richard's blog

Q: What are the requirements for coverage on and antique tractor?

A: It must be 30 years old or older. The tractor must be in restored or excellent condition or in the process of an active restoration. It should only be used in a manner consistent with owning a "collectible" vehicle and cannot be used for active farming. The tractor must be kept in a locked garage or other storage facility. It must have a minimum value of $3,500.

Q: What are the different kinds of insurance coverage?

A: Most companies offer 3 types of vehicle insurance.

Stay alert, slow down and stay in control—the three key elements to safe winter driving. Drive according to current road and weather conditions. Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Avoid situations where you may have to brake suddenly on a slippery surface.

Check weather and travel conditions before heading out. Don’t take chances if the weather is bad. Give yourself extra time for travel, or wait until conditions improve.

By 1921, Fordson tractors represented about half of the tractors sold in the U.S. Henry Ford, however,adamantly refused to improve his tractor. Although he made more than 100,000 Fordsons during 1923 and again in 1925, the glory days of the crude little Fordson, with its iffy ignition and lack of a governor, were coming to and end in this country, signaled by the 1924 introduction of the all new Farmall row crop tractor manufactured by International Harvester Co.

Article by Dan Peterman

Obviously, it is all but impossible to give a precise quote prior to starting a restoration. There are simply too many unknown factors. At the same time, I recognize that an individual puts a great deal of thought and money into such a project, and they want to know up-front what the total cost will be.

Tractor Hydraulic Safety

Under Pressure…Understanding your tractor’s hydraulic system

Take a U-shaped tube, fill it with water, and put a plunger in either end. Push down on one plunger, and the other goes up..that’s elementary hydraulics. It’s a simple concept, but without it, your tractor wouldn’t be much more than four wheels and an engine. So take a minute and learn more about the system that makes your tractor a workhorse.

Harvest and Weather are not cooperating. I live in Iowa, and the weather is not harvest weather. We have had rain before and during the beginning of soybean harvest, and has continued right into Corn harvest along with wind, and much colder temperatures. We even got our first snow last weekend. Like we all have heard before,"It's Iowa, wait an hour it will change." I realize all of the surrounding states are in the same boat. We still have some soybeans yet to combine, and a lot of corn.

Condensed from Capper's Farmer 1941
Farm hay drying has been made practical by equipment developed at the Tennessee Experiment Station. Rauth Brothers have installed the system on their farm in Warrick county, Indiana. It consists of a motor and fan set up on the outside with a series of ducts for distributing forced air thru the hay.

Harvest season is under way throughout the corn belt. Farm equipment on roadways will be a common sight in the coming days as harvest continues. It is always good to remind motorists that tractors and other farm equipment are on the roadways. I'm asking for the patience and understanding of motorists during the harvest season. Farmers are under pressure,and have a very limited time in which to harvest their crops in order to get them in storage before the weather turns.

This is an article that was in Farmers Digest, October, 1941.
Few and simple were the principles of agriculture Chris Bixel, Swiss immigrant, had learned in his native Alps. There, steep hillsides remained in Nature’s sod. Cows ate the grass. The husbandman took the milk, kept back what his family needed, and made the rest into cheese to sell for other wants of livelihood. Forced to venture in a new land because his own was overcrowded, Bixel took a farm in Goodhue county, Minnesota, because its broken terrain resembled that of his own Switzerland more closely than any other he could find.

Of course we have all seen the changes in harvesting over the past 40-50 years. Some more some less. I am sure some of you remember combining beans with a pull 5’ head. No matter what the color of the machine, if the wind was in the wrong direction, you ate a lot of dirt.