There was a lot to be excited about at the Half Century of Progress 2019; old iron was everywhere! While many brought antique equipment to the Rantoul, Ill., show, a few select people even went home with some. The Taylorville FFA made sure one lucky winner would take home the 1951 Farmall H with a hydraulic overdrive its members restored during the 2018-19 school year. “Larry Barry donated the tractor,” senior FFAer Jeff Vickery explained. James Joslin, a senior, added that Bryce Love helped the FFA group work on the tractor and paint it. “It took us three to four months. We took it to Corey Craig’s auction and sold tickets, but the winner wanted the cash.” So, the members took the beautiful red tractor to the Half Century and also to Historic Days at Penfield. After selling a whopping 342 tickets, according to their Facebook page, the winner was a gentleman from Winchester, Ill. Previously the Taylorville chapter has restored an Oliver tractor and a John Deere. “We have all worked on tractors a bit before,” added Hayden Chamberlin, a senior at Taylorville High. Claiming to like all brands, Jeff, James, and Hayden would change out with other members during the show so they could look around. Besides the tractor, there were signs available that had been made on the CNC plasma cutter donated to the school. There are about 200 members in this club – everyone who takes an agriculture class automatically becomes a member. Ag teacher Katie King supervises this dynamic group. The three young men selling tickets all have plans to work in the industry. Hayden plans a career in ag with a four-year degree after attending a community college for two years, Jeff, who is a livestock judge, wants an ag degree with an emphasis on animals, and James plans on pursuing education in ag mechanics. Another tractor giveaway at the show was from Sherry Schaffer of Heritage Iron. She gave away a beautifully restored Allis-Chalmers D21 to a winner from Wabash, Ind. Heritage Iron is a magazine focusing on muscle tractors from the 1960s and beyond. Part of the attraction of attending the Half Century of Progress is seeing something new to you. One tractor that may have fit the bill for many was the Ford 4000 owned by Dave Hobbs of Collins, Iowa. The Ford was fitted with a Fabco Mudder. “This was used in the vegetable fields in California, in the mud,” Dave explained. “It has the Select-O-Speed. They picked by hand, and this pulled the vegetable wagons. “Fabco only built four kits. Two were in the junkyard in Pennsylvania. They used rice tires – they squeeze the mud out,” he added. This particular tractor and kit were put together in Salinas, Calif. Dave’s unique tractor is a 1963 and he said Fabco began production in the 1940s, so he thought his machine was near the end of the run. Retired from a salvage yard, he had seen a picture of this tractor and tried unsuccessfully to buy it when he heard it was sold. Then, the tractor came in on a load, and he learned his former boss had bought it for him as a Christmas gift. What a great present! Another cool tractor at the show was John Bush’s 1973 1155 Massey Ferguson that a collector painted to look like the Spirit of America that was popular in 1976. It was fun hearing how he convinced his wife, Marlene, that he needed this tractor in his collection; it was the old “I need a working tractor” trick. “I collect Massey,” John said, “and I live where my lane drifts with snow. One cold winter I told my wife I needed to get a tractor with a cab. I found this at an estate sale and said, ‘That qualifies.’ Now of course, I don’t use it for that; I bought a neighbor’s tractor for that. But I did use it for a year or two!” Stories will be flying for months as collectors share their memories, until the next show rolls around. For details, log onto www.halfcenturyofprogress.com Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. Learn more of Cindy’s finds and travel in her blog, “Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl,” at http://travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com |
