[AT] Greg E, Gene D or anybody - VAC HP bump-up question.

Indiana Robinson robinson46176 at gmail.com
Thu Jan 14 05:21:27 PST 2010


On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Ken Knierim <ken.knierim at gmail.com> wrote:
> Farmer,
> I can't find my copy of "Full Steam Ahead" but I recall a note in there
> about how Clausen (the fella running Case at the time) forced the engineers
> to turn the RPM down on the VA series because its power overlapped the S
> series (might have been the Continental engine from the V's; it's been
> awhile since I read it). He wanted to sell the bigger tractors since there
> was more profit in them. Apparently the same mentality kept the engineers
> from making the VA series with a 6-speed configuration when the price was
> under a couple bucks to add the gears. I believe they used Clark
> transmissions (or at least parts) for the gearboxes. More revs, more gears
> and the VA would have been a lot more tractor.
>
> I would guess the governor is the only difference. I haven't heard anyone
> mention a different camshaft for this little engine unless you go to the
> aftermarket. It's probably capable; it's not like this is a really long
> stroked engine like its bigger brothers. Gotta get air through it so more
> revs are about the only easy way (if PTO speed isn't an issue).
>
> Ken in AZ
==========================


That reminds me of the RC Allis where they produced a WC with a C
engine for those farmers that did not want all of that HP of the WC...
:-)  It was truly a different time... There were a lot of very small
farmers with a lot of tiny fields that just wanted to replace one team
or one horse with a tractor and many were actually afraid of tractors
with a lot of power. The depression made for a different mind-set as
well. You only bought what you needed for the job at hand. The idea of
power to waste just was not how they thought.
My paternal grandfather farmed much of his life but never owned a
tractor. Around 1920 to 1925 he bought a little 10 acre farm near here
and farmed it with a horse or two. They grew stuff like berries and
produce etc. My father always said that they worked harder on the
little 10 acre farm than any place they ever lived. It was only about
1,000' from the old interurban trolley line and 2 miles from town.
Most trips to town and most shipping of produce was by trolley car.
I still clearly recall being at the county fair in the early 1950's
and hearing the farmers talking about how silly that huge John Deere R
was and how you would not be able to turn it around most fields. :-)
A few years later I recall discussions with sentences like "why would
ANYBODY want a tractor as big as that new John Deere 70 around here".
The R of course like most wheatland tractors never did well here, this
was row-crop country. The 70s did sell well here though as there were
a lot of guys expanding about that time. We see a lot of wheatland
tractors at shows here now but they have mostly been shipped in by
collectors. We almost never saw them in the fields. The same goes for
most high-crops here. This isn't where they were sold new.
There were a lot of small farms here in the 1930's and 1940's that
didn't grow row crops though. Lots of 20 to 50 acre farms, mostly with
a few milk cows, a few beef cows, a flock of chickens, a few pigs and
almost the whole place in hay or pasture. Maybe 2 to 5 acres of corn
and maybe 5 acres of oats. Big garden. The idea was to make a living
to get by, not make a killing. A different time...



-- 
Have you hugged your horses today?

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com



More information about the AT mailing list