Twisted Shifter Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 (edited) https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2022/05/05/for-the-first-time-a-vintage-tractor-has-sold-for-more-than-1-million-at-auction?refer=news&utm_source=edaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022-05-05 Edited May 6, 2022 by Twisted Shifter (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Skelly Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 great stories on both tractors! thanks for posting 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Maybe now tractor mechanics will get a little bit more respect! 🤔 4 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinVirginia Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I gotta admit, that big iron is pretty sweet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCHansen1 Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Sidebar to a good post... ... I grew up around Ford 8 and 9N tractors- in fact, the first Ford engines I ever worked on as a youngster in the early '90s were tractor engines. As a kid, I always had a little thing for Oliver tractors from the '40s. I thought they were good-looking, for a tractor anyways, but my dad always held them in low regard compared to the Ford's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 The big thing Ford had over Oliver/Hart-Parr in those years was the dealer network and the Ferguson System hitch and hydraulics. I like most old tractors but John Deere, while capable tractors, are the Tri-Five Chevy of the tractor world- everybody has one. That Case Traction Engine is gorgeous. I spend too much time on YouTube watching these old behemoths drag 30 or more plows across Western prairie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I can't help but wonder how much a Twin City six cylinder 60 - 90 would bring in this day and age. There is only two, or possibly three of them in existence. Twin City 60: Monster Tractor - Western Development Museum (wdm.ca) 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 A million is crazy money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 For that money I’d go steam 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 12 minutes ago, hidden_hunter said: For that money I’d go steam I can't find it but there was a steam show tractor for sale in England a few years ago that was insane. Not intended for actual work, just to make a scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I found it. This equates to 1.1 million US dollars. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-54735107 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I don't think there was really a North American equivalent to the English " Showman " engines like the one above. They were used to haul wagons of traveling amusement fairs , and once on site provide electrical power for all the rides and lighting. Very highly decorated, and often used right up to the 1960's. Long after steam power was obsolete in North America. They are considered to be extremely desirable machines in the U.K. steam hobby. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Local place in Lancaster Co. Rough and Tumble museum, has a large show at least once a year, maybe more. Many dozens of these behemoth steamers. Its a great day to watch them rolling around the fairgrounds. For those that have never seen them in motion, they are surprisingly quiet when they run. They also hook up saw mills, threshers and the such as they were originally intended to be used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Harper Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 In regards to the million dollar Case... not only is the price tag steep for these amazing pieces of iron but also ownership in general - you just don't stuff it in a enclosed trailer and head off to the show. Your talking machines that can easily tip the scales at 15,000 lbs or more and often involve an oversize load situation. I have the utmost respect for the people who collect, restore and demonstrate these machines. Its a fascinating piece of history. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Must be what they mean when they say "If that's the Case". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 58 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: Must be what they mean when they say "If that's the Case". Nope......it's Mental Case! 🥸 Whoever paid a million five hundred......they are not normal like us car guys.......we know the value of everything!😉 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 4 hours ago, alsancle said: I can't find it but there was a steam show tractor for sale in England a few years ago that was insane. Not intended for actual work, just to make a scene. The Great Dorset Steam Fair.......I plan on attending soon..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkhammer Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I've always had a great fascination with antique tractors and steam engines. Back in the 90s I had about 14 tractors mostly 30s-40s vintage. I've had opportunity to run steam traction engines from Case, Frick, Port Huron, Geiser and Gaar-Scott. Interesting machines for sure but you've got to know what you're doing. Never thought I'd see a seven figure tractor though. The late Ken Eder from North Carolina had a fantastic collection of these machines and put on a big show every November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 I watched that video. Looks like a couple hundred turns lock to lock. (exaggerated) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 You Gents might enjoy reading about this modern reproduction of a Case 150. It's a huge beast and a remarkable endeavor: 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 23 hours ago, edinmass said: The Great Dorset Steam Fair.......I plan on attending soon..... Yes, that's a great event-one of several held throughout the UK. When we lived in Scotland there was a collector who lived nearby who had several of these old steam engines including an antique road roller. They were all beautifully decorated and dripping with brass. The transport extravaganza at Crich and the shows at Beamish were favorites. Terry 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillinMd Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 If you ever get a to a show where one is active, be sure to stay for the evening event. We had a Frick at the county fair tractor pull and when the operator got half way down the track, he threw in some cedar chips. What a show...sparks flew and the crowd loved it. BTW, he said those engines had incredible torque. Something on the order of 7000 ft-lbs! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted May 7, 2022 Share Posted May 7, 2022 On 5/7/2022 at 2:29 AM, edinmass said: The Great Dorset Steam Fair.......I plan on attending soon..... Yes, do it before you are too old. It is a huge event that requires a lot of walking. We did it in 2016, when there were more than 60 of those 'showy' showman's engines there. Regarding the Case tractor that is the subject of this thread I think the tractors with upright engines and exposed overhead valve gear much more interesting to watch. And then of course there is steam.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkhammer Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 These photos were taken at Ken Eder's a number of years back. That's his "Best" traction engine with me on the platform. The upright boiler design is interesting to say the least. Note that whoever was firing the boiler had to walk behind or ride the lower platform. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinVirginia Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 @pkhammer You couldn’t find a bigger one? 🤣🤣🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkhammer Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 You know what they say about men being obsessed with size. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinVirginia Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 (edited) 7 minutes ago, pkhammer said: You know what they say about men being obsessed with size. 😁 Edited May 8, 2022 by BobinVirginia (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkhammer Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 Yeah, sure...........let's go with that theory. 🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Harper Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 2 hours ago, BillinMd said: Something on the order of 7000 ft-lbs! We ran the calculations on our 20 ton, 1907 Lombard log hauler at the Maine Forest & Logging Museum - its figured out to approx. 11,000 ft/lbs at the tracks. Not bad for 100 hp. and 250 rpm. Here I am at the throttle. Its an amazing machine to operate. Its a very smooth running machine. There is nothing to compare to steam power. There are no brakes and the steering is many,many turns from lock to lock. As we like to say... Steer early and Steer often. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 At the time, I had some serious misgivings about it. However, my dad sure had fun at a meet about forty years ago. He had grown up on his grandparent's cattle ranch near the Northeastern corner of Nevada high desert, during the depression. The meet was the Friendship Day meet still put on by the Mid Peninsula Old Time Automobile Club (a good local independent antique car club). It was an open invitation to all area clubs and non club individuals to bring whatever you want to show off in a nonjudging show. It often had an attendance of between five hundred and a thousand cars in those days! My dad loved going to car shows, but rarely did. It was usually something he was "going to do" later. But this time, he and mom showed up in the modern car, but he didn't wander around much. Some fellow, I didn't know him, never even heard who it was, brought some big steam tractor of around 1900 in on his company truck. He managed to get it unloaded, and tried to show it off. It became obvious to everyone that he really knew nothing about it, but it was still an immediate hit with people. Then my dad wandered by. He had always loved tractors, and the bigger the better. Although he had little practical experience (some, just not a lot), and he had grown up around a few similar steam tractors and railroad locomotives, he and the fellow that brought the tractor talked a lot. The next thing I know, someone tells me that my dad is helping the fellow fire up the boilers and checking the thing out for nobody knows what! Now, my dad was a brilliant man, well versed in physics, an electrical, structural, and construction engineer. But this was a bit out of his wheelhouse so to speak. Frankly, I had visions of the thing blowing my dad and itself to bits! It didn't help any that my dad had lost an eye in a dynamite accident on a construction site when I was twelve! (It was someone else's fault!) (But getting literally blown up once should be enough for anybody!) I didn't know what condition the thing was in? The owner obviously knew almost nothing about himself! An hour later, the owner and my dad are driving the thing all over the show grounds! And they continued for a couple/few hours! The tractor, and my dad, were the hit of the show! Nothing bad happened (Thankfully!), and I am sure that in part was due to my dad taking reasonable and intelligent precautions. In retrospect? I suspect it was one of the best days in my dad's life! He liked to be the center of attention. And he rarely got to be center stage at anything like a several hundreds of great cars type showing. A few years later, I was at another Friendship Day meet. A few conversations I heard asked "Were you here the year that guy drove the steam tractor around?" I would just smile. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 We have lake goldsmith here in Victoria, which has a lot of the older steam and early stationary engines https://www.lakegoldsmithsteamrally.org.au/rallies.html They also have a working steam shovel that they demonstrate Definitely worth coming to if you're into early industrial and farming equipment 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeAnna Fleming Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 (edited) That's crazy money for an old tractor, but I guess it's a piece of history after all. I've never dealt with anything that valuable, but I get the charm of vintage machines. I’ve got a buddy who swears by his old Kubota for daily farm work, and he's always on the lookout for parts. For those who are into Kubotas, finding the right parts can be a bit of a mission. In my circles, the best place to buy Kubota parts is usually through specialized dealers; they've got the know-how and the stock. Edited February 29 by DeAnna Fleming (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr B Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 The Maryland Steam Historical Society has a great multi-day show every fall (https://marylandsteam.org). Robert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Well at that kind of money then it deserves its own class at all the concours - "Pebble", "Amelia" , all the hi(ball) class affairs that now go by a single name because it is so popular with the blue blazer, tan slacks set. If you attended in one of these tractors you would be above all the rest a real heavy weight. Ok, had my vent of Monday afternoon sarcasm for this month. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargoguy Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 9 minutes ago, Walt G said: Well at that kind of money then it deserves its own class at all the concours - "Pebble", "Amelia" , all the hi(ball) class affairs that now go by a single name because it is so popular with the blue blazer, tan slacks set. If you attended in one of these tractors you would be above all the rest a real heavy weight. Ok, had my vent of Monday afternoon sarcasm for this month. Can you imagine how those lugs and steel front wheels would tear up the lawn at Pebble? I'd Love to see that... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Harper Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 (edited) 2 hours ago, Fargoguy said: Can you imagine how those lugs and steel front wheels would tear up the lawn at Pebble? I'd Love to see that... If only Pebble was an event held in snow country Edited February 28 by Terry Harper (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 My Grandpa sold and serviced Case and David Brown tractors in the 50's and 60's. My hometown of Woodstock was farm country in S-W Ontario. The 1st vehicle I got to drive was a tractor traded in. A 1939 Allis Chalmers. He told my brother and I if we could get it running we could have it. He tutored us and taught us about ignition timing, magneto's and how to crank start it. Lot's of fun for a 13 yr old! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 The video is very good on the Case 150. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swear57 Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 My son and I pickup this 1910 Case Steam Tractor up this summer. It’s a 50 horse. We got the water tender & a McCormick thresher with it. The rear wheels are 6 foot 2 inches tall my son is 6 foot 8. Its last inspection was 2016 & last ran in 2018. It weighed in at 22,080 going across the scale on are way home.We are scheduled to go to steam school in May at Brooks OR 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 5/5/2022 at 10:44 PM, edinmass said: Maybe now tractor mechanics will get a little bit more respect! 🤔 Well it's about time. 😜 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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