Antique Tractor

[Bill Stockard]

In my responce to another thread https://www.turbodieselregister.com...533-Americas-Doomsday-Show&highlight=doomsday that was a bit off topic, I have started this thread. This is a brief history of my antique tractor:

It began when my father bought it new in 1950 as a B F Avery Model R tractor. Shortly after M-M bought out B F Avery in the early 1950s, they made an update package for the Avery R tractors with an add-on 3-point hitch and updates to the hydraulic system, including M-M paint and decals to bring it up to a M-M model BF. My father and I installed the update, I painted the tractor the new M-M Prairie Gold color, and we installed the decals. The only difference between my Avery model R and a newer M-M model BF is the location of the oil fill on the Hercules engine. Someone has to be really "in the know" to tell the difference.



A photo from around 1951-1952:

A recent photo: 60-years later, same tractor, same disk harrow, and same tractor driver, but a different location.

View attachment 83654

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I love antiquer's. if my pockets were deeper, I'd restore a few more.

The last one a buddy i did was a model "Thirty" dozer from Cat. We painted it the original grey with red letter highlights. Took it to a few county fairs and won a prize or two. I enjoyed rebuilding it more than I did showing it off.

 

[GCroyle]

Bill,

Nice pic's is that you at the command center in the 60 yr later pic, or are you captain in both pics?

Gary

 

[Bill Stockard]

Bill,

Nice pic's is that you at the command center in the 60 yr later pic, or are you captain in both pics?

Gary

Yes, Gary... I am same driver in both photos.

Bill

 

[jeepit]

Bill, In the first picture it appears there is a rod over the front wheel. In the second picture it's missing. What is it?

 

[Bill Stockard]

Bill, In the first picture it appears there is a rod over the front wheel. In the second picture it's missing. What is it?

It's a bracket hanging loosely from the front frame that holds the beam for the 2-row front mounted cultivator that mounts to the frame that surrounds the front and sides of the tractor. The cultivator had been on the tractor previously before the corn in the background was so tall. My father left the cultivator frame on the tractor all summer in order to plow our big garden. I don't recall why I was disking the ground when my mother took that photo. The farm was about 45 miles north of Houston, TX in Montgomery County and that field has been covered by a church and a parking lot.



Bill

 

[mwilson]

So this begs the following question...



Which has aged more gracefully, the tractor or the operator????? or the harrow???





The rear wheels appear to have been reversed at some point in the last 60 years or so, any reason that it might have needed a narrower footprint??



Nice pictures, by the way.



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I like the top picture with the hat we call them a Gentleman Farmers hat or Businessmen Farmer hat. looks like fun BOTH TIMES BILL How many acres did your family farm?



Im into hats also just in-case you couldn't tell. :-laf



BIG

 

[GCroyle]

So this begs the following question...



Which has aged more gracefully, the tractor or the operator????? or the harrow???





The rear wheels appear to have been reversed at some point in the last 60 years or so, any reason that it might have needed a narrower footprint??



Nice pictures, by the way.



Mike.

I don't think you can hide anything from the eyeballs of observation powers of TDR members, missing doo hickeys, wheels reversed, same drive, hat types where does it end?



BTW BIG, my straw that I got while we were in OK and purchased in Stockyard City just barely outside OKS is a Bailey IIRC. Fits pretty darn nice, but begs for a snap shirt and Wranglers.



I try to find a pic of my Dad tugging me behind an old Sears push mower in my little red wagon.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Mike,

The tractor has aged better than I have. :-laf The rear wheels on the tractor are reversed to clear the cultivator and planter frames and to provide adequate clearance to straddle two 36" rows. When the rear wheels are in the narriow setting, a rear mounted rotary mower will cut out the wheel tracks. The 6' disk harrow in the photos will not cover the tractor tire track completely when the rear wheels are in the out position.



Big,

The "farm" was 25 acres, about 15 acres in open fields and 10 acres of forest, and a "gentleman's" farm. My father wasn't a farmer, but he and my mother wanted their kids to grow up in the country.



Bill

 

[BGlidewell]

I see two treasured antiques there.

 

[BIGNASTY]

BTW BIG, my straw that I got while we were in OK and purchased in Stockyard City just barely outside OKS is a Bailey IIRC. Fits pretty darn nice, but begs for a snap shirt and Wranglers.



Big,

The "farm" was 25 acres, about 15 acres in open fields and 10 acres of forest, and a "gentleman's" farm. My father wasn't a farmer, but he and my mother wanted their kids to grow up in the country.



Gary never much cared for straw hats for me anyway like the way they look but I sweat big time when I work and that seems to make them distort and I dont like the Jason Aldean look with them all crumpled up. But new they are good to go!!!



Bill

I wasn't raised on a farm but Dad's, Dad had 11 sections of Nebraska dirt he and Grandma were the poster people for farmers. My parents used to send us back to the farm to get the experience in the summer. I loved it my Brother and Sister detested it. Grandpa use to let me do things that a city kid would never get to and I really like the work all day attitude that Grandpa instilled in me. Grandma would come out to the fields with lunch and tell us to pick up dinner when we came in. That would be rabbit hunting, pheasant, duck or what ever else we could scare up. Chicken was Grandma's thing (like mine now) ya just dont know how good they are when they are less than an hour fresh :-laf They didn't have much in the way of belongings but they KNEW HOW TO EAT WELL.