Last fall I was looking at timber on some land on the Wabash River bluffs in Lawrence County, Illinois. The farm had quite a few interesting old pieces of machinery quietly rusting away, but I didn't have the opportunity to stop and inspect any of it. As we were passing an old shed, the owner asked me if I could guess what it was built for, and of course I had no clue. "A 30-60 Hart-Parr!" she proudly announced. Her ancestors had purchased the tractor in the early Twentieth Century to use for plowing, but sold it after a few years because it did not work well in their soils. The tractor spent the rest of its life working in a sand operation along the Wabash, and I am sure it was scrapped long ago. The lady did still have a photo, (Above) and a catalog from the Hart-Parr company. I didn't have my scanner with me in the truck, but I did have my camera, so I gleefully photographed each page. I will be sharing the Hart-Parr catalog with you in the weeks ahead. There are over forty pages, and every one is a treat, so stay tuned. Here is a sample; click to enlarge.
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Last fall I was looking at timber on some land on the Wabash River bluffs in Lawrence County, Illinois. The farm had quite a few interesting old pieces of machinery quietly rusting away, but I didn't have the opportunity to stop and inspect any of it. As we were passing an old shed, the owner asked me if I could guess what it was built for, and of course I had no clue. "A 30-60 Hart-Parr!" she proudly announced. Her ancestors had purchased the tractor in the early Twentieth Century to use for plowing, but sold it after a few years because it did not work well in their soils. The tractor spent the rest of its life working in a sand operation along the Wabash, and I am sure it was scrapped long ago. The lady did still have a photo, (Above) and a catalog from the Hart-Parr company. I didn't have my scanner with me in the truck, but I did have my camera, so I gleefully photographed each page. I will be sharing the Hart-Parr catalog with you in the weeks ahead. There are over forty pages, and every one is a treat, so stay tuned. Here is a sample; click to enlarge.
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This is awesome. It sure must have been something firing one of those up.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it kind of reminds me of the book "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel"
I have never seen one of these Hart-Parrs run; they are more rare that Oil Pull Tractors. Here is one of them on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOWddlGxgy4
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