[AT] For Charlie H.

Al Jones farmallsupera at earthlink.net
Wed Oct 21 06:50:29 PDT 2009


Charlie,

Yes, they are the sons of the second owner.  Don deals primarily with the farm equipment and David works with the Cadets.

I'll have to ask my friend up that way what is going on with Lee.  I know there was some stuff going on there before Deere pulled the plug.  The only good thing I have seen come of these "mega dealers" JD has been pushing is that Quality Equipment opened a JD store in Wallace which is convenient for us.

I would like to find our some more abotu the IH dealer in Jacksonville, like when they opened and when they closed.  I don't think they were still in business by the time I came along.  They provided some competition for the IH dealer at that time in Wallace.  Back when a dealer would show up with a new tractor, they brought a new IH 424 diesel to demo.  My daddy wanted a gas model so he bought from the "home" dealer for us, in Wallace.  The folks in Jax. sort of twisted his arm to try and sell him a diesel and that turned him off.

Wasn't that dealer called Coastal Equipment Co, and did they sell anything besides IH?

Al

-----Original Message-----
>From: charliehill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>Sent: Oct 21, 2009 7:20 AM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>
>No, not more than I wanted to know Al.  I was aware of some of it.  I knew 
>the Mill's building was from the IH design for all dealers back in the day 
>but didn't know the details so I didn't try to comment on it.  I've never 
>been in there enough to even realize there were twins there.  Are they the 
>sons?
>
>I had forgotten that Mitchell had become Kubota but knew it from passing by. 
>I didn't know the details.  In fact I thought Lee was out  of business.  I 
>knew they lost JD which just isn't right.  They were the best JD dealership 
>anywhere around here.  All of the folks I know that run JD farm tractors did 
>business with Lee. They'd drive right buy the New Bern dealer and drive 40 
>miles further to get to Lee.  I wonder if Lee has been sucessful in putting 
>some red tractors on those big farms in Beaufort Co?
>
>I had to know about the IH dealership in J'ville.  I've been riding down 
>that highway since I was a baby in the 50's but I had forgotten it.  I'll 
>look next time I go buy there.  I think I know the guy that owns that 
>building.  There are two body shops along there and he owns one of the two.
>Name is Buddy Hewett or something like that.  If it's Buddy's building I've 
>been in it within the last 18 months or so.
>
>----- 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 9:37 PM
>Subject: Re: [AT] TMCOTKU tractor count is down by one.
>
>
>> 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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