[Farmall] OT: NY Times Online Article on IH Travelall + Memories

[John Hall]

Dad's boss drove one until the late '80's when his mechanic told him he just 
couldn't patch it up any longer. It was either spend a fortune or junk it, 
he chose to buy a foreign car. He did keep the IH pickup and tiltbed in 
service until the dealership closed at auction in '91. The pickup was built 
in the '60's--it spent its entire life outside and actually had very little 
rust. Just don't get too fast shifting from 1st to 2nd as there was a little 
wear that needed extra time to allow all the linkages to line up (straight 
drive on the column).

John
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chuck Bealke" <bealke at airmail.net>
To: <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 1:33 AM
Subject: [Farmall] OT: NY Times Online Article on IH Travelall + Memories


>
> Folks,
>
> For those of you into IH trucks and other non-tractor vehicles,
> there is an interesting article in the New York Times online that
> describes the Travelall as the first SUV.  It was just about 50 years
> ahead of its time.  The article lives at
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/automobiles/collectibles/02INTER.html?ex=1190174400&en=4b0970686c14b133&ei=5070 .
>
> Viewing the online NYT requires registration, but for this and most
> other articles, I think it is still free.  (At least, I have never been 
> asked to
> pay or given them CC or other billing info in my years of use.)
>
> The page opens with a splendid color rendition of a '53-'54 Travelall. 
> Among
> other things, the piece notes that in 1910 International was the
> fourth-largest company in America (ranked by value of assets).
> There is also a too-short slide show of the company trucks - starting
> with the Auto Wagon in 19O9 and ending with the latest descendant,
> the biggie pickup - listed in the article for viewing at
> http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/08/31/automobiles/20070902INTER_index.html.
>
> The write-up brought back lots of memories.
> While it was my good fortune to operate the company's Farmalls
> for several years, the only IH truck I ever drove was a neighbor's
> 1936 International Panel truck.
>
> The truck was heavy as sin, with mechanical brakes and stout
> wire wheels - definitely not a vehicle for the physically challenged or 
> those in
> a hurry.  Rear vision from the driver's seat was, shall we say, limited.
> It was one rugged machine.  Bumpers, door handles and
> such were solid and looked and felt like they would last
> forever.  Neither quick stops nor freeway road speed were available.
> Stamina was. It was already twenty-years old when I drove it and
> had been in constant service.  (The farmer's brother had been an IH truck 
> mechanic.)
> The stout straight-six engine had a distinctive sound, and even
> though it had a decent muffler, you would never sneak
> up on anybody with it.  Kinda miss it and the folks that owned it.
> The neighbor peddled vegetables out of the back of it and also used it to 
> haul
> the other fruits and vegetables he raised. Most of the years I knew him, 
> he had a big
> Percheron and Belgian team to work his ground.  They took way more acres 
> for hay than he had
> in vegetables. But when the horses got old, he finally bought a Farmall 
> Super A.  He
> missed the horses for a little while but then grew quite fond of the 
> tractor. Me too.
>
> _|___\  __
> |_____/    \  ~ Chuck Bealke ~ bealke at airmail.net ~