Interest in old farm machines

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33052, 20 October 1972, Page 9

Interest in old farm machines

Old farm machinery, like old motor-cars, has a fascination these days for people of all ages and even both sexes.

The Christchurch based Case and Vintage Fann Machinery Club of New Zealand (Incorporated) is one of the organisations which is directing its energies to the preservation of early farm equipment, and it places emphasis on this equipment being in working order. The club has been in existence for about four years now. The Case part of the name has been retained because it had its origins in a group of enthusiasts who were interested particularly in Case equipment The scope of the club has now been considerably widened. It has a membership of more than 50 people from all parts of the South Island, but mainly from Canterbury, and it includes quite a few in the 18 to 20 years age group and about four women. Most of the members are farmers, or have a farming background, but the president (Mr Frank McKenna, of Rolleston), works with the Post and Telegraph Department and the immediate past president (Mr C. C. de Lambert) works with Municipal Electricity Department on the technical side, Mr de Lambert, who comes .from farming stock, has an unstyled model D John Deere —unstyled apparently because of its square shape—and other machines somewhat younger. Apart from holding monthly meetings at which it trys to have a speaker or have a film, the club seeks to hold two working or field week-ends a year—one in the North Canterbury district, where it has a good representation of members, and the other in the Christchurch area. One of these field weekends will be held on November 4 and 5, at Swannanoa, about 14 miles from Christchurch. There will be sign-posts on Tram Road. The club will be happy to see any members of the public. There will be facilities for picnicking, including barbecueing, with hot water available. There is no admission charge, but donations and applications for membership will be welcomed. As already stated the emphasis is on having machinery in working order and it is expected that about 20 tractors, dating back to the early days of the century, will be present and they will be drawing trailing implements like two, three and four-furrow

ploughs and grubbers. Anyone may use these. The tractors are likely to include quite a few model C Cases and also an LH Case which has a diesel engine, a cast iron Fordson, early John Deeres, 10/20 McCormicks and possibly a Hart Parr and an early twoton Caterpillar. One of the oldest tractors owned by a member is on the Stoneleigh property of Mr I. H. Thompson, Oxford. It is a Samson Sieve-Grip. It was bought about 1925 or 1926 by Mr Thompson’s father, the late Mr H. P. Thompson and his two brothers, the late Mr R. C. Thompson and Mr P. K. Thompson, who is now living in Christchurch. They wanted it to draw and power a tin mill that was used on their three properties. It was not new when the Thompsons bought it and Mr I. H. Thompson says that his father used to speak of it being made about 1910 or 1911, but others to whom he had spoken had suggested that it might be of 1915 to 1917 vintage, and Mr Thompson notes that part of the air cleaner made by the General Motors Truck Company, of Pontiac, Michigan, shows that it was patented in 1916, which may indicate that the tractor' is older than his father had imagined. Mr Thompson says that the old tractor must weigh about a ton and a half to two tons. It has a fourcylinder, side-valve, petroldriven, water-cooled engine. It is still in good running order but has to be started with the aid of a belt from another tractor. Rather slow, the old tractor travels at no more than about 2j m.p.h. Mr Thompson says that his father and uncle actually bought two tractors of the same make, with one being used for spares. The single front wheel and frame from one was used to build a roller consisting of traction engine wheels. One of Mr Thompson’s uncles, Mr P. K. Thompson, also used a tractor of this make with extended wheels for working in swampy country. Mr Thompson’s father subsequently bought a 1927 18-36 Hart Parr for driving the mill and also for farm work.

One of the problems with these old machines is their weight and this makes it difficult to move them about. For this reason the old Samson Sieve-Grip, built by the Samson Sieve-Grip Tractor Company, of Stockton, California, may not be at Swannanoa next month.

Mr A. A. Hunter, a vintage machinery and car enthusiast of North Avon, Christchurch, has an Olin tractor believed to have been built in the United States about 1918. He understands that it is the only one of its type to ever come into the country. It can probably be described as a market garden or orchard tractor, with a six horsepower petrol-driven engine, to which implements like a plough or harrows can be fitted and it can be used

also for stationary work. Although so old, Mr Hunter says that there are ideas built into it that are being used today. Mr Hunter’s Olin was shipped to Henry Berry, Ltd, in Christchurch by the American agents in the hope that Berrys would take up the agency for it. However, the Christchurch firm was apparently not interested and in 1920, while ’ still in boxes and unassembled, it was put into the auction rooms for sale. Then Mr George Workman persuaded his employer, Colonel Acton-Adams, of

Clarence Reserve, to buy it for use on the station. After Mr Workman assembled the machine in 1922 it was used for the next eight years mainly for driving a sawbench to cut firewood. In 1930 the crank shaft broke and the machine lay idle while efforts were made to procure a new shaft from the United States. No parts were available as it seemed that the makers had gone out of business. Meanwhile the machine passed into the hands of Mr J. E. Barker of Sawyers Downs Station, and in 1936 the crankshaft was re-

paired but the machine was; not assembled again. That year Mr Workman took; possession of the tractor and in 1968, when Mr Hunter bought it for $2O, it was little more than a heap of junk—the parts of the engine had been stored inside but the rest of the machine was lying outside, badly rusted. While some of the very old equipment is becoming more valuable, Mr de Lambert says that by and large it is not very expensive to buy and restoration is not a very expensive pastime.