[AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.

Al Jones farmallsupera at earthlink.net
Tue Oct 20 18:37:21 PDT 2009 

Charlie, Mills's building is one of the IH "prototype bases."  It was built
in the late 40's or early 50's.  That was part of IH's big modernization
push after WWII.  Same concept as the way every Hardee's, Bojangles,
McDonalds, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, etc. etc. etc. looks the same.  CaseIH made
them modernize a little bit in the late '90s and they had to cut the big
red pylon/sign off even with the roofline.  The red pylon, with the IH
emblem on it, sticking up above the roofline was IH's "golden arches" well
into the '60s.  I really like to go there and they are good people to deal
with though all we've ever gotten there is parts.

The Mills's dad was an IH blockman and then bought the dealership.  Their
Cub Cadet franchise is one of the biggest on the eastern seaboard.  And oh,
did you know Don and David are fraternal twins?

The caseIH dealer in Washington had their franchise yanked.  I think that
caseIH awarded it to the same folks that used to run Lee Tractor, the JD
dealer in that neck of the woods.  I'll have to check on that but I heard
that is how it went.  The Lee's didn't want to become part of  "East Coast
Equipment" when JD put the screws to everybody.  Jack Mitchell was an
outstanding IH dealer, he was one of their "XL" dealers back in the '70s
and '80s.  They still sell caseIH parts but have now taken on Kubota.

You may or may not know this, but if you're on 17 coming through
Jacksonville, just past the Home Depot and the on-ramp of the bypass,
notice B&S Body Shop on the right.  That building was the IH dealer in
Jacksonville.  The building isn't a true-blue prototype but it's styled
like one with the big showroom windows and the tall pylon.  Their pylon is
brick and if you look close, you can see where the IH emblem was painted on.

(Way more than you probably wanted to know!)
Al


> [Original Message]
> From: charliehill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Date: 10/20/2009 12:57:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>
> 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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