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  1. 32 points
    I have been working on this since last year with a failed attempt because of cheap over the big pond rebuild kit. Want to give BIG thanks to @Docwheelhorse. For picking up this engine for me in January. It was a partial 856. Yes it has been that long. I had to switch over parts from the bad engine to this one witch is a vacuum engine being my first. Been a long good day out side in the sun. I hope you enjoy the picks and one Video. IMG_1467.mov
  2. 25 points
    Big Thanks To, @Vinylguy for helping me out with this custom decal. Thank You, Sir! My part doesn’t do this justice…lol. I need to do this more often.
  3. 23 points
    I can’t believe we are knocking on months from driver’s training for my youngest! August (July 29 actually) will mark eligibility for taking classes and getting behind the wheel. My kids have grown up driving, getting dirty, failing and excelling. No surprise there, with their father learning to wrench on Christmas toys long before they were played with, and their mother following in the footsteps of their grandfather, Adam Petty’s ASA teammate and 1994 ASA Rookie of the Year recipient. This 1992 Chevy Short Box C1500 toted Mrs. P’s Hobby Stock circle track dirt car to every race she could afford to get to, when she wasn’t penciled in for a swim meet in high school. It was a 4.3L Automatic bare bones 2wd work truck, no A/C, no power windows, just a good ole’ first set of wheels. It was passed back to her dad, and long before I was involved with this side of my family, it’s been sitting victim of high miles, hard work, and a ventilated V6 block. When we were dating, I pulled a donor engine from a junk yard and wheelbarrow toted that hefty thing about 300 yards to the register. @Lil’ Pullstart’s Great, Great Uncle Steve is a well known hot rodder in the area. He took the engine down to his shop, had it bored .030” over, rebuilt it with all new pistons, cam, timing set, bearings, valve, the whole ball of wax. It’s been on a stand waiting for this project for over 15 years, maybe 17 or so if I can count and recall dates correctly. About a year or two ago, we were camping at Grandpa’s house and Rylee started having a conversation with him about buying the truck back. It has been pushed from the yard, to the barn, filled with stuff, pushed out, pushed around, leaned on a time or two, etc. They settled on $300 as is, with the engine. I picked the engine up about a year ago. Her truck has been loaded on Grandpa’s ramp truck with a dead battery and flat on the bottom tires for even longer. Last weekend, we went over, popped some 5 on 5” wheels and tires from a race car on the back, pushed it off the ramp truck and tugged it home. I have a 5 speed manual swap to go into it, thanks to a local CL ad for the transmission and Tony Angelo from Motor Trend’s Hot Rod Garage and now his own show Stay Tuned. Since anything in the engine bay that is plastic or rubber has been cooking in the sun for a few years with no hood, I am thinking a lot of electronics will go away in favor of a nice carburetor, and an HEI ignition. I have a 2000 K3500 (5.7L 4x4) parts truck for the things like grille and headlights, washer and coolant tanks, any interior parts needed, I found a clean front bumper in my stash, and some things will be needed like good tires, brakes, etc, and we will search for those. There are more parts still at Grandpa’s like the hood, motor mounts, radiator, etc, but it’s nice the truck is home.
  4. 22 points
    Hello everyone, I am an old member here, most will know me as wh1257, but after forgetting my password for a long time, I created a new one.
  5. 21 points
    Watched this 14yo make a perfect 3 pt turn ....all day with his 5Horse hitch.
  6. 20 points
    Well after a couple of years of farting around, cleaning, building, rebuilding and gathering parts I finally finished my little JD horse and a half hit miss engine. It was in sad shape when I got it, but it had all it's pieces. Here's some pictures.
  7. 20 points
    just got word my grandson , graduates from san Diego / to camp Lejeune , to flight status , crew chief / loadmaster , will be flying , Europe / Africa , 3 weeks out of every month , 21 year's old, started out in a class of 54 , 7 finally made it , all going to different theaters / aircraft . be flying a C130J , loadmaster . hope to see him before he heads out , proud GRAMPA
  8. 20 points
    Hi all, any funny signs or picktchas that made you smile or laugh out loud? Post them here to share the smiles. Wife spotted this one on the web and thought it matched my approach to engineering....
  9. 19 points
    Never had a truck of my own. I always borrowed dad's or my father in laws for my horse wrangling adventures. Today I changed that. I hope to get years and years of service out of this rig! 2024 Ram 2500 Big Horn.
  10. 19 points
    Made our first trout stocking this morning.
  11. 18 points
    A week of 50F temps and an inch of rain yesterday = a roll down the frost lumps day. Put the "new" $175 310-8 to work for the first time. He did good, but could use a couple new sneakers and some weight on his rear. I'm a hydro guy, but the gear drive was OK for this job. It ran for 2 hours non-stop in H2nd. I only had to push the clutch one time to back it in the shed.
  12. 18 points
    As of today February 23 2024 I'm the proud owner of a C595. It's a 1984 complete with a 3 point hitch and a pto. Took some work and determination but it's sweet and well worth the effort.
  13. 18 points
    Build your own tractor The Victor Traction Gear Company of Loudonville, Ohio developed a unique opportunity for farmers or others wanting a tractor to build their own. In 1913 they provided a KIT to allow you to use whatever engine (Primarily Hit & Miss at the time) you had and a bit if ingenuity to build a tractor. The kit weighed about a thousand pounds and would be shipped by rail. There were apparently no dealerships and the purchaser paid the freight charges. I haven’t been able to find any sales information or pricing. The kit consisted of differential and transmission gears, traction wheels, freight wheels, axles, steering gear parts, clutch sprockets, chain and other appliances for converting gasoline engines into tractors. You made your own wood frame and used whatever engine you wanted. The transmission had one forward speed and a reverse gear. It was not intended to be used in the fields for plowing although it could pull a heavy load. The Victor Tractor was a drivable self-propelled power source made for hay baling, grinding, threshing, filling silos, powering saw mills, and other belt work. Engines of that time had a belt pulley and clutch built in.
  14. 18 points
    The Doodlebug, not quite a tractor but better than horses Of the four million plus Fords produced between 1928 and 1931 about a half-million were trucks and busses of some sort. The AA was a heavy-duty truck for its time, the Ford AA truck was one of the most desirable trucks due to its relatively low price and dependability. As newer, faster, more comfortable trucks were produced the popularity of the AA trucks waned. That became the birth of the Doodlebug. The Ford AA could be purchased at a very reasonable price and converted into a functional tractor for farmer who wanted to go horseless but couldn’t afford a tractor. Some doodlebugs were built from cars but the rear axle strength was lacking and final drive gear ratios of the heavy truck were much more suitable. My grandfather’s doodlebug was a 1931 AA that had been shortened, fitted with two three speed transmissions, had dual rear wheels with chains, and a concrete slab was poured over the rear end for added traction. It was modified by a local welding/machine shop since my grandfather didn’t have the equipment or skills to do the job himself. The doodlebug could tow previously horse-drawn equipment with ease, the only drawback was the need for an operator to ride on the equipment to raise and lower a plow or others. It was faster than a team of horses and didn’t eat the grain and hay being produced. The heavy-duty rear axle and high final drive ratio of the dual transmissions reduced the load on the engine and clutch. Most doodlebugs, including my grandfathers, had the front and rear springs removed, the front has a center pivot and the rear axle is bolted directly to the frame. The wheelbase was shortened for greater maneuverability and fenders removed for better visibility. The Ford AA had mechanical brakes which are adequate for general use but leave a lot to be desired when towing a loaded hay wagon. Though we had several tractors available by the time I came along the doodlebug was still a valuable tool on the farm. We towed wagons, moved equipment, spread manure and had fun with it. It also powered flat belt driven equipment. After position the doodlebug in the right spot the right rear wheel would be removed and replaced with a flat belt pulley and the left rear tire would be blocked and brake locked down. With all the gearing speeds available it could handle any task. I doubt that any two Doodlebugs were alike, all were built by people with a variety of wants and needs to be met. One Doodlebug I saw at a tractor show had a pulley mounted on the drive shaft between the two transmissions. It drove a hydraulic pump which powered a hydraulic motor on a winch used to raise and lower a grader blade. Some have seating for one, some for two. Many Doodlebugs had a wooden truck-bed or tool box behind the operator. That is the fun part of these home-built units, no rules! Other early options to replace the horse will appear in the next few days.
  15. 17 points
    My wife went with our daughter and granddaughter to a one day dance competition in Fort Wayne yesterday. As a team (6 girls) they did great with a Platinum award. Our 7 year old granddaughter, Ilyssa, performed a solo routine called the Stray Cat Strut. The results The entire team is now eligible for a national competition in New Jersey later this summer. Fortunately I was able to watch it live via an app called DanceBug.
  16. 17 points
    The Thrifty Farmer Tractor Conversion Kit The Thrifty Farmer kits sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co. in the 1930s promised to make your old Ford Model T or Model A into a tractor for less than $100. Later, kits became available for the 1929-31 Chevrolets. The kits were listed in Sears spring and fall catalogs from 1932 to 1941. By 1935, Sears had added kits for newer Ford V-8 powered cars along with Plymouth, Dodge, and Chevrolet autos with 6-cylinder engines. The kits were produced by Peru (Illinois) Wheel Co., A 1932 Sears Thrifty Farmer booklet notes that, “With the Ford body removed, and without drilling a single hole, you can in a few hours convert the old Ford into a tractor that has the pulling power of two to four horses, depending on the condition of the motor.” The working speed of the engine after the tractor conversion was 1,200rpm. The motor in a new 1928 Model A was rated at 40 brake horsepower at 2,200rpm. The final drive system on the early kits was somewhat complex, employing a jackshaft and a series of four gears on each rear wheel. The gears are mounted “high off the ground away from loose soil and trash” and are “covered on top and sides by a strong steel hood to keep out mud and protect the operator.” Within two years, Sears released a less complicated version of the kit. Transferring power to the rear wheels now employed nine-tooth pinion gears, attached to each rear axle, which engaged large diameter ring (bull) gears mounted on each wheel. The rear end (differential) of the car had to be flipped, end for end, as part of the assembly process. If it weren’t flipped, there would be three reverse speeds and one very slow forward. Peru Wheel Co. also supplied kits to Montgomery Ward & Co., called a Utility Tractor Unit, a few years before they began supplying a very similar kit to Sears. The main differences in the two kits were the diameters of the bull gears and rear wheels. The Sears gear measured 37 inches in diameter with 108 teeth, while the Wards gear was 40 inches and 120 teeth, mounted on 45-inch and 50-1/2-inch wheels respectively. Since Montgomery Ward part numbers were cast into the bull gears and the axle clamps used by both large retailers, people were often misled as to which kit was used to build a particular tractor. Early conversion kits were sold before 1920. Ultimately, more than 100 kit manufacturers operated coast to coast. Some of the brands available in the U.S. and Canada included Staude, Knickerbocker, Shaw, and OTACO. The front wheels, supplied in the kit, had non-skid attachments. The two attachments were formed of arc-shaped sections of 1-3/4-inch angle iron, each covering half the wheel. When bolted on, they formed a narrow steel rib in the center of the wheel. That made steering easier, especially in loose soil.
  17. 17 points
    Added a big sticker on the 523-H hood. Tried to talk the wife into putting one on her truck window, but she said "no thank you". ...Or might have been "I'll kill you"? I wasn't really paying attention.
  18. 16 points
    Spent yesterday afternoon and evening laying some red paint, always an exciting day! This is the 702 project I've been helping a friend with. There's been a lot of sheetmetal work In this, but seeing the outcome makes it all worth it
  19. 16 points
  20. 16 points
    Unfortunately I forgot to take any before pictures. I got this years ago when I bought a barn full tools and equipment from an elderly gentleman. It was bent quite badly likely from someone putting a pipe on the handle for some reason. I heated and straightened it then cleaned and sanded it. The jaws are in great shape so it just needed some paint at this point. Of course it was painted IH red to match my Wheel Horses.
  21. 16 points
    Refreshed some front rims using a card board trim. (we don't have playing cards). lol just cut an oval out overlap the pieces, of course got to push the bead down some.
  22. 16 points
    Hi all, been following this forum for quite a while. Finally have time to dive into my addiction to these awesome tractors. Now that I've sold my business and retired, I'm catching up on things that I had to sideline, due to so many commitments. I've picked up a wealth of great info here, really helpful on my first restoration, an 856 that was a rustbucket, with a blown engine. I'll post some pics of that project, (Now complete) and my next one, a C120 I just picked up at auction, as it progresses. My first, a C121, I've had for twenty years, and still looks and runs perfectly. I'll be looking for a few attachments for that one soon. 20240112_141919.mp4
  23. 16 points
    Thieman kit tractors The Thieman Harvester Co., Albert City, Iowa, offered farmers an inexpensive tractor kit from 1936-1942 The buyer had to provide an engine, transmission, driveshaft radiator and rear axle from a Ford Model A, 1928 Chevrolet or Dodge Four cylinder car. Kits were priced at $ 185 or you could order a complete tractor with a Ford Model A engine for about $500.Therman’s brochure recommend a Model A motor “with new or reconditioned block, Model A Ford HD truck radiator, and a four-blade fan. Those low prices were a welcome relief to farmers who wished to go horseless during the Great Depression. Thieman offered several options, including a governor ($15), combination drawbar ($9), air cleaner ($7) and rubber wheels ($122.75 for all three). Any 2-row horse-drawn cultivator could be adapted to the tractor with a cultivator attachment ($15). Also offered on later model tractors was a cast-iron grill. Thieman Harvester Co. began in 1921, brothers Henry D., William B., Herman, Charles, and Warren Thieman, made silage harvesters. They expanded their product line including livestock feeders and waterers, end gates, plow guides, saw frames and power units, as well as steel burial vaults. Sales of Thieman tractors and kits were so brisk that as many as 150 people were employed 24 hours a day during peak seasons. The need for steel for World War II defense production ended company operations in the 1940s.
  24. 15 points
    The most ingenious name in tractor design you probably never heard of: Wallis Tractors The Wallis “Bear” tractor was a bit larger than your average bear, the 16,000-pound tractor rolled onto the western prairielands in 1902 with a 1062 cubic inch gasoline/kerosine engine, three speed enclosed transmission and power assist steering. Later models came with a 1480 cubic inch inline, upright 4-cylinder engine with a 7-1/2-by-9-inch bore and stroke capable of pulling a ten-bottom plow. The mechanical power steering unit is driven off the engine and provides an assist in turning the front wheels by a system of clutches, pulleys, and belts. A lever near the steering wheel is used to engage or disengage the power steering. Only nine Bears were built between 1902 and 1910. The Wallis Tractor Co., Cleveland, OH, began with H.M. Wallis as the company’s president; he was also a son-in-law of J.I. Case and later became president of the J.I. Case Plow Works, Racine, WI. Wallis saw the fast-growing trend for smaller, more nimble tractors and as a result the Bear was followed in 1913 by the Wallis Cub, the Cub Junior in 1915 and the Model K in 1919. All were produced at the J.I. Case Plow Works in Racine. Only 660 Cubs were built during its six-year production run but the Cub’s unique patented one piece curved “U” Frame construction was revolutionary. The “U” Frame serves as the engine oil pan and tractor frame attaching to the steering at the front and transmission and final drive at the rear, it is the backbone of the tractor. The elimination of a separate frame allowed the Wallis Cub and its successors to be lighter weight per horse power. Virtually every full-size tractor built today traces its DNA back to the Wallis Cub and its revolutionary “U” Frame. In 1927 the company arranged an agreement to sell Wallis tractors in Canada through Massey-Harris. One year later, Massey-Harris bought J.I. Case Plow Works and continued to build Wallis tractors, including the 20-30 and the 12-20. Though Wallis Tractor Company is no longer with us the legacy of their “U” Frame lives on throughout the world.
  25. 15 points
    Welcome to Red Square👍👍 Here are a few pics of my main “Attachment”. Actually, more a device to attach my attachments to. Built from mainly scrap metal, apart from the winch! Plus a few other things that the C121 handles with relative ease! IMG_0822.mov IMG_0822.mov
  26. 15 points
    I built one several years ago, very simple and not too expensive. The rake tines came from Agri supply https://www.agrisupply.com/hole-landscape-rake-tine/p/10454/ The cross bar the tines attach to is two inch, 1/4" thick angle iron and the drawbar is two inch by 3/4" flat bar charved down to fit the sleeve hitch. Simple to make and works well.
  27. 15 points
    Hello everybody, it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've just sanded down the hood on the 1969 charger 12 to look like patina, don't know how good of a job I did, but the idler pulley also went, so I replaced that as well. Got some chains put on it for the remaining months of winter too.
  28. 14 points
    Bates Steel Mule Many early tractors were a bit strange looking by today’s standards and the Bates Steel Mule was no exception. The Steel Mule Tractor was designed at the dawn of the industrial age and tractors were designed to pull any horse-drawn implement the farmer owned. In 1913 the Joliet Oil Tractor Company began production of their first tractor, The Steel Mule. The tractor was powered by a four-cylinder 13-30 gasoline engine coupled to a transmission with two forward speeds and one reverse. Sounds rather conventional so far, but rather than driving large steel wheels the Steel Mule had a single centered crawler track at the rear to move the tractor and two front wheels for steering and stability. One very unconventional but useful feature was the front wheels that could be adjusted up or down to keep the tractor level while working on a hillside. The driver could sit on the installed seat or utilize the telescopic steering shaft to operate the “Mule” from the seat of the implement being towed. Steel Mules were exported to England and Ireland by 1916 priced at £500, ($ 36,740 in US dollars today) and were shown at the Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland's tractor trials in October 1917 A half-century later a somewhat similar propulsion design was used on the 1953 Endless Tread Garden Tractor. In 1919 the Bates Machine & Tractor Company introduced a more conventional half-track design known as the Model D with two rear tracks, it sold for $ 1,500. Three different engine manufacturers were used, Midwest Engine from 1921 to 1925; Beaver Engine from 1926 to 1928; and LeRoi engine was used from 1929 to 1937. Bates also produced a kit to convert a Fordson tractor to a half-track tractor to increase traction and reduce soil compaction.
  29. 14 points
    For those of us old enough to remember when car magazines were the only place to see photos of upcoming models and / or parts......these were spotted recently at the K & B proving grounds :
  30. 14 points
    Mergers and acquisitions built the Massey brand The namesakes of the future Massey-Harris company would operate farm equipment and harvester manufacturing businesses independently for much of the later part of the 19th century before their paths merged. Daniel Massey started out in business during the 1840s, while Alanson Harris followed about 10 years later. Both men were in the same industry, manufacturing their own designs of reapers and implements. When one brought out an improved model the competitor would then matched or exceed it shortly thereafter. In 1891 the two companies came together in a merger of the Massey Manufacturing company of Toronto and the A. Harris, Son, & Co. of Brantford, Ontario—two of Canada’s brightest agricultural companies joining forces for what would be a bountiful future as the Massey-Harris Company. As is the case with so many agricultural manufacturing companies of the 1800s and early twentieth century, the order of the day was acquisition. “Acquire, acquire, acquire,” was the secret to adding capacity, outlets, and variety to their line. The Massey-Harris Company added company after company during this time. By adding the Deyo-Macey company of Binghamton, New York, to its line, Massy Harris entered a new arena with gas engine manufacturing capacity. The company entered the U.S. market in 1910 by taking a controlling interest in the Johnson Harvester Company, but it would be more than 10 years before it would acquire an additional large U.S.-based company. Massey Harris wanted to get into the growing tractor market. The first tractor to carry the Massey-Harris name was made by the Parrott Tractor Company of Chicago (see Tractor Trivia and other interesting stuff 1/21/2024). The model was known as the No. 1 or No. 2 there and was based off the Parrett 12-25. This wasn’t quite the answer Massey-Harris was looking for, but its destiny with tractors was soon to be realized. In 1927 the company agreed to sell Wallis Tractors in Canada through the Massey-Harris dealer network. One year later, Massey-Harris bought J.I. Case Plow Works, the maker of the Wallis Tractor, and continued to build Wallis Tractors, including the 20-30 and in 1929 the smaller 12-20. (We will learn a lot more about the Wallis Tractor Company tomorrow). Massey-Harris then rebranded the Wallis with the name of the Massey-Harris Company of Racine. It finally had a viable tractor line under its ownership, control, and design. The following decades were fruitful times for the Massey-Harris Company. During World War II, Massey-Harris produced and fulfilled war department orders for a variety of vehicles and needs to support the war effort. Meanwhile, a man across the Atlantic Ocean was beginning to make some waves and eventually would join with the Massey-Harris Company. His name was Harry Ferguson from Northern Ireland, he was about to revolutionize the tractor industry. Ferguson met Henry Ford when he came stateside to demonstrate his revolutionary 3-point hitch system. Ferguson and Ford came up with handshake agreement, Ford would manufacture the 9N model incorporating the Furgeson System and Ferguson would distribute and sell them in Europe. The arrangement worked until just after World War Two. Formal negotiations were pursued but in the end Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford went their own ways. Both Massey-Harris and Ferguson needed help to remain competitive so in 1953 they began negotiations and Massey-Harris made an offer to acquire Ferguson’s company, Harry Ferguson accepted. In the five years after the merger the company was offering Ferguson branded tractors, Massey-Harris tractors, and Massey-Ferguson branded tractors under three different dealer networks. This led to confusion for customers and the dealer network alike. In 1958, the name change to Massey-Ferguson was finalized. Soon the company was again in acquisition mode, and through the 1970s it bought such companies as Perkins, a leader in diesel engine design, Italian tractor company Landini and numerous other worldwide brands. The Massey-Ferguson footprint was truly multinational, and its reach was immense. It became the largest agricultural machinery manufacturer in the world. AGCO Corporation came into the picture in the mid-1990s. Massey-Ferguson had a 20% market share of worldwide agricultural machinery sales, but nearly 90% of its sales were derived from non-domestic locations. AGCO had a domestic base but no international manufacturing or dealer network. AGCO acquired Massey-Ferguson in 1994 for cash and stock. What followed was a resurgence in the brand and an even further expansion in market share, estimated currently to hover near 40% of farm machinery sold worldwide today—a wonderful testament to the power of a strong and reputable brand name
  31. 14 points
    Roths Garden Tractor Immediately after World War Two there was a strong demand for motorized lawn and garden equipment and Herbert Roths was eager to meet the need. Roths Industries began manufacturing two wheeled walk-behind garden tractors in 1945 known as the Garden King. Roths Industries first patent was for the design of an ornamental tractor. (An ornamental design patent only protects the design of a manufactured object, unlike a utility patent which protects the function and operation of an item.) This patent was awarded on June 17, 1947. Their second patent awarded on February 21, 1950 for a garden tractor design which would later become the Roths Garden King walking tractor which went into production in 1945. The drivetrain known as Steeromatic Control transferred power from a gear reduction gasoline engine to a worm gear drive with Forward/Reverse, Ratchet type differential to a chain drive to each drive wheel. Roths Model-G and BesRo utilized transmissions and other parts from the Garden King. The BesRo W riding tractor was basically a Garden King Model G walk-behind tractor with the handlebars replaced by a steerable sulky added to the rear. A four wheel BesRo R riding model with the operator forward of the engine was also offered. Roths went into the four-wheel riding garden tractor business in 1958 with two models, the “Country Boy” and the “Little Jef.” No production records are available but it is believed that production ended in 1960 According to the sales flyer below the Roth Country Boy and its baby brother the Little Jeff, both have “STEEROMATIC CONTROL” which means attachments move exactly as you want them to – with no wide arcs – no removal of plants in cultivating. Complete control over rear working tools at all times! Roth had an optional lift system referred to as “PARALLELING REAR TOOL LIFT” that was similar to a three-point lift. They also boasted that the Country Boy and Little Jeff were engineered as close to the ground as it’s feasible for a tractor to get which gives you the greatest possible security. Won’t tip under load since exclusive construction places pulling load ahead of rear axle instead of behind. Keeps front end firmly on ground.
  32. 14 points
    Installed some brand new LED headlights that I got for my birthday from my Grandma on my C-145 today way brighter and way more distance. No DIY I did it just about all by myself it was just plug and play. I can post the link if you guys want they were on scamazon
  33. 14 points
    One Wheel is enough In addition to the Choremaster and Kinkade one wheel garden tractors dozens of others were offered to people who were tired of hoeing by hand or pushing human powered cultivators. Some were so outlandish that it is obvious they would not be successful yet others were the beginnings of successful garden tractor companies. There are so many I will present them in two instalments. Victor Tractor The largest and probably the least practical one wheeled tractor was the Victor Tractor built in 1919 with a Climax four cylinder engine. This may have been a prototype attempting to attract investors or perhaps it was just someone’s dream come true. No other information could be found on it. Spry Wheel Very little coverage could be found concerning the Spry Wheel walking tractor. I did find out it had no clutch and battery ignition. This review appeared in the June 22, 1922 The Florists, Review #23 A light power cultivator is made by H. C. Dodge, Inc., Boston, Mass., and is known as the Sprywheel. This one- wheel tractor is found to work well in cultivating plants set out in narrow rows. An eastern nurseryman finds it particularly useful for cultivating young evergreens and azaleas, which are bedded out, five rows to a bed, with ten inches between the rows, in a heavy clay soil that packs hard, but has no stones in it. In this soil the machine goes from two and one-half to three inches deep; in light soil it will cultivate five inches deep. This nursery- man says: "In previous years this work has always been done by hand hoeing, as the rows are too close together and the stock too valuable to permit the horse cultivator. The trouble with the machine is to find a man who will keep up with it all day. By paying a little extra, however, we are able to save more than the cost of the machine in one week, over the expense of hand work, as it will do more and better work than ten men with hoes. Bolins Handi-Ho The Handi-Ho came with an air cooled single cylinder one and a half or a two and three quarter horsepower model of single wheeled walk behind garden tractor. Attachments included cultivators, lawn mowers, sickle bar mowers snow plows and tillers. Gravely Model “D” Benjamin Franklin Gravely Dunbar, West Virginia, devised a hand-pushed plow fitted with an auxiliary Indian motorcycle engine and driven by belts in 1916. His goal was to build a tractor which would revolutionize gardening and lawn maintenance for the homeowner. This innovative approach to garden cultivation became the Model “D” all-gear single wheeled walk-behind units were powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke engine built from 1916 to 1952. Unitractor The Unitractor manufactured by R.D. Eaglesfield Manufacturing in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has Briggs Model N engine mounted inside the drive wheel and a sickle bar mower attachment. R. D. Eaglesfield of Indianapolis, Indiana, made the "Unitractor" which sold for $98.50 in 1939. The Unitractor weighed 105 pounds and was powered by a 1.5 horse Briggs and Stratton model NR-6. Colwood Motor Hoe The Colwood Motor Hoe was made by Dashwood Engineering of London who produced these machines from 1945 to 1949 The first cultivator was the Model A which first appeared in 1945 with a JAP 2A engine, later models were the model B with a JAP or Villiers power, also the model RA with a Villiers engine. Perhaps @ranger, @meadowfield or @Mickwhitt can tell us more about this one wheeled tractor Endless Tread Garden Tractor The story behind the inspiration for the Endless Tread Garden Tractor is priceless. Sam Beachy, the inweave gentleman who started building the Endless Tread in 1953 recalls that as a young boy his mother would hitch him to the front of a hand pushed cultivator and he would pull it through the family’s rather large garden. His first experimental powered cultivator was a single wheeled unit with a Maytag engine. The gearing was not proper and on the first test he could barely hang on. It was built while Beachy was employed at a machine shop. The first Endless Tread Garden Tractor was built in 1942 powered by a AU7R Continental engine. At some point in the 1950s the engine of choice was changed to Briggs and Stratton. Great Lakes Junior Chief walk behind cultivator The Junior Chief tractor was a single wheel walk behind built by the Great Lakes company in Rock Creek Ohio. It was powered by a 6R6 Briggs and Stratton Engine and was made between 1949 & 1961. Will-Burt Little Farmer The Will-Burt Little Farmer Power Cultivator came to market in 1949 along with several optional accessory implements. This self-propelled cultivator was powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine and sold via catalog for $89.95 George Garden Tractor The George Garden Tractor has a story unlike any you are likely to come acrost. Members the Church of Jesus Christ in Sullivan were conscientious objectors and had a difficult time finding work during World War II, they founded Community Industries to provide employment for church members. The George Division of Community Industries used the phrase “Let George Do It.” The company started out designing and manufacturing a two-wheel garden tractor, then progressed to a one-wheel model. The tractor division continued to thrive. An ad in Popular Mechanics in April 1951 advertised a George Tractor for $107.50: “All equipment for little cost.”
  34. 14 points
    20240131_131823_1_1.mp4 Here's a video of it running for a few seconds. Not much bandwidth for video.
  35. 14 points
    Crushed it, and no trips to the Bumps and Bruises thread!
  36. 14 points
    Kinkade garden tractors The Kinkade one wheel cultivating tractor was manufactured from 1921 to 1952 in Minneapolis, MN., by American Farm Machinery Co., After World War One the industrial revolution saw the migration of young people from the farm to the city, there was a shortage of affordable manpower on the farm. Mechanization was the answer whether it was a big job or small. The Kinkade garden tractor made cultivation of gardens faster and less laborious. All Kinkade garden tractors were one-wheeled, one-cylinder, air-cooled cultivating tractors. What distinguished them from other one wheel garden tractors was the engine’s location, it was mounted inside a hollow steel wheel. Having the engine inside the wheel lowers the center of gravity giving the Kinkade great balance and traction but it also subjected the engine to a lot of dirt. From its beginning in 1921 there was continuous improvement in the design of the engine, frame, and controls. The engine on the 1921 and 1922 models had overhead valves, brass push rod tubes, an external sight-glass for oil level, and brass tubes to the air cleaner and crankcase vent. A brass Schebler carburetor and Danco air cleaner were used. The handles were wood and the operating controls were brass. The 1923 to 1927 Kinkade models featured an improved engine crankcase, a Zenith carburetor, F Head engine and an improved engine cooling fan. The 1921 to 1927 engines had a gear driven magneto or battery ignition offered. The model “K” Kinkade from 1928 to 1935 was a vast improvement over its predecessors. Engine flywheel cooling rather than a separate fan was used, a shaft driven magneto, a Tillotson carburetor and a one piece crankcase were used. The Model “L” from 1936 to 1952 saw the end of the wooden handles, new steel tubular handles replaced them. The drive wheel was wider with pyramid lugs instead of the straight cross bars. The greatly improved L Head engine had an enclosed cooling shroud, valve lifters and improved lubrication system. Yalding to market pressures the Kinkade Suburbanite was produced from 1950 to 1952. It was a smaller inexpensive homeowner one wheel tractor operated by a two-cycle engine and had rubber lugs rather than cast iron. This model was a failure and hurt the reputation of the company. The Kinkade filled a need at the time but their thirty year run was over. This testimonial appeared in June 22, 1922 in the Florists’ Review #23 A small tractor and power cultivator, which has a clutch control and carries the engine inside the large bull or traction wheel, is found in the Kinkade, manufactured by the American Farm Machinery Co., Minneapolis, Minn. "It is a wonderful machine for its size and easily does the work of three men operating hand machines," says C. A. Brazee, wholesale florist and bulb grower, of Wilmington. Cal. "It hoes and cultivates much deeper than a hand machine and makes work a pleasure. I can easily operate it in rows one foot apart, and it is so simple that a boy can operate it. It is strongly con- structed, requiring little or no adjustment, and is always ready for work. Above all, it really does the work."
  37. 14 points
    Pretty much done! ...a few things to touch up, but the belt guard turned out sorta ok- got some dimples, but not terrible. The first pic below is what I started out to mimic. This machine actually started as a L157, so everything from the steering wheel back was made to look like 62-64 model as best I could. Anyway- this is the final look. Little rascal drives great. Low range with 8 inch wheels is like time stands still! Of course, before my son can drive it- it'll get safety switches in the pedals, or some form of bolt-on running boards. His legs are shorter than I thought, so he barely reaches the pedals anyway.
  38. 14 points
    Pow’R Pup My father subscribed to several magazines while I was growing up. Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Mechanics, and Science and Mechanics were my favorites. Their pages were full of wonderful projects and ideas that stimulated a young boys mind. I can recall several “You Can Build This” articles that were so intriguing that they have stuck with me for sixty years or longer. One of them was the “Pow’R Pup Suburban”, a small garden tractor that could be built from salvaged auto parts which were readily available at very low costs at the time. The article appeared in the August 1961 edition of Science & Mechanics and gave an overview of the project with a full set of detailed drawings available for $ 10.00. I didn’t buy the set of plans, wish I had, but the article stuck with me. It might cost a bit more than $ 175.00 to build the Pow’R Pup today. If you happen to have a 1932 to 1948 Ford transmission and rearend hanging around as well as a 1951 to 1953 Studebaker steering gear and related components you are off to a good start. The price of machining of various parts has probably gone up too. I doubt that an old Ford axle could be shortened, threaded and a keyway cut for $ 10.50 anymore. Nonetheless it is fun to look at these old magazine projects and remember what it was like to be a kid. Here are some pages from the article.
  39. 14 points
    The Jaques-Frazer Model T / Jaques Mighty Mite / Ottawa Mule Team Tractor Joseph Frazer had been a partner in the Kaiser-Frazer Automobile Company but sold his interest in the company to partner Henry Kaiser to peruse his interest in building a small tractor. The Frazer Model T chassis was built by the Jaques Power Saw Company which accounts for the name Jaques-Frazer. The completed chassis were shipped to Frazer Farm Equipment where the Swiss made Simar two cycle engines were installed. The stylish round aluminum hoods were war surplus airplane fuel tanks. The tractor came to market in 1948 with individual, foot-operated turning brakes, a recoil- pull-starter, a hand clutch, and a three-speed transmission with a high and low range. It weighed 1020 pounds, sold for $695. The engine started on gasoline, while kerosene could be used as fuel after the engine warmed up. Implements available were a 10-inch plow, 5-ft mower, disc-harrow, bulldozer blade, and a rotary scraper. Not many Jaques-Frazer Model T tractors were built in 1948 and the company lost more than three million dollars. Half interest in Frazer Farm Equipment was sold to D.E. Winslow of Detroit in 1949, he went on to buy the remaining half. in 1950 and move the company to Auburn, Indiana. The Jaques Power Saw Company continued to sell the tractor for a few years as the Jaques Mighty Mite after making modifications including use of a 3-speed transmission, and substituting a 4-cycle Briggs & Stratton engine in place of the Simar engine, along with changing the sheet metal hood. Ottawa Manufacturing Company’s beginnings go back to the 1880’s when it was known as Warner Fence Company that manufactured woven wire fence. In 1949 they decided to get into the lawn and garden tractor business and purchased the rights to the Mighty Mite tractor, along with the parts inventory and tooling from the Jaques Power Saw Co. The Ottawa Mule Team Tractor was born and is a direct descendant of the Mighty Mite and Jaques-Frazer Model T. Ottawa manufactured at least four versions of this tractor ranging in horse power from 8 to 13. Total production numbers are unknown but estimates range from 250 to 1,000. Two catastrophic events brought an end to the Ottawa Mule Team tractor in 1951. The owner, E.L. Warner died from a heart attack and the Marais des Cygnes River that runs through Ottawa, Kansas flooded in July, completely destroying the factory. The company never recovered from these two disasters. The flood is probably also responsible for destroying any company records that might have otherwise survived.
  40. 14 points
    Russell horse-drawn grader Drive by any road construction firm and you are likely to see an antiquer horse-drawn road grader used as yard art. These were state of the art machines in their time. If you look closely, you will find that today’s road graders possess all the functions of their century old predecessors. Hand cranks and manual rack and pinion adjustments have been replaced by hydraulic cylinders; mechanical power has replaced human Armstrong power but the basic principles of operation are largely unchanged. Road building at the dawn of the twentieth century was becoming a greater priority because of the automobile and a burgeoning industrial economy. People were relocating to cities and traveling to places they had only read about. Specialized equipment for road maintenance and construction was needed. In 1903 Richard Russell and C.K. Stockland formed Russell Grader Manufacturing. They had already been involved in road-maintenance equipment and wanted to manufacture graders and other road-building machines to their own designs. Their first product was a horse-drawn elevating-type grader with a gasoline engine to drive the conveyor. As tractors replaced horses the pull-type graders became larger, heavier, and much stronger as steel frames replaced wooden frames. It took a crew of two to operate the grader, a tractor operator and a grader operator who stood on a platform on the rear of the grader. Because hand control was tiresome and could be dangerous if the blade hit a solid object, Russell offered power controls by the early 1920s with a small gasoline engine providing the power. Russell added a small horse drawn road blade grader to its product line in 1908 called the Simplex with a price of $105 to $150 depending on size. Several more blade grader models were added over time. Russell’s first motor grader was produced in 1919. The "Motor Patrol" was available for sale the following year consisting of an Allis Chalmers tractor with a grader frame built around the tractor. Russell released their first “Motor Patrol” with a Caterpillar track-type vehicle for propulsion in 1926. The origin of Caterpillar's involvement in the motor grader industry can be traced back over 120 years ago when Russell built the first horse-drawn elevating grader. Russell graders were frequently pulled by Caterpillar tractors, Russell and Caterpillar leaders explored opportunities to expand their product lines together. As a result, on December 4, 1928, Caterpillar Tractor Co. acquired the Russell Grader Manufacturing Company and created a new "Road Machinery Division" to handle blade grader production and motor grader development. In April 1931, the Road Machinery Division introduced the industry's first true motor grader - the Auto Patrol - different from motor patrols in that it was designed as one machine instead of a separate tractor with a grader frame fitted around it. This was Caterpillar's first venture into a new product line since the company's establishment three years earlier. At first Caterpillar sold the former Russell elevating and blade grader models under its own brand name but, within a few years, completely redesigned and modernized Russell's original graders. The "No.10 Auto Patrol" of 1931 was one of the first graders with major Caterpillar input, tipping the scales at 13,460 pounds and powered by a Cat 40-hp gas engine. During the 1930s, an entire new range was developed, the forerunner of today's line of Caterpillar motor graders. @davem1111 may have something to add.
  41. 13 points
    Cityscapes with tall buildings are attractive but I will stick with the mountains.
  42. 13 points
    Big Red and O'l Rusty Red's dedicated to winter. Rusty mows, hauls the trailer(s), the splitter as well as skidding logs out of the woods.
  43. 13 points
    Finished painting weights this morning and then pulled the engine back out of the frame. When I pulled the tins off I discovered an issue with the starter. The way it was mounted it would have never engaged with the fly wheel as it was too close. To remedy this I made a .215" thick shim to put behind the mounting bracket. With this installed I ran the starter gear out by hand and turned the engine over with the gears engaged. The teeth look to mesh together well so I believe this should solve the issue. Next I pulled the rod & piston assembly out so that I could measure the crank pin. The pin measures out within specs so there will be no need to have it turned. Finished up the day by scuffing the cylinder in preparation for a new set of rings.
  44. 13 points
    Looks like you also mowed some grass Lane. The first mowing award goes to....
  45. 13 points
  46. 13 points
    Little Giant Tractor. Several things make the Little Giant tractor unique. The fan and steering wheel were cast aluminum, unusual in that era. Another out-of-the-ordinary feature is the spring-loaded hitch for smoother driving and operation. And a recommended fuel blend of kerosene and water delivered extra horsepower: The Little Giant was an unusually powerful tractor. The Little Giant was the result of the brilliance of the Mayer brothers: Louis, Lorenz and Conrad. The three opened a machine shop in 1895. There, they produced a mechanical hammer, a revolutionary tool that in essence gave the blacksmith an extra hand, one stronger and more reliable than that of an apprentice. The hammer (also called a trip or power hammer) gained quick success, and the brothers formed the Mayer Bros. Co. The company sold more than 18,000 power hammers during 99 years of production. Shipped to every state in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries, the Little Giant Power Hammer was the best-selling of all brands of mechanical hammers. The innovative brothers manufactured and refined diverse products: boilers, gasoline and steam engines, hoists, steel beams, manifolds, road graders and ditchers, dredging equipment, traffic directors, woodworking equipment, band and circular saws, lathes, drill presses, retractable clothing reels and even a V-8 automobile. Except for the Little Giant trip hammer, which was perfected to peak efficiency, most others were produced for only a short time. The Mayer brothers began development of a gasoline farm tractor around 1910. In June 1914, company literature said, “Our work has been completed. In design, we have created a tractor that is good to look upon. In material, we have used high-grade metals with a prodigality heretofore unknown in tractor manufacturing. In workmanship, we have called to our side labor most skilled. In practical durability, we have produced an article that will outlive and outwork the horse and the ox. Offer it to your customers with the utmost confidence in the world.” Thus, was born the Little Giant tractor to the House of Mayer.” The Little Giant tractor was as expensive, about as much as the highest-priced automobile or truck then available, but the company promised the tractor was years ahead in terms of features, design, material, workmanship and durability. The Little Giant came with an ironclad warranty: Any defective part would be replaced within a year of shipment. The company claimed to know of no way to improve its product. The Little Giant tractor offered not only quality engineering, promotional writers noted, but intrinsic appeal as well” … it will make farming so interesting that your boys will rather remain on the farm than leave for the city.” No boys? No problem. “Every farmer operating a farm of 80 acres or more can solve the hired help problem with the Little Giant oil tractor.” The Mayer brothers had ambitious plans during the early industrialization of America. Several articles in Farm Implement News reported the company’s success. In 1914, the company announced plans to triple the size of its factory. Although the expansion never became a reality, architectural drawings showed a vast complex of buildings, complete with billowing black smoke suggesting full production and prosperity. Meanwhile, promotional pieces in 1915-16 extolled the Little Giant tractor’s advanced features. But the brothers soon found themselves overextended. With a workforce reduced by military recruitment in the months leading to the United States entry into World War One, the company was able to fill just 75 percent of Little Giant tractor orders in 1916. Though trip hammer sales continued strong, the tractor and other projects had seriously diverted income and focus from hammer production. When hammer deliveries were delayed, the company faced bankruptcy. Mayers Bros. was on shaky footing. In 1917 the board of directors took over the newly renamed Little Giant Co., The Mayer brothers resigned their corporate titles and moved to Wisconsin Battling a bottom line in the red, new management eliminated unprofitable products and scrapped inventory in 1923. The Little Giant tractor was among the cuts. In the tractor’s eight-year production run, more than 500 Little Giants had been built
  47. 13 points
    What caused the agricultural depression during the Roaring Twenties? Numerous posts I’ve done have made mention of the agricultural depression that followed the end of World War One and its negative impact on farm machinery and tractor manufacturers. I have studied the history of that economic downturn and found that it was a simple matter of supply and demand coupled with some irrational exuberance. Midwestern grain farmers did well during the first decade and a half of the twentieth century. The Homestead Act provided availability of vast expanses of fertile land and the westward expansion of the railroads provided an affordable means of shipping harvests to eastern metropolitan areas. European immigrants with farming experience and skilled craftsmen alike migrated to the Midwest. Many communities sprung up along railroad lines with large Co-Op grain mills and elevator/storage silos to help farmers send their crops to eastern cities and foreign markets. The Industrial Age was providing improved agricultural equipment and agricultural research had brought about greater crop yields. Also, hardy winter wheat development meant that crops could be harvested and shipped in the summer when weather was more favorable. The wealth of a farmer was only limited by their ability to plant and harvest more land, demand and prices were rising and times were good. With the outbreak of World War One in 1914 the demand for grain went up dramatically because most European farm lands had become battlefields. The European breadbasket countries were now at war with Great Britain, France, Belgium and Italy cutting off their normal source of grains. The demand was increased as Allied nations brought in troops and horses to aid Western European countries in the war effort. Prices for corn went up from $0.99 per 100 pounds in 1913 to $ 2.58 in 1919. Wheat prices shot up from $ 0.90 a bushel to $ 2.45 in the same timeframe. Demand was exceeding supply and farmers were buying more land and equipment to produce more and more crops believing that the increased grain prices would go on forever. Even after the Armistice ending World War One was signed in November of 1918 the worldwide demand was strong because recovery in Europe took time. The net income of U.S. farmers, after paying for supplies, rent, taxes, and interest on their loans and mortgages, increased 120 percent from 1914 to 1919 (the net income of the non-farming population increased 75 percent during those years). The booming farm economy supported the manufacture and sale of agricultural equipment. Small manufacturers were turning out agricultural equipment and skilled workers were making improvements to existing devices and inventing new ones to aid the farmer. By 1920, European agriculture was returning to normal, pre-war trade with former enemies had been re-established. European nations had borrowed so much money from the U.S. that they no longer had money to buy food from U.S. farmers. This led to a collapse in demand and a rapid decline in farm prices. Corn dropped from a 1918 high of $2.58 per100 pounds to $0.79 per100 pounds in 1922, wheat went from $ 2,45 a bushel to about $ 1.00 at the same time. Many farmers had borrowed heavily to buy more land and equipment during the war years. Almost overnight, they were crushed by low prices for their production and hefty fixed costs for equipment payments, taxes and interest on loans and mortgages. Prices for grain rebounded somewhat after 1923 but burdened with heavy debt loads farmers weren’t buying any new equipment. The value of farm crops dropped relentlessly beginning in 1925 until 1932. Wheat prices were $ 0.49 per bushel and corn dropped to $0.44 per 100lbs in those years. Black Friday, October 1929, may have begun the Great Depression for the rest of the economy but agriculture in the midwest had already been suffering for ten years prior to the depression. War is an undesirable way to end an economic catastrophe but as World War Two began in Europe the demand for U.S. farm products increased and prices rebounded. Wheat prices rose from about $0.70 per bushel in 1940 to over $1.90 per bushel by the end of 1946. American grain helped feed starving nations and became a significant component of foreign aid after World War II. The Great Depression began 10 years earlier for midwestern grain farmers and farm equipment manufacturers than it did for the rest of the nation. Those who were, relatively free of debt, and good at tightening their belts were able to make it through the bad times between 1921 and 1941. Late arrivers, those who expanded their farms at inflated, wartime prices, and those who overextended their debts and mortgages, struggled and sometimes lost everything.
  48. 13 points
    Maybe you come out better finding a tractor, “Wheel Horse of Course”, that needs some work. Then you can make it what you want. I bought my 1994 520-H, a leaf vac, 36” rototiller, and 48” side discharge deck for I think around $140. Then I set about bringing her back up to usable and presentable shape. I acquired my 1984 Work Horse GT-1600 for free. It needed a fuel pump to run according to the PO, but in actuality it needed a bit more, especially to suit what I wanted it to be. It came with a 42” side discharge deck and a homemade mid mount scraper blade. I bought my 1977 C-160 for $400. It came with a 42” side discharge deck. I am currently working on it… And yes I did spend a fair amount on the tractors getting them to where they are now… tires for one are expensive, paint, parts, etc., but I believe they will last until I’m gone with a little maintenance and needed small repairs.
  49. 13 points
  50. 13 points
    Eshelman Garden Tractors and so much more. The Cheston Eshelman Company manufactured several garden tractor models with one, two, three or four wheels to fit the needs of any gardener. One of the unique features of Eshelman tractors was the use of cast iron and cast aluminum body parts rather than sheet metal. They also built mowers, tillers micro-cars, scooters, postal delivery vehicles, motor scooters, pleasure boats, aircraft, golf carts, snowplows, trailers, and more. Eshelman also built dreams of the future. When Mike Vance popularized the phrase "thinking out of the box" he must have had Cheston Eshelman as a template for that expression. His moto seemed to be if everyone’s going that way, I will go this other way. Yeah, I’m gonna stumble but I’m also gonna stumble upon an idea no one else came up with. To say that he was unorthodox is an understatement. According to a July 19, 1942 article in the Kansas City Star newspaper (article below), Eshelman had been rescued from a 1939 crash into the Atlantic Ocean 173 miles east of Boston. He told the fisherman who saved him that he had been on his way to Mars in his rented airplane. His pilot’s license was revoked. A couple of years later Eshelman designed and built a successful prototype flying wing aircraft. He boasted that his design would make all existing aircraft prehistoric and obsolete. A newspaper article called it a “Flying Flounder.” Eshelman contacted President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942 urging him to allow Eshelman to build these planes for the military. Roosevelt wasn’t interested which may have saved the lives of an untold number of pilots. Since the skis seemed a bit unfriendly Eshelman had the brainstorm to buy surplus steel airplane fuel tanks from the military, and repurpose them as a “Rocket Boat,” capitalizing on the space craze of the day. Eshelman didn’t stop there. He next set his sights back on the open waters with a concept for a combination boat/car, patented in 1961. One of the more interesting features of the amphibious car is a sliding canopy, so the vehicle could be used for all-weather boating, not just on sunny days. Unfortunately, this idea never materialized, even in prototype form. In the 1953 Eshelman’s ventured into small mail-order cars advertised in magazines. Small ads appeared in the back of Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Science, Better Homes and Garden, and other magazines offering "cars" for just a few hundred dollars. The "Sport Car", a basic $295 15 MPH "Child's Sport Car" for two children powered by a 2 HP Briggs & Stratton engine, and the $395 25 MPH "Adult Sport Car" for one adult which featured the three-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine, battery-operated head and tail lamps, but no charging system for the battery, seat-cushion upholstery, and trademark chrome "rocket" emblems on its sides. A factory brochure advertised 70 MPG fuel consumption and claimed the car was Ideal for short trips. When it's too far to walk—to the shopping center, to the beach, to work—this little car is the perfect 'runabout'. Even the children can use it about your property. It's so easy to operate and sturdily built. Add an Eshelman trailer cart and it's perfect for hauling and light delivery. Early models had belt drive to a simple lever-operated forward/reverse friction transmission between the rear wheels. This transmission was under the bench seat, and drove power to serrated, cast iron "gears" which drove the wheels through friction to the 2.25x10 semi-pneumatic tire treads. Braking was done by reversing the transmission. This system resulted in heavy tire wear and was soon replaced by a drive belt from an engine-mounted centrifugal clutch to a jackshaft under the seat, and chain drive to sprockets on one rear wheel. The new brake system used paddles to the rear tire treads to stop. Even vice president Richard M. Nixon had an Eshelman connection in 1955 when he was photographed at a gasoline pump "fueling" a Child's Sport Car in a March of Dimes "Fill 'Er Up for Polio" publicity campaign while holding the pump nozzle at the car's rear (most Eshelman cars were fueled under the hood). Though he was a dreamer. he realized the majority of his income came from selling lawn tractors and gardening apparatus so he got his head out of the sky and his feet back on dry land thinking of more practical vehicles like garden trucks and service carts. 1958 he landed a sizable contract to build three-wheeled delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. In 1965 Eshelman began selling "real" cars, 2,400-pound, six-cylinder engine cars named the Golden Eagle. Regrettably these cars already had another name: Corvair! He bought them in large quantities and changed the badging and trim including a gold-colored Eshelman insignia. General Motors promptly obtained a Cease-and-Desist order against Eshelman. He continued to market the appearance package for those who wished to apply them to their personal cars. Corvair connoisseurs consider the Golden Eagle to be the most collectable models ever produced. His last hurrah was the marketing of his patented "crash absorber," a pioneering 15 mph energy-absorbing front bumper fashioned from a vehicle's spare tire. He often demonstrated the bumper by ramming his own car into retaining walls. In 1967, Eshelman produced the final Eshelman Golden Eagle Safety Cars based on new 1967 Chevrolet Novas, all equipped with front "crash absorbers" sold through used-car dealerships. Cheston L. Eshelman was one-of-a-kind. No one before or since built such colorful and unorthodox machines for the air, land and water. He died in 2004 at age 87, definitely having brought plenty of smiles to people’s faces with his creations.
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