyway. I should sell
it but just don't want to let go of it. It is in very good mechanical
condition. Even the paint isn't all that bad but has some spotty surface
rusty places on the hood and cab and of course it is all faded. I had
already repainted all 4 wheels some years ago but they have faded some.



--
"farmer"  -  ***** H A P P Y   H O L I D A Y S *****

If you cut a tree plant at least two to replace it...

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of John Hall

Boy did you ever ask  for a wide range of opinions!!!

To me, a rare machine I'd want is any very early tractor up to around 1930
that you just can't pick up the phone and order parts from any of 3-4
different suppliers. Rare also to me is some of the companies that sprang up
in the late 40's-50's with nice looking tractors built along the lines of a
Framll M. Most of the time these companies went belly up or went on to other
ventures. For parade driving I'd like to have something along those lines.
Problem with those is they can get expensive. There is a fellow not far from
me with a Corbitt tractor--I've been told there are less than a half dozen
in existence. These were built about 45 miles form me and all were destined
for export.

A couple years ago we rebuilt the engine in a Gibson--not the little ones
with a Wisconsin, this one has a 6 cylinder Hercules. It's a rare machine,
in at least my neck of the woods.

I guess rare also could be determined by your geographic area. For example
where I live, Farmall Super-A's are as common as dirt. I would imagine they
are scarce as hens teeth in the midwest. Maybe something like that would be
a machine that wouldn't break the bank, be easy to get any part you need.
and still turn heads at local shows.

One other thought is a machine with lots of options. For example we all know
Farmall M's are pretty common. At the Freeman auction this past fall There
was a high clearance, diesel powered, torque amplifier equipped Super M that
sold. I beleive less than 100 were built. Some parts for it would be easy to
get, others would be a challenge. Turning heads and getting blinded by
flashbulbs come standard.

Something I have seen done also is to have a nice standard tractor with as
many aftermarket add-ons as could be done. Kind of like all the stuff M&W
used to make for Farmall tractors----power steering, friction disc throttles
etc.

Got you eye on anything already?

John Hall
----- Original Message -----

> Guys
> I need some help from the members of the list. For years I have mostly
> restored old Ford tractors and this was only done for resale to help
> supplement my Social Security. Now that my wife has passed away I want to
> restore a tractor but this time I want to keep it and show it in parades
> and
> maybe go on some tractor tours. I have hundreds of photos of old tractors
> but this time I want the unusual to restore and I have all the time in the
> world to make parts if needed and do lots of research on the tractor. Can
> any one give me ideas on what they think would be an unusual tractor to
> restore. The color does not matter as the make of tractor is unimportant
> only the rarity of the tractor. I welcome all input that any one can give
> me
> If you like you can contact me off list at lyle45859 at roadrunner.com. Again
> guys thanks for any help you can give me.
> Lyle Myles
>
>


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