[AT] Tractors and other stuff...

Tue Dec 13 15:33:31 PST 2016

Old tractors do well sitting outside for decades, providing its not 
under a tree. The other stuff, where the sheet metal is a MAJOR 
component, doesn't fair well at all. I think that last recession really 
cleaned up a lot the last horse drawn and 40's-60's era equipment that 
got left outside. I can still find newer stuff, and even some fairly old 
stuff, if you know where to look. But it is a lot harder and most of 
what you find ain't worth the effort of hauling it home. My focus has 
changed from getting more old iron to thinning the herd of anything that 
isn't restored or that we have sentimental value.

I had several pcs of horse drawn stuff that was "lawn ornament" quality. 
I sold a 2 row corn planter, dump hay rake,sickle mower,and stalk cutter 
all for yard ornaments during the last recession (believe it or not). 
None of it was restorable and anything useable I robbed off of it.

     We gave away a pull type Allis combine 20 years ago that was 
running but the belts were shot. About 3 years ago I gave a buddy our 
Deere 30 pull type combine with 4 cyl engine. He had borrowed it a 
couple times to cut 1/2 acre of wheat his son-in-law used to feed 
chickens. The last time I told him to keep it, we needed the shed space. 
It was field ready to cut 10-20 acres on a moments notice--I was using 
it till I got my 55, then it was the backup till I got my 3300. Heck I 
even had it on my insurance policy!

Dad and I actually rebuilt and sold two IH #7 mowers. One was for use 
behind draft horses, the other was going to be a yard ornament--it had a 
lot of new parts to go sit out in the rain but hey, the guy paid my price.

This spring I sold my second operating Oliver Superior grain drill. I 
bought it 15 years ago, planted 100 or so acres with it, then sold it 
for 4x's what I paid for it. I sold my first Oliver drill 7 or 8 years 
ago to a fellow wanting to raise barley for his buddy's brewery. He 
didn't even own a tractor and his buddy's brewery didn't exist yet, but 
his cash was green and the trailer was big enough to haul it!

John Hall

On 12/12/2016 7:36 PM, charlie hill wrote:
> Hi, John,
>
> In my county none that I remember.  There were some down around my
> grandfather's farm in Columbus County.  In fact I think he had one of some
> sort
> but I don't really remember.  I was speaking of old farm equipment in
> general.
> Pull type combines, corn snappers, you name it.  They are all gone around
> here.
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Hall
> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2016 9:38 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Tractors and other stuff...
>
> Charlie, think back to your younger days, how many threshers did you run
> across down your way? I'm wondering if they were a little odd to begin
> with. With lighter population, fewer roads, I'm thinking there may not
> have been all that many down your way to begin with. We actually found
> quite a few junkers back when we were actively collecting. I remember a
> wooden Geiser a guy took the metal off of for scrap and burnt the
> rest---really old machine-you hand fed it, no conveyor. We hauled in a
> very small Case. After a few years determined it wasn't worth restoring
> so we took off every flat pulley and the toolbox and sent the rest to
> scrap. Also robbed a pulley off a big Nichols and Shepard to go on the
> IH we want to get rid of. I'll never forget that day. Must have been in
> the low 20's that morning---stayed below freezing all day. We parked the
> truck on the side of a dirt road and hiked about 1/4 a mile toting a few
> tools and a hack saw. When we got there it became obvious the easy way
> to do this was to saw the shaft in two. Dad and I two-maned the hacksaw,
> must have been 1 1/2" shaft. Then we had to tote it and the tools back
> out. Even with all that it was still COLD outside.
>
> John Hall
>
> On 12/11/2016 4:39 PM, charlie hill wrote:
>> Yeah I figured hauling might be a problem.
>> It's just a shame to see it scraped.  There is
>> nothing like that left around down here any more.
>> At least not in my county unless it's in a collectors
>> barn.  Very few old tractors left except for those that
>> folks like us have.  All of the working farms have big and
>> relatively new tractors.
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: John Hall
>> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2016 2:40 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Tractors and other stuff...
>>
>> I really think the problem is supply and demand--too many running
>> machines and no demand. I can take you 15 minutes up the road to a
>> running Belle City thresher, hasn't been used in about 8-10 years, prior
>> to that it was ran for 15 straight.  Then there are 2 more "locally"
>> that are shed kept, running when parked decades ago. If a thresher was
>> running when last used and has been kept dry, all you need are 4 good
>> tires and make a set of belts and you should be back in business. We'll
>> give it a little while to sell before it gets sent to a scrapyard. We've
>> hauled in tons of stuff over the years and very little was ever
>> scrapped--even then it was stripped down of usable items first. For this
>> to wind up in a scrapyard would be a bit of personal failure. I think
>> one of the challenges with this is its size. Very few folks have  a shed
>> big enough to put it under. And I'm not certain it could be hauled on a
>> lowboy without removing one of the elevators. It is what it is.
>>
>> John
>>
>> On 12/10/2016 10:20 AM, charlie hill wrote:
>>> John,  maybe you could get some interest in it at Denton on July 4th?
>>> It is the old thrashers reunion after all.  If you can't sell it there
>>> then
>>> maybe the club would want it for a display?
>>>
>>> Just a thought.  I hate to see it scrapped.
>>>
>>> Charlie
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: John & Jan Paur
>>> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2016 11:18 PM
>>> To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
>>> Subject: Re: [AT] Tractors and other stuff...
>>>
>>> John, Where is the thresher located?  What make and size?  Do you have
>>> all
>>> the belts?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of John Hall
>>> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2016 3:37 PM
>>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>>> Subject: Re: [AT] Tractors and other stuff...
>>>
>>> I'll take your word for it! Around here anything green goes for more
>>> money--whether its newer or older. It's largely due to marketing. You may
>>> be
>>> right about no market due to aging collectors. I have a feeling that a
>>> lot
>>> of us are going to wind up with tractors worth a lot less than what they
>>> were back in the 90's.
>>>
>>> I just listed dad's thresher for sale and have had no interest.  If it
>>> doesn't sell I may tow it to the scrapyard come springtime--horrible
>>> thing
>>> to do to a running machine but when there are no buyers there is no
>>> alternative. Can't find any antique clubs interested in it. The last few
>>> years our antique club existed, practically no one would watch us thresh,
>>> folks just were not interested.
>>>
>>> John Hall
>>>
>>>
>>>
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