[AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.

Tue Oct 20 09:57:42 PDT 2009

Yes you are right it was Mitchell.  Sorry about that.  Yes Snow is New 
Holland now.  I buy some stuff from Mills now and then.  Usually Woods mower 
parts.  They are easy for me to get to.  Seem to be nice folks.  There 
building and shop hasn't changed a bit in 30 years or more.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:24 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.

> Ok, I had forgotten Snow.  I think that they are mostly New Holland now.
>
> Wouldn't the IH dealer in Washington have been Mitchell?  Mills is in 
> Kinston.
>
> Al
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: charliehill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>>Sent: Oct 20, 2009 10:08 AM
>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>>
>>Most folks around our farm used Snow Tractor over in Ayden.  They are/were 
>>a
>>relatively small dealer but gave good service.  The IH guy was Mills
>>International in Washington.
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
>>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
>><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 9:35 AM
>>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>>
>>
>>> Charlie,
>>>
>>> Yes, the MF's were popular here too.  Lots and lots of 1xx and 2xx 
>>> series
>>> running around.  And they certainly had a price advantage over the other
>>> makes.  When my dad was going to buy a new  tractor, he narrowed it down
>>> to a 285 MF or a JD 2940.  By then IH had lost a lot of market in our 
>>> area
>>> and sadly, he didn't look at them (though I wish he had gotten a 786 as
>>> they're kinda rare.) Anyhow he had several MF users that told him that 
>>> he
>>> could afford the JD, by all means choose it over the 285.  That is what 
>>> he
>>> did.
>>>
>>> Who was the MF dealer in your area?
>>>
>>> Al
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>From: charliehill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>>>>Sent: Oct 20, 2009 7:49 AM
>>>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
>>>><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>>>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>>>>
>>>>Al, I've never run any IH stuff since past the end of the letter series 
>>>>so
>>>>I
>>>>can't make a direct comparison between the 424, 444 and the MF tractors
>>>>but
>>>>I've spent a lot of seat time on 35's and a fair amount on 1xx and 2xx
>>>>series Masseys and most recently on a 265.  They are very easy to 
>>>>operate.
>>>>Everything seems to be where it should be.  Your hands seem to fall onto
>>>>the
>>>>controls.  They have good power and seem to run effortlessly.  I don't
>>>>think
>>>>they are quite as tough as the AC stuff I grew up on but unless abused I
>>>>can't see that would matter much.  I'd like to run a 424 or 444 sometime
>>>>to
>>>>see for myself.  I will say this.  It was pretty easy around Craven 
>>>>County
>>>>to get seat time on a MF and there were very few of the IH tractors.
>>>>We had a good IH dealer about 15 miles from our farm in Washington NC so
>>>>it
>>>>wasn't a matter of dealer support.  I'm thinking maybe the MF stuff 
>>>>might
>>>>have had a price advantage over IH.  The MF dealer that most folks used
>>>>was
>>>>actually further away.
>>>>
>>>>Charlie
>>>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>From: "Steve W." <falcon at telenet.net>
>>>>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>>>><at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>>>Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 11:42 PM
>>>>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Al Jones wrote:
>>>>>> Well yes, they cast a very similar shadow.  But the IH was built so
>>>>>> much
>>>>>> better.  I believe you could drop a 424 or 444 IH off the side of the
>>>>>> grand
>>>>>> canyon, and once it hit bottom, you could crank it up and drive it 
>>>>>> out.
>>>>>> (Unless it landed in the river in which case you would have to dry it
>>>>>> out
>>>>>> first!)  Then, you got an 8 speed transmission.  And better 
>>>>>> hydraulics.
>>>>>> Etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> If I showed you my 35 you might just think it made that trip.....
>>>>> It's had it's (and a few others) share of abuse.
>>>>> When it was on the farm it was THE tractor, anything done on the farm 
>>>>> it
>>>>> did (even after he got a low hour TO-20). Not sure how many hours are 
>>>>> on
>>>>> it but he bought it new and ran it until about 1998.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What I have been trying to say is, Ford/ Ferg. might have pioneered 
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> small, light weight, low-bodied tractor, but IH, JD, and others
>>>>>> "refined"
>>>>>> it and made it something way more useful. With the other choices on 
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> market now, similarly priced, and many now old enough to be called a
>>>>>> "classic," I just can't understand why somebody would spend the money
>>>>>> on
>>>>>> the Ferd/Furg.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But, to each his own! :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Al
>>>>>
>>>>> The main reason I like them is simple, I grew up with them. :-)
>>>>> The TO-20 was MY tractor on the farm, I used it a bunch and even 
>>>>> skidded
>>>>> more than a few LARGE logs with it. (most were large enough that to
>>>>> steer it down out of the woods and up to the drop I never touched the
>>>>> steering wheel, But I did wear out 2 sets of brake shoes!!!)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> Steve W.
>>>>>
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