[Farmall] 1952 Super C

[Mike Schmudlach]

Arthur,
Congrats on a great tractor.  I have to admit....You stole it.  :-)
Geoff does the nicest work I have ever seen.  I tease him that he takes a
few liberties but it was his tractor.
LOL
I am glad you made it home.
Mike
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arthur Umland" <artsd at aol.com>
To: <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:55 PM
Subject: [Farmall] 1952 Super C


>     The past few days have been an exciting time for me as I traveled to
> WI with my wife Beverly to pick up a 1952 Farmall Super C. This is not
> just any Super C, but belonged to long time ATIS list member Paul
> Bazzetta and was completely restored by Geoff Gauger. When I arrived at
> Paul's home to load the tractor, I was greatly surprised to find Geoff
> there as well. It was a pleasure meeting both of these gentlemen, and I
> regret now not having allowed more time to visit before heading down
> the road to SD.
>
>     As I do not have a great deal of experience with hauling tractors,
> Paul's assistance made the difference in successfully hauling the
> tractor to my home. I failed to arrive with enough hardware to tie the
> tractor down and Paul was able to provide what was needed.
>
>     The return 500 mile trip started well enough late Saturday morning,
> and after driving a short distance I stopped at a rest area and checked
> chains and straps and all was tight. Past experience is that I have
> usually had to snug everything up a bit after a few miles. Stopped for
> lunch and checked everything again, but only minor adjustments were
> needed.
>
>     Interstate 94 in WI provided some rough spots, but it was I-90 in MN
> that really put our handiwork to the test. Unfortunately, I naively
> thought I had everything under control and did not frequently check the
> tie downs as the drive continued until too late. Near Albert Lea, MN
> this lapse of judgment caught up with me. While my wife was driving,
> the double axle trailer had a blow out of one tire on the right side.
> Unfortunately, I did not have a spare tire with the trailer!  After a
> short hike to a gas station near the the Albert Lea exit, I found a
> towing service to contact, and they referred me to a tire service to
> better deal with the problem. Of course, it is after 6 PM on a Saturday
> evening so it was emergency service and about a 45 minute wait.
>
>     While waiting around for the tire service, I was better able to piece
> together what happened as the trailer tire itself did not simply blow
> out. The chain attached through a clevis on the drawbar and back to the
> trailer frame had a tightener on it, and the handle of the tightener
> was tied down with wire. Somewhere along the line, the rough road and
> some larger bumps were enough to break the wire and cause the tightener
> to open and the chain to loosen. I also had a wide strap tightener
> running from one side to the other of the trailer and across the rear
> rims of the tractor. After the chain loosened up, the strap also pulled
> loose and then the metal part of the strap tightener dropped under the
> tire and flattened it! I have yet to fully appreciate how much force it
> would take make the lever of the chain tightener held tightly down with
> wire to come on done, but I am sure it was considerable!
>
>     But the the grin on my face from owning this fully restored Super C is
> still there in spite of the trailering episode. I am looking forward to
> showing it off at the Humboldt Threshing Show the second weekend in
> August, which is held only about 12 miles from me. And IH Collectors SD
> Chapter 21 will host its state show at Twin Brooks near Milbank, SD the
> third weekend in August and I plan on being there as well with the
> Super C!
>
>     Who knows, perhaps with Red Power Roundup slated for WI in 2009 I may
> be able to have it there so Paul and Geoff can see it again.
>
>     Art
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Farmall mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/farmall
>