Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Farm Collector

People often ask where we get story ideas for Farm Collector. I don’t want to drill too deeply into the answer to that, as it starts looking rather like the process of making sausage, but suffice to say that the freelancers who write for the magazine come up with a lot of great suggestions for us. The vast majority of the articles in Farm Collector are written by freelancers. When it comes to full-time, permanent writers on our staff, well, that would an extremely small number, and that’s why I depend on an intrepid band of freelancers. Some contribute articles so regularly that you may feel like they’re old friends. Others drop in more sporadically. Which is why, as I consider all of them in this issue that will land…

MILLS KIDS ARE OUR DECEMBER WINNERS! Cole Mills, 12; Reese Mills, 8; and Holden Mills, 5, the children of Matt and Chandler Mills, Jetersville, Virginia, are this month’s featured artists. Each will receive a Farm Collector T-shirt: Congratulations, Cole, Reese and Holden! Have a budding artist in your family? Send your kids’ or grandkids’ farm-related artwork to Farm Collector, and we’ll send a T-shirt to the monthly winner. Send submissions to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265. Please include the artist’s name, age and hometown and a recent photograph. A release form will be sent to the parents of each artist whose work is selected for publication; the release must be signed and returned to Farm Collector before the artwork can be published. For more information, contact…

I could write a book about Steve Watts’ wonderful tractor collection, but today I’ve just come to look at one little grey tractor. From a distance it looks rather ordinary, but it is actually, on closer inspection, probably one of the biggest oddities in the Watts stable. It’s not a Ferguson, which is what one would expect to see here in the U.K.: No, it’s a Ford 9N with a Funk conversion, and it is only when Steve fires up the little Ford tractor that I realise replacing a roughly 20hp engine with a 95hp one was actually quite a crazy thing to do. However crazy an idea it was, it worked – well, mostly. Curious conversions and fascinating versions make excellent fodder for those tractor enthusiasts who want something…

NEW JOHN DEERE BOOK DRILLS DEEP INTO DESIGN AND ENGINEERING Lee Klancher’s latest book – John Deere Evolution: The Design and Engineering of an American Icon – is a feast for the eyes and the brain. Packed with unprecedented analysis of modern John Deere tractors, it also features Klancher’s trademark studio photography, and contains examples of every model line-built by Deere since 1919. Klancher, author of the acclaimed TRACTOR and the Red Tractor series, routinely pours heart and soul into his books. The visually stunning John Deere book blends incredible images of tractors photographed in custom-built studios with concept drawings and behind-the-scenes looks at the process of design and manufacturing. The book includes dozens of drawings and images from the Henry Dreyfuss Archives housed at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in…

Remembering ice harvests and haying The September issue of Farm Collector brought back memories of the ice harvest and haying. The harvest I am familiar with came from Beaver Creek, when I was just a boy and in school during the week. Beaver Creek began in the Kanorado area of Kansas and flowed northeast and entered Nebraska southeast of McCook and then into a mostly easterly direction. Ten or 12 farmers would get together and build a dam with slips and my uncle would follow up with a Farmall F-30 with a tumblebug in early fall. Usually by late January or early February, the ice was ready to be harvested. There was an ice house on my grandfather’s farm. I believe it was 12 by 16 feet, maybe 10 feet…

The genius of pioneer inventors can confound us. Countless contraptions that revolutionized farming in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become contemporary curiosities, or even mysteries. Here are six sent in by readers. Do you know what they are? Answers to the December 2021 items will appear in the February 2022 issue. Answers for new items in this issue must be received by Dec. 3, 2021. NOVEMBER MYSTERY TOOLS To submit photos:  Send prints to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Send digital images to editor@farmcollector.com. Photos should be taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and markings on the piece, and your name, city and state. We cannot guarantee every photo will be published. No photos will be returned. Digital photos…

Need something to help you stay on top of a busy schedule? Check out the all-new Farm Collector 2022 Wall Calendar, featuring varied farm collectibles in full-color, full-page photos every month for a year. From classic tractors to vintage steam engines, stationary gas engines to windmills, garden tractors to antique trucks, this calendar will help you enjoy old iron every day of the year. Farm Collector 2022 Wall Calendar. Available through Store.FarmCollector.com or by calling (866) 624-9388. Mention promo code MFCPALZ3. Item #11176.…

Best Seller! GAS ENGINE RESTORATION From start to finish, Peter Rooke’s revised, easy-to-follow narrative will impress and educate both new and experienced hobbyists with exhaustive coverage of the process. In 112 pages, Rooke meticulously leads you from stripping an engine through rebuilding each component — from bearings to cylinder head to ignition. Tips along the way cover everything from repairing damaged threads to removing rust and zinc plating. #5463 $19.95 $15.96 MORE GAS ENGINE RESTORATION A follow-up to his highly regarded first book (pictured above), this newest gas engine restoration guide from veteran vintage engine restorer Peter Rooke offers a wealth of information for both the new and experienced engine hobbyist. Drawing from his experience repairing and restoring gas engines, Rooke shares the tips and techniques he’s acquired to aid…

More than 100 years ago, an early October issue of the Farm and Dairy, a weekly farm paper still published in Salem, Ohio, carried the following news item: “Corn cutters throughout Ohio are making between $9 and $14 a day. The prevailing rate is from 18 to 20 cents a shock and the average cutter is able to dispose of 50 shocks a day. N.E. Shaw of the state agriculture department knows of one man who cut 80 shocks from sunup to sundown and received 25 cents a shock.” Even though the Armistice ending the Great War had gone into effect in November 1918, the wartime boom continued through 1919. Many soldiers were still on occupation duty and had not yet been demobilized. This meant that farm labor was in…

Paul Wallem, best-selling author of The Breakup, continues the conversation in his latest release, Successes and Industry Firsts. In the new book, he shines a light on the many successful products developed by IH between 1940 and 1980, including industry firsts. You’ll enjoy never-before-published photos and stories about the design and development of International Harvester products. In telling the stories of an extraordinary company and its exceptional people, Wallem (a former IH executive and dealer) delves into everything from home appliances to an iconic cab-over sleeper to the design and development of the top-secret Axial-Flow combine project. Successes and Industry Firsts: International Harvester 1940-1980, by Paul Wallem, 2021, softcover, 170 pages, published by 3-Point Ink, P.O. Box 519, Greenville, IL 62246; (618) 664-1550; 3pointink.com/shop; $28 (shipping included on U.S. orders).…

AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF TRACTORS & FARM MACHINERY This fact-packed encyclopedia charts this exceptional history, the machines and their manufacturers. Each vehicle is illustrated with archive material or photography, together with specification boxes detailing engine capacity, power, transmission and weight. Including an international overview of farm machinery around the world, this volume forms a highly comprehensive tractor encyclopedia that all enthusiasts will want to own. #11215 $25.00 $21.25 RED COMBINES 1915-2020 This award-winning book chronicles the complete story of the red combine’s impact on agriculture and society. Co-authored by long-time IH and Case IH product manager Gerry Salzman, Red Combines 1915–2020 is a unique collaboration that featured Klancher’s storytelling ability and Salzman’s knowledge from 42 years as an industry leader and insider. #11093 $65.00 $55.25 THE HOME BLACKSMITH The Home…