By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMSBERG, Penn. — Ben Trapani, International Harvester (IH) Collector’s Chapter 17 Club president and chairman, estimated approximately 10,000 paying visitors and another 1,500 volunteers came to the annual Red Power Round Up during the three-day event the third weekend in June.

“As of Friday evening, we had 855 tractors, of which 350 were Cub Cadets and 10-30 trucks,” Trapani said.

The show celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Farmall Cub, with Cubs variations and attachments on display.

Red Power magazine owners Dennis and Sallie Meisner were taking pictures and recording events for collectors. There was much to cover because many rare and never-seen tractors were at this show. One example was Jim and Jane Rose’s 1956 Farmall SA Fire Tractor.

“This is really the only one of these I know of,” Jim Rose stated.
The tractor, restored by Jim, is not only unique, but also complete. It has the original 200-foot-one-inch hose reel, with the 200-foot foam hose and its original siren, lights and horn.

Another rare tractor was a 1963 504 Diesel Orchard. Owner Neal Moore developed a write-up which he placed beside his orchard display: The grove orchard serial No. 7536 is owned by Neal and Youlanda Moore. The tractor was used in citrus groves in Florida. The reason for the covering was to prevent the breaking of limbs that were hanging down to allow these fruit filled limbs to slide over the metal to prevent damage to limbs and fruit.

Gayon Ironworks of Jacksonville/Miami manufactured these units and the International dealers installed them as a dealer option.
Moore said Gayon Ironworks also built this option for the IH O4, O6, and Minneapolis-Moline Jetstar.

The Moores located the tractor in a salvage yard in 1999. The tractor was originally to be used for parts to change his father’s gas 504 into a diesel 504. However, once the Neal looked it over, he realized what he had, and wanted to fix it up.

“Dad didn’t get his engine, and the 504 still has the gas one,” he said.

At the show, retired engineer George Logue shared experiences of working at IH Proving Grounds back in the 1950s. “They started me at $60 a week and sent me to Hodgkins, Illinois, to their proving grounds, which was a pile of dirt stripped off a quarry,” he began.
“I started out as a handy man. I put rollers on a TD crawler. We did everything out in the mud. It was quite a good experience for a kid out of school.”

During the show, each day there was an equipment parade and a trip to the former IH dealership belonging to Frank “Tubby” Bartlow. It has been restored and drew a big crowd of visitors. Donna Sharrow, Tubby’s daughter, said the building was constructed in 1947.

“The first Cub Cadet my grandfather sold is here,” she said.
The dealership is filled with IH pictures, toys, memorabilia and items found in a typical dealership. Outside were tractors on display. One of the most interesting tractors was an IH Christmas Tree tractor.

“The Christmas tree tractor was not manufactured by IH,” Sharrow said. She explained a company in Canada took a few Super C’s and Super A’s and added the Christmas tree apparatus. “There were only seven of them made. They were very top-heavy and not a smart idea.”

IH drivers also entertained visitors with Dancing Farmalls performing difficult square-dancing techniques.

The next Red Power Round Up will take place in Columbia, Mo., on June 12-14, 2008.