[AT] For Charlie H.
charliehill
charliehill at embarqmail.com
Wed Oct 21 07:09:30 PDT 2009
I don't know Al. After you mentioned them I vaguely remember them being
there but no details. On a side note my mothers cousin used to work at the
IH dealership in Greenville. It is one of the same design buildings and was
still there a few years ago but I think it might be gone now.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:50 AM
Subject: [AT] For Charlie H.
> 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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