[AT] In praise of hydraulics

Sun Nov 2 11:44:59 PST 2014

Herb,

Actually tractors in their original clothes that are still in really good shape are more valuable than
restored ones to some folks. Unfortunately, I thinks Dean V's tractor has been repainted at one time
so it no longer qualifies for that distinction. But is sure appears to be in really nice condition and
runs very well. There was an antique JD Collector/book author by the name of JR Hobbs  who would get
quite excited about finding an original old JD since he might learn things from it that had come from
the JD factory that hadn't been messed with due to farmer expediency. Several years ago I purchased a
1943 JD B on steel wheels all around with a mounted two row cultivator. It was in original condition
and still really in good shape. I posted a picture of it and JR Hobbs sent me a private  email and
told me he would personally come out to WA and kick my butt(axx) if I restored it.  Everything was
still original on it except for a block of wood under the seat to raise it a bit. Since I'm 6' 3" the
block stayed. JR really liked original tractors.  He was a bit outspoken to say the least.  He often
would comment on tractors at shows that had been restored back to factory condition with multiple
coats of paint, hardener and clear coat.  He would always say if you want to restore the tractors to
the way they came from factory they would have to have several spots of overspray, or missing paint in
certain areas and the axles should be covered with gunny sacks with grease all over them.  He really
disliked tractors that had been so meticulously restored that owners would not even start them up any
more.  He had been raised on a farm in Western Iowa along the Missouri River and farmed several years
himself and I guess appreciated more about the tractors than shiny paint. Unfortunately JR passed away
February 2010.  I considered him one of the most, if not the most, knowledgeable people about the
antique JD tractors. 

While at Green Magazine he published several different books and articles that are considered the
bible in old JD's. If you happen to run on to one of them they are quite valuable and you can be
assured they have been well researched prior to publication. He spent a lot of time doing research in
JD Archives and came to the conclusion that the model year serial number breaks that had been
published for years were not correct on some tractor models and using his research came up with
several different model year serial number breaks different from JD's and Two Cylinder Magazine
publications. That created a lot of confusion in the JD collector environment and created two
different factions of believers about at what  serial numbers the model years changed.  JD corporate
and Two Cylinder Magazine were not then and are not now pleased about this discrepancy. One can get
all tangled up in when Production year vs Fiscal year vs Model year vs Calendar year started and ended
in the JD community. It can get a bit heated. I used to be all hung up about it and considered JR
Hobbs publications gospel.  I now tend to just go along with the flow since JR isn't around anymore to
defend his position. 

Dean Vincent's 620 is a good example of where there was a disagreement in model years. JD and Two
Cylinder Magazine published there are 1956, 1957 and 1958 model year 620's. JR published there are
only 1957 and 1958 model 620's. There are no real changes between the so called 1956 and the 1957
model 620's but there are significant changes between the 1957 and 1958 model 620's for example:
increased HP, plastic steering wheel, and a black dash plus many more other changes. At one time I
owned a 1949 JD A that was in the disputed serial #/model year range and I would have people come up
to me and tell me I had the model year wrong on my tractor.  That would usually start a discussion
that would not ever get fully resolved. JD's beginning of a new model year changed over the years
which causes confusion in itself and then followed the same type of system that the auto Industry
uses, the next Model year of the next calendar year would change in the summer or fall of the previous
calendar year. I don't know what convention the other antique tractor manufacturers used but I suspect
it was similar. I've noticed recently some antique tractor owners now are just stating what year it
was built, if they have that information from the factory, rather than Model Year.  I guess that
avoids some arguments. 

Dean VP
Snohomish, WA

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave
unsaid  the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Herb Metz
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2014 4:34 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] In praise of hydraulics

Just imagine all of the comments that would result if Dean took that JD, as 
is, to a sizeable tractor show.<grins>

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dean VP
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2014 9:42 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
Subject: Re: [AT] In praise of hydraulics

Dean,

That non-painted rear wheel weight just has to be taken care of!  :-)

Dean VP
Snohomish, WA

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right 
time, but also to leave
unsaid  the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com 
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Dean Vinson
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2014 3:55 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
Subject: [AT] In praise of hydraulics

I love the Super M, and it remains my go-to tractor for hauling a wagon or
pulling little osage orange trees out by the roots.  But I'm getting right
fond of the hydraulic systems on the other tractors.

Today's chore was spreading about ten tons of #4 limestone gravel in front
of one of the barns.  There was already some leading up to the garage doors
and down toward the farrowing shed but not hardly any at all by the two big
open bays, so that area was starting to get muddy and rutted.  I had a big
stockpile of the gravel nearby, delivered for this job and a few others, and
this morning set out with the Kubota with the front loader to start moving
some of it.   That's a handy little machine right there and I got halfway
good at spreading the rock as I was dumping it, but it still needed a lot of
smoothing out and the area was big enough that backblading with the little
Kubota bucket just wasn't cutting it.  Fortunately, the 620 was right there
too.

http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/gravel_20141101.jpg

(Those following the continuing saga of the 620 may note the non-flat front
tire and the non-missing (but barn-rusty) rear wheel weight.  And that dent
in the muffler is hardly visible from this angle at all.  :)

Dean Vinson

Saint Paris, Ohio

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