September 13, 2022
Farmall 806
In the year 1963, IH released its first “clean sheet” designed tractor that was engineered at its new Hinsdale, Illinois engineering facility. This was the new model 806 tractor. The […]
How to make your toy farm complete
As I probably have mentioned in the past, the primary toys that my brother, Larry, and I played with when we were growing up were our Matchbox ® cars and […]
Not Your Everyday Truck- Caterpillar 793 Mining Truck
In this issue’s Truck Pages, we’re going to step away from the normal to look at a vehicle that leaves many of us in awe. A little background A couple […]
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John Deere 787 air cart
A few years ago, one of my customers asked me to help him sell his 1850 John Deere no till drill and 787 John Deere air cart. I took a […]
September 9, 2022
Shortline
When we had our John Deere dealership, I played many roles over the years. I first started out cleaning and helping around the place and eventually became the parts runner. […]
Oliver 1850 Impressive and commanding
Nice Day, nice field, nice tractor. What’s not to like? It wasn’t hard to spot the big Oliver 1850s when they were hunkered down and working hard. Tommy Cannon from […]
Miracles do happen
Hope you had a great 4th of July! And if you’ve had any grain crops, I hope that your harvest went well. As you know from previous articles, I am […]
My part of the world
I have to start our visit off on a down note. Some of you may remember the article I wrote about Pivonka Implement and the life of Mr. Bud Pivonka […]
September 8, 2022
Kerosene Annie – The Journey
Who is Kerosene Annie? Kerosene Annie is one of a couple of experimental Rumely Tractors and the only one remaining. They were produced by the Rumely company for testing and […]
September 7, 2022
John Deere factories
One of the many benefits of being a truck driver for John Deere dealerships was meeting all of the great people working at the equipment factories. Being there often, you […]
September 6, 2022
Summer Toy Show
In June, I attended the Summer Farm Toy Show in Dyersville, Iowa. It had been quite a number of years since I was able to go, so when the opportunity […]
7100 series Magnum
After the purchase of the IH Ag Division by Tenneco, it was merged with Case in hopes that a new company could be formed to survive the turbulent 1980s’ farm […]
Steiger trivia: What was the largest series III model?
The Steiger Panther Twin ST650 was largest series III model. In 1976, Steiger had a brief press release stating: “Currently a prototype, this giant and others like it may be […]
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August 30, 2022
A proper stance The MF 285 and 1805
One power train, two tractors When Massey Harris acquired Ferguson in late 1953, the two companies were engaged in manufacturing two different types of tractors For nearly 20 years, since […]
On The Auction Block
Most of you know I love a good farm action. I don’t know how many I have attended over the years, but 16 years ago, I started writing down what […]
Field Boss 4-150
An early entry into the big four-wheel drive lime by White Farm Equipment The last true big Oliver rolled off the Charles City, Iowa assembly line in 1976. While the […]
Off Road
First of the 4WDs Who would have ever thought that a name from a cartoon series made popular during the 1930s may have been associated with the evolution of the […]
Deere-Dain: What if?
I have been fascinated by Joseph L. Dain’s tractor and the mysteries surrounding it since the first restored one was shown and most of the world became aware of its […]
IH 1190 mower conditioner
With hay and forage season in full swing now, it’s time to look at a highly successful IH mower conditioner model, the 1190. The 1190 mower was made by IH […]
August 26, 2022
Memorabilia Randy Bodine and his Farmall collectibles
Randy Bodine and his Farmall collectibles Many collect International Harvester memorabilia, but some of the coolest IH collectibles I have seen were in Randy Bodine’s collection. Randy owns Bodine’s Landscape […]
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Through the years, silage methods CHANGE
I recently found a book called American Farm Implements and Antiques by C.H. Wendel. It reveals the background information on many old pieces of farm equipment dating back beyond the […]
Farm ads from 1977
I have way too much “stuff” around the house and I am reminded of it regularly. Recently I was going through a box of old papers that had been stored […]
August 22, 2022
Rugg Carpet Kutt
Advertising said this mower would make a lawn look like a carpet While picking up a transmission for my 1956 Studebaker pickup at my favorite transmission shop, Booker’s in Enid, […]
June 24, 2022
Triumph and Tragedy
Horsepower, horsepower and more horsepower! This was the cry of big acreage American and Canadian farmers of the middle 1970s. Rising fuel prices, increased costs for seed and fertilizer, falling […]
Memorabilia
Moline collectibles at the Moline Universal “D” birthday celebration Who doesn’t like a birthday party? Collectors especially enjoy a party when it’s all about a brand they love. This past […]
Shortline
It always amazed me all the different products Southern Plow Company (SPCO) sold. In the 15 years I was there, we had in our catalog somewhere between 22 to 26 […]
June 2, 2022
My part of the world
Fall road trip This past October found me out on the road again. You know it is my favorite time of the year. I was going to head out towards […]
May 24, 2022
Carter Tru-Scale miniatures
By: Bill Proft January/February 2020 – Classic Farm and Tractor With only a few issues of Classic Farm and Tractor magazine left to go, I have had to give some […]
BIG changes in equipment crawler cranes
By: Ed Maas Classic Farm and Tractor – January/February 2020 “And…down easy…easy…aaaaaannnd…hold that,” said the man over a two-way radio as he hooked the lifting straps to the crane. He […]
May 16, 2022
JD, then & now
John Deere—then and now For those of you who have read at least some of my stories over the past 5-1/2 years, you are probably aware that I grew up […]
Knudson tractor
Jerome Knudson Built The First Versions Of This Unique Tractor In His Shop By: Gilbert Stuart March/April 2022 The story of the Knudson farm tractors starts with the inventor, Jerome […]
May 3, 2022
Ertl’s New Holland miniatures
In this issue of Classic Farm and Tractor, I am going to cover some of the early New Holland farm toys produced by Ertl. But first, I wanted to share […]
Grain harvesters on the blackland prairie of Texas
Prologue My first real tractor ride was in summer 1950. I was almost four years old. Dad was breaking stubble on my grandad’s place in July. He sewed a five-bushel […]
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February 4, 2022
IH 496 disc harrows
The conventional method of row crop farming in the past was to plow the soil, disc harrow (maybe more than once), possibly spike harrow the ground to smooth it and […]
February 2, 2022
How An Ordinary Antique Tractor Became “Famous”
Irvin Baker reminisces on the time Dan Quayle visited the California State Fair and drove his 10-20 Titan Tractor. A Day At The Fair With Dan Quayle This article is […]
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February 1, 2022
A Forgotten Tractor Built For The United States Military
It’s doubtful any of these military tractors still exist. This tractor was built around 1919 by the Republic Motor Truck Company and is fitted with wheels by the P-T Wheel […]
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Why I Hate Fordson Tractors
There is one tractor many early tractor collectors hate. Or maybe it’s just me? The Fordson. Why do I hate these tractors? Why does anyone hate anything? Because it has […]
January 31, 2022
Canadian-Built Farm Crawlers International T-4, T-5, and TD-5
International Harvester put the first set of tracks on a modified wheel tractor as far back as the late teens of the 20th century in an effort to make a […]
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