Tuesday Torque II: Shades Of Alexandar Botts!

 In the 1950s, Upson offered the following biography of his hero: “Alexander Botts was born in Smedleytown, Iowa, on March 15, 1892, the son of a prosperous farmer. He finished high school there; then embarked on a series of jobs – none of them quite worthy of his mettle. In these early days the largest piece of machinery he sold was the Excelsior Peerless Self-Adjusting Safety Razor Blade Sharpener. He became interested in heavy machinery in 1918 while serving in France as a cook with the motorized field artillery. In March 1920, he was hired as a salesman by the Farmers’ Friend Tractor Company, which later became the Earthworm Tractor Company.  Read The Whole Article!

Watch And Share This Tractor Video!

We use our tractor nearly every day. It mows, it bush-hogs, it tills, carries brush, pushes trees, and carries wood. I remind myself every time I climb on that tractors are always trying to kill you. The wide front end models aren't as bad as tricycles, but they can all smash you in a heartbeat.

I have seen small-time loggers use tractors as skidders, and it is not pretty. They would hook over the rear axle so it lifts the front end of a log when they pull, and the front wheels typically will come off the ground so the driver steers with his brakes. It's dangerous as can be, and I don't know how any of them survived doing that. If you are going to pull logs with a tractor, hook it from the drawbar. Get a logging arch or a sled for the front of the log.  Stay alive. 

Back To The Old Grind!

The Crops Are All In!

 Our farmer finished up the soybeans last week and Susan rode along for a few passes in the big combine. It's a big thrill for both of us. She had a birthday last week and we celebrated by going to the Fall show at Boonville. It was a great week.

Vice Grip Garage: John Deere M, Fine, Frosty, Family Fun!

Tuesday Torque: Zetor Tractors?

 Well, Merle, you found a brand that I have never heard of. We probably all have seen images on TV of this brand, but they were unidentified. The videos say they are Czech made, and they have been around for 75 years. It is time we become familiar! Thank You, Merle!

Tuesday Torque: Army Tractor School?

 How would you unstick a Rumely Oil Pull? The best strategy is to not get stuck in the first place. Count the lugs on a tractor tire and multiply by the height of each lug. Each rotation of the wheel cuts down that many inches. This is a lesson you should learn before you drive on soft or wet ground. Those angle lugs pump mud sideways, and you can go down on the frame in seconds. When your tractor starts to spin, stop the wheels and form an escape strategy. This has been a problem for some of my absentee landowners who borrowed a tractor to plant trees, without the knowledge of how fast a tractor tire can mine down in the mud.  Many Thanks, Merle!

https://youtube.com/shorts/dkMB-iyWCIs?si=NrWw-tONAP0mhjJb

Tuesday Torque: A Few IHCs

 

Thanks for the inspiration, Merle! 

Tuesday Torque; A Mixed Bag From Rollag

There are a bunch of big prairie tractors at Rollag.  The Twin Cities that starts this video is a huge land yacht.  I don't have much video of these monsters, but I think I can do a nice slide show, so I will work on that.  If you want one of the Townsend tractors, you need to go back about 60 years so you can afford it. The prices are crazy nowadays for unusual antique tractors.