Mechanized Farming

[Delmonico]

As most know mechanized farming got started before the Civil War and advanced very quickly after the war.   Things changed slowly from horse power, to steam, to internal combustion engines, with the stationary IC engines coming into play in the late 1890's.  The steam tractor was there by the late 1880's and the kerosene burning tractors came into being before 1910.

I went to a large machinery show a little over a week ago, took a lot of pictures, most of pre-WWI stuff.

I put them in a thread over on Tall Tales because we do sometimes discuss older 20th Century equipment over there. 

The Link is:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,27318.0.html

A lot of the staionary equipment did not change much and was used with horse-power, then with steam and later IC tractors.  So a 1940's tractor hooked to a threshing machine is very correct and a lot of it was run with 30-40's tractors.  But the basics are there, not every demonstrator dresses period, but it is nice to see a lot of younger folks keeping our history alive.  This is a lot of work, it can be hot, it's dirty and some of those big tractors are worth a small fortune and require a semi with a low-boy to move, not to mention the cost of up-keep and restoration.  The steam ones require you to be a certified boiler operator and have to under go boiler inspections every year.

And you thought a few guns and ammo was expensive.

There are about 200 pictures and it's not dial-up friendly, but if you have an interest in this type of thing, then I invite you to take a peek.

A kind of a funny, I was hired to cook for the demonstators at a smaller event a couple of times, I was working away and a guy in his late 20's dressed in bibs and such like a 1930's era farmer and had a 1930's tractor was talking to me and checking things out.  He said if he ever had the time, he wanted to get into doing Living History.  I grinned and told him he already was.

[Ozark Tracker]

you know there in Oklahoma where I was raised, you didn't see any old steam tractors of any kind,  the oldest tractors we'd see were from the early 30's and I know most people used mules and horses till the 40's,   I'm sure the main reason for this was that most fields were 40 acres a lot of cut up fields,  in the late 40's they brought in big shovels and dug two major drainage ditches  and opened up a lot ground that had been water logged before the drainage ditches were dug.

[Grogan]

Hey Delmonico,

WHERE were these taken?

Reason I'm asking is because up here in N.W. Orygun we have a big show every year at a place called "Steamland".

For 2 weekends they have a big presentation called "The Great Steamup" of "everything Steam" (well they can't get RR locomotices in there), that includes MOSTLY Steam powered tractors (but also has a steam powered Saw Mill exhibit).

I'll revisit this post later, when I'm at my home PC where I can add to this.

My G/G/Grandfather had a large General Store in California's San Joaquin Valley and his store sold farm implements and machinery.

I can add to this, but not right now and not from here.

[Delmonico]

Near Lincoln Nebraska, about 3 miles from the town of Waverly.  Camp Creek Threashers, they have a website.

[pony express]

I remember some of the stories from my dad and grandma, they used to still have steam engine threshers come through the area to thresh the wheat, and my dad remembers working with both tractors and horses as a boy. He told of "snaking" hay stacks with a horse, just run a rope around the stack at the base, and it would just slide along behind the horses. Grandpa's farm was mostly rocks and ridges, so the boys would all work for the neighbors that had better land.

One of their nieghbors hada steam engine, and used to have steam engine shows at his farm, I remember going as a kid, either late 60's or early 70's. He had a full sixe one, and a half size that he built himself, and still has them.

[Delmonico]

You don't want to know what a working steam engine is worth.

[Cactus Rope]

As most know mechanized farming got started before the Civil War and advanced very quickly after the war.   Things changed slowly from horse power, to steam, to internal combustion engines, with the stationary IC engines coming into play in the late 1890's.  The steam tractor was there by the late 1880's and the kerosene burning tractors came into being before 1910.

I went to a large machinery show a little over a week ago, took a lot of pictures, most of pre-WWI stuff.

I put them in a thread over on Tall Tales because we do sometimes discuss older 20th Century equipment over there. 

The Link is:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,27318.0.html

A lot of the staionary equipment did not change much and was used with horse-power, then with steam and later IC tractors.  So a 1940's tractor hooked to a threshing machine is very correct and a lot of it was run with 30-40's tractors.  But the basics are there, not every demonstrator dresses period, but it is nice to see a lot of younger folks keeping our history alive.  This is a lot of work, it can be hot, it's dirty and some of those big tractors are worth a small fortune and require a semi with a low-boy to move, not to mention the cost of up-keep and restoration.  The steam ones require you to be a certified boiler operator and have to under go boiler inspections every year.

And you thought a few guns and ammo was expensive.

There are about 200 pictures and it's not dial-up friendly, but if you have an interest in this type of thing, then I invite you to take a peek.

A kind of a funny, I was hired to cook for the demonstators at a smaller event a couple of times, I was working away and a guy in his late 20's dressed in bibs and such like a 1930's era farmer and had a 1930's tractor was talking to me and checking things out.  He said if he ever had the time, he wanted to get into doing Living History.  I grinned and told him he already was.

Del
If any one would know that, it would be you. We know yer older then dirt.

[pony express]

You don't want to know what a working steam engine is worth.

I don't even have to ask, to know I can't afford it!

I've got several old gas tractors that I never have time or money to get going, sometimes it's all I can do to keep the 2 I work with running!

[Delmonico]

I don't even have to ask, to know I can't afford it!

I've got several old gas tractors that I never have time or money to get going, sometimes it's all I can do to keep the 2 I work with running!

Well they've told me at least a million dollars, plus you by law have to be a certified boiler operator and have yearly inspections of the boiler.  Now the semi and low-boy plus the DOT license to drive it if you want to take it places is extra of course.

[Will Ketchum]

Well they've told me at least a million dollars, plus you by law have to be a certified boiler operator and have yearly inspections of the boiler.  Now the semi and low-boy plus the DOT license to drive it if you want to take it places is extra of course.

Del, I can't speak for Nebraska but in Wisconsin there is no certification requirement, except in Milwaukee county.  I was a boiler operator for for the state of Wisconsin for nearly 25 years and never held a certification.  We have a large steam and power show here every summer.   There is every size steam engine you could imagine.

Will Ketchum

[Delmonico]

Del, I can't speak for Nebraska but in Wisconsin there is no certification requirement, except in Milwaukee county.  I was a boiler operator for for the state of Wisconsin for nearly 25 years and never held a certification.  We have a large steam and power show here every summer.   There is every size steam engine you could imagine.

Will Ketchum

The guys around here say it's federal and a lot of folks don't bother, but to get caught if one explodes is not good.

[pony express]

I don't know if the guy I know has any kind of certification or not, but  he's been running them for st least50 years, so he knows his stuff. I have heard him tell that he doesn't take his half scale engine to the big shows, because he built it himself, and it's not certified. At the local shows, he usually sets up a sawmill to run with it. The big one stays at his club's grounds, because it's too much trouble to move it. But the smaller one I think they haul on a backhoe trailer, behind their dump truck.

[Will Ketchum]

The guys around here say it's federal and a lot of folks don't bother, but to get caught if one explodes is not good.

I don't see how it could be federal unless it is used in Interstate commerce.  The federal government has no say in state regulations....well according to the US Constitution, not that it means anything therse days

Will Ketchum

[Delmonico]

I don't see how it could be federal unless it is used in Interstate commerce.  The federal government has no say in state regulations....well according to the US Constitution, not that it means anything therse days

Will Ketchum

Next time the guy that drives the one I rode on comes in, I need to get the real facts, I'm going on what someone else told me, I know the steam crane was side-lined this year because of failure to pass inspection.  If it's state I surprises me that they have no boiler inspection up there.  Around 2001 or 2002 there was one blew up somewhere east of me and killed several, news stories said it had passed inspection.

[Will Ketchum]

If it's state I surprises me that they have no boiler inspection up there.  Around 2001 or 2002 there was one blew up somewhere east of me and killed several, news stories said it had passed inspection.

Wait, I didn't say we didn't have boiler inspections, we do.  I don't recall how long the certificates are good for but we do have periodical inspections.  What I said was that the operators don't need to be licensed.  We always wanted to be because we felt we would get more respect and perhaps more money. Most people have no idea how dangerous steam can be.  We operated boilers that generated 700 psi super heated steam.  A pinhole leak in a steam line at that pressure, which is invisible because it doesn't condense for several feet, can cut a person in half or remove a limb.  I have seen pictures of a plant where one boiler blew and took the others in the system with them.  There was hardly a brick unturned and several men were killed.

I would think that all steam generators would need to be certified, well not a pressure cooker. but I have seen where one ran out of water and blew the fusible plug through the ceiling.

Will Ketchum

[Delmonico]

I did some checking, either someone told me wrong or I mixed it up, just steam engines in RR tracks are Federal, the tractors come under state law.  Here they have to be check and operators certified.

Ag uses are exempt, but the shows are not exempt because of it being public.

This happened in 2001 right after I had spent a whole week-end demoing near enough to the one that runs the sawmill to have been hit.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=8758

[Texas Lawdog]

I had a buddy of mine send me a thread about Squaredancing Tractors on U tube.

[Delmonico]

I had a buddy of mine send me a thread about Squaredancing Tractors on U tube.

That is just wrong.

[Texas Lawdog]

You need to watch it a little bit.  First of all, you need a row crop tractor.  Doughsie Dough!

[Delmonico]

You need to watch it a little bit.  First of all, you need a row crop tractor.  Doughsie Dough!

Sorry, both ours are wide fronts: