Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024/January 2025 i Farm Collector

I paid my first visit to the Mount Pleasant Old Threshers Reunion just last month (at the time of writing). I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed by the scale and quality of the event. The grounds and surrounding town of Mount Pleasant was a pleasure to see as well. When I was originally heading out to Mount Pleasant, I was unprepared for how big of an event the Old Threshers Reunion was. I had seen photos from some of the previous years, but I don’t think they captured the size of the grounds or amount of displays. Even compared to the other vintage shows I’ve been to, Old Threshers was a sight to behold. Of course, I wasn’t the only one out enjoying a vintage show. I met…

Lately, the business news has been full of how giant Delphi Corp. of Troy, Mich., has filed for Chapter 11 protection and is negotiating with the unions for big wage and benefit cuts, while awarding executives healthy bonuses. Several subsidiaries are involved in the proceedings as well, including Delphi Packard Electric. This firm is a direct descendant of Packard Electric of Warren, Ohio, a large manufacturer of electrical and other parts for General Motors. Packard Electric traces its lineage back to the New York & Ohio Co., which was started in Warren in the late 19th century by brothers James and William Packard to manufacture electrical transformers and incandescent lamps. James Ward Packard, however, did a lot more than make transformers and light bulbs. The Packard brothers were wealthy and…

“I know what I know, and I’m not listening.” Sound familiar? In the world we live in, we develop thoughts, ideas and ways of doing things that allow us to be successful or unsuccessful. We adapt to our environment and, if our ideas are correct, we reap a profitable reward. Too many times we are not open to change. Farmer Brown (not his real name, as it is lost to history) was summer-fallowing his field one hot summer day in 1939. Half of the field was seeded into wheat, and the other half he kept fallow (weed-free). Farmer Brown began farming with horses and graduated to tractors. That giant step in technology allowed farmers many advantages. They no longer needed to feed horses all winter long, horse runaways became a…

Of the fervent collectors interviewed for the article on employee badges, none has come across a treasure like the one owned by Wayne Greenwood, Oswego, Ill. During World War II, Wayne’s father, Lowell Beryl Greenwood, served the United States Army Auxiliary Military Police as a member of the Deere & Co. Special Police. The family now lovingly guards his police badge within a display of many work-related items that commemorate his years with the company. As a guard at John Deere Plow Works in Moline, Lowell Greenwood was a natural choice for official army-security duty at the plant. There, a government contract transformed the plant from a plow manufacturer into a producer of M-72 projectiles for the war cause. In all, employees turned out 18 million rounds that measured 9…

I have been collecting Wilton match holders for a good while now and here are the ones I have. I don’t know how many different ones that Wilton made. The ones I have all have Wilton on the back of them. I’m always looking for a new one that I don’t have. Just thought this would bring back a few good memories for some of the old farm hands. Growing up the only one we had was made of tin like the one my granddaughter painted a blue bird on after I had painted the inside orange and the outside blue. I’ve lived in Arkansas all my life, 80 years. Send letters to: Farm Collector Editorial, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609; fax: (785) 274-4385; email: editor@farmcollector.com; online at:…

First lot ended September 12, 2024 John Deere Model B Unstyled, 37 bids, high bid of $1,540 John Deere 720 Diesel Row Crop, 86 bids, high bid of $5,390 John Deere Model A Unstyled, 72 bids, high bid of $3,850 John Deere Model GN, 44 bids, high bid of $2,530 John Deere Model 60 Row Crop Gas, 88 bids, high bid of $1,760 Oliver Two Bottom Roll Over Plow, 39 bids, high bid of $374 John Deere 1B Corn Sheller, 18 bids, high bid of $49.50 For more information on this and other auctions, visit aumannvintagepower.com…

1960 saw the dawn of unprecedented innovation and development in farm machinery; a period of rapid technological advancement produced machines that are the mainstay of the current very buoyant vintage tractor restoration movement. At the start of the decade, spark-ignition Standard Fordson tractors still occasionally required repair; by the end of the decade, the Fordson Diesel Major had been replaced by the Ford 1000 series. The history of these iconic brands is well-known; Oily Hands and the Smell of Diesel gives an alternative view - the inside story of the agricultural machinery repair trade. First employed as an apprentice, then moving his way up to an engineer, David Harris gives an entertaining, informative personal account of his time at a Ford main tractor dealership. While working on Ford, Fordson, County,…

Authored by the late Neil Yerigan, this book comprehensively covers how magnetos function as well as how to troubleshoot and repair common problems. The fine art of nondestructive disassembly is covered in detail and is a key ingredient to keeping your magneto (and your tractor) happy and running. Inside you’ll find sections on the most common magnetos, as well as voltage regulator field repair and testing, electric starter motors, and wiring advice. Yerigan augments the book’s technical detail with anecdotes about the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in his stateof-the-art (for 1936) electrical repair shop. Order now with discount code DECJAN20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount. This title is available at Store. FarmCollector.com or by calling 866-624-9388. Item #6384. Promotional offer expires on 1/17/25.…

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/January 2025 items will appear in the April/May 2025 issue. Answers for new items in this issue must be received by December 4, 2024. DECEMBER/JANUARY 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 any markings on the piece. We cannot guarantee every photo will be published, nor can we respond to inquiries regarding when photos will be published.…

By 1926, farmers had already been using hay presses for between 40-50 years. Several manufacturers and inventors designed and built automatic versions of the hay press as well, but none of them functioned to expectations, so the automatic hay press didn’t make it to general use until the 1940s. However, that didn’t stop inventive individuals from trying to make the automatic hay press a success. One such individual, William A. Seymour, was determined to build a better machine. The image shown here is from a pamphlet distributed in 1926 that describes Seymour’s invention and goals. The name of his creation? The Seymour Automatic Hay Press. According to Seymour, no one had designed a practical automatic hay press. He even referred to the prior designs as “crude, experimental machines.” The Seymour…

This book is an inspiring guide for adaptive restoration, including a survey of the types of barns found across the United States and advice for salvaging barn timber and moving structures. A stunning selection of residential and commercial projects – barns transformed into homes, studios, offices, churches, community centers, theaters, art centers, motor lodges, and the like, are shown. The barns featured range from those almost completely recycled by homeowners to more ambitious renovations by architects. Originally published in the 1970s, this classic book has been updated with color photographs, sure to be treasured by architects and preservationists for generations to come. Order now with discount code DECJAN20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount. This title is available at Store.FarmCollector.com or by calling 866-624-9388. Item #10560. Promotional offer expires…

One of the good things about living in a small country like the U.K. is that we don’t have to travel very far to get to our vintage vehicle events. There are at least five “vintage rallies” featuring old vehicles, tractors and steam traction engines all within a 60-mile radius of where I live, and there are several county agricultural shows within 30 miles of my home. There really is somewhere to go to every weekend if you feel so inclined. I must admit, in the summer months, I am increasingly disinclined to travel far on weekends — I like where I live and as a working person, I value my time at home — this new found middle-aged antisocial tendency of mine means I don’t attend as many events…