[AT] been collecting a long time

Sun Aug 24 17:52:32 PDT 2014

Herb, never heard of a header in these parts. Lots of binders, reapers were 
very rare--I've never found one that wasn't already in a collection. I've 
ran across quite a few dilapidated grain binders. The one we have was given 
to us because the shed it stayed under was in the way of a highway widening 
project. The owner couldn't bear the thought of it rotting down. Fortunately 
the canvases had been stored indoors away from sun and mice for many years. 
We ran it fro 16 years before a slat broke and demolished 2 canvas. Sickle 
mowers are pretty common, although most have been stripped for parts to keep 
another machine going. Most had the tongues shortened to pull with a 
tractor. We actually have a IH no9 that uses the same blade components as 
the last mowers IH built. That one is pretty popular with horse enthusiasts. 
For some reason hay rakes seem to be the easiest to find. Stalk cutters are 
fairly common as well, they were used for tobacco and corn--most tobacco 
farmers raised corn for their horses and mules. Riding cultivators, maybe 
more for the slightly more successful farms. Corn planters, the walk behind 
one row are still popular today, although they have practically all been 
modified to run behind a Farmall with fast hitch to plant garden. The 2 row 
models you rode on, very hard to find. I think they received tractor tongues 
and were ran until they were worn completely out. Corn binders, seem to be a 
little on the scarce side. Never was able to locate a hay tedder (kicker) 
but I did have a hay loader I eventually junked out. If you look hard enough 
you can find a horse drawn grain drill. Between high scrap prices and 
hunters wanting them for food plots, they came out of hiding in recent 
years.

As to a potato digger, never heard of them in these parts. Possibly down 
Charlie Hills way as the land is better suited to raising sweet potatoes. 
I've seen just a couple in collections and a couple more at an equipment 
dealer near Spencer's--that was 20 years ago. And yes, I always wanted one 
of them to! They seem to be a great piece of old iron to put back in action.

John

-----Original Message----- 
From: Herb Metz
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 11:52 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] been collecting a long time

John
Enjoyed reading, and reminiscing of similar activities.
Our similar storage area was the remains of an old orchard (150 ft sq), I
can remember one old apple tree and one old apricot tree; I remember one old
binder and a wheat header which was last used in 1943(?).   Required three
teams, two pushing/pulling (Gene & Ron please note) the header and one
pulling the header barge.  The header could have been an old wheat cutting
platform (canvas; before auger days) with canvas going up approx eight feet
at 45 degree angle and dumping heads into a large farm wagon with far side
elevated approx six feet higher to increase capacity.  A second short canvas
was approx one foot above the angled canvas to contain cut wheat head heads
from wind, etc.
Also was hoping that an old potato digger would be included in your story;
one that you would be interested in selling.
Herb

-----Original Message----- 
From: jtchall at nc.rr.com
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 8:17 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] been collecting a long time

It occurred to me this week just how long we’ve been collecting old iron, 30
years give or take a year. Started when I was in 7th or 8th grade. When we
started it was small items like 2 man chainsaws, Briggs engines from the 40’s
and 50’s, and horse drawn equipment---at the time these items were really
cheap or free. We quickly progressed to tractors and belt powered machinery.

One of the earliest items we rescued from a fencerow was a horse drawn
riding cultivator. It was all there, just frozen with rust and the wheels
were bent where someone had nudged it sideways with a scrape blade to push
it out of the way. The day we brought it home was about 30 degrees. I drove
one of the 4020’s with a boom pole to go get it (and a stalk cutter) while
dad drove one of the grain trucks. If you’re trying to picture the boom pole
it is basically the same thing as the little ones you can buy for utility
tractors except this one is heavy enough to lift the front end of the the
10,000lb tractor it is hooked to off the ground. We’ve also got a hydraulic
center link for it. Anyway we got it home, heated, hammered, and oiled until
it was operational. We made a tongue for it that required a little ingenuity
and a broken shank off of a chisel plow. We would use it on occasion to plow
the garden. We even raised a few rows of snap beans one year using it and a
10-20 McCormick on steel. I still haven’t figured out how dad laid the rows
off straight given the slop in the steering on that tractor. We continued
using it for close to 10 years and then retired it again after we quit
raising so much garden. It was towed to the back of the farm and backed up
under some trees where it rested for the next 20 years.

This past week I decided it would be handy to have up here at my house. The
wildlife pressure is so great here everyone has to fence in their garden
with 6-8 ft fencing. I’m not going to do that so I’ll just plant what the
critters won’t eat, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn (I forgot, the
squirrels cleaned me out on that as well). I borrowed my cousins tractor
with cultivators and laid off a couple rows for some late squash. It’s not
worth the effort for us to keep cultivators on a tractor any more. I
remembered how handy this horse drawn cultivator was so it was time to
rescue it again. Same tractor, same boom pole, (same guy driving the
tractor) 30 years later, we retrieved it from the weeds and briars again.
Back to the same shop. This time it only took a couple evenings to get it
running. Had to replace the wooden tongue, and free up one major part with
the torch (same as 30 years ago) and we were back in business. Plowed my
garden Fri. night and it did an outstanding job. I’ll put some fertilizer
around it this week and try to plow it one more time. Should have squash and
zucchini until frost.

It just occurred to me the incentive to get this cultivator operational 30
years ago. Back then both of our Super A’s spent most of the spring and
summer at the other farm 2 miles away. The only time they came home was for
plowing gardening. If you wanted to plow garden you had to go get one. And
once tobacco had been laid by, you’d have to put the cultivators on once you
got here, plow the garden, take the cultivators off, and get the tractor
back to the other farm, generally all in the same evening.

Maybe I can find a shed to keep it under for the next 30 years. Until next
week, its sitting in the corner of my yard, backed up under a tree. Don’t
worry, my better half won’t let it sit there long.

John Hall
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