By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent PEEBLES, Ohio — Gleaming in green and yellow, two vintage John Deere tractors rest in Adams County Commissioner John Cluxton’s farm yard. Both were at the 1957 World’s Conservation Exposi-tion and Plowing contests.
The 1952 B model pulled wagons for tours. The 620 model was a new tractor in Ross Implement’s John Deere display.
“A lot of people from all over the world saw that tractor,” Cluxton said.
The tractors were restored this spring by Cluxton’s grandsons, Nathan and Andy, and will be on exhibit at the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1957 event, held at Peebles High School grounds on Aug. 17-18.
“(The B model) was purchased new by my dad, Harold Cluxton,” he said. “It was bought from a dealer new in 1954, although it is a ‘52 model. It’s been in the family ever since. It’s been a working tractor. We’ve used it to mow hay, pull a combine.
“My dad bought the 620 from Harold Ross the next summer (after the 1957 event). At that time, it was a big tractor. It’s the first tractor we owned that had live PTO, power steering, even had a float ride seat, load and depth control; the first John Deere that had three-point arms that moved the plows up and down.
“It was at that time a big tractor, it was a Cadillac tractor,” Cluxton said. “It even had a fuel gauge. At one time, it was the main tractor here. We were proud of that tractor when it came here and we’re still proud of it today.”
Ross, of Ross Implements and Supplies, put together the display showing the 620 model tractor. He was 29 years old at the time. “I took over the dealership in 1954,” he said. “I got the John Deere Company to put on a display there.
“At that time, John Deere had just come out with a new 14 T baler with a bale kicker on it. We had to get four loads of loose hay so we could show people how it operated.” Ross hired two ladies to sell John Deere toys at the display. They sold “quite a few,” he said, and of the event, he added, “It was quite a deal.”
This farm news was published in the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
