Check out our website: www.floydcountymuseum.org. The Floyd County Museum is dedicated to preserving Floyd County history and is located in Charles City, Iowa. We are well known for our large archive of information from the Hart-Parr, Oliver, Minneapolis-Moline, White, and Cockshutt tractor companies.
Dad and I got to talk to Dave when he and Mike had the 1900 down at Rantoul. Helped him push the cut away transmission back on his trailer. Super nice guy. Very knowledgeable. Unfortunately did not get to talk to Mike. Probably could have listened to his stories for hours.
I have read that the Madison investors refused to allow Hart and Parr to manufacture tractors. They wanted to stay with the successful engine business. The story continued as you said with Hart and his father and the Ellis family.
Jason Thiesen burtrum MN. Owns a plainsman with 585 engine NO.2. I remember talking to Mike verhulst& Mike told me I remember putting that tractor together. I got mikes autograph in WMSTR memories of bygone years. Also have had the honor of getting to know the Steiger family.
Building big to get big failed ultimately and lost sight of what made great farm tractors and great farms and farmers namely an item with a lot less dead weight tonnage. Amazing to see the size of Tractors today tho very much a paen to what White starting with Oliver became. Definitely not what the US Tractor Industry in World War 2 was when you could buy a Ford 9n for $500.00 US Dollars. It was that market Asian Tractor manufacturers exploited with truly awesome success although John Deere now competes even with that market...competes and wins in that market actually. #ironic that huge tractors didn't work given what was going on in Brazil in the 1990s. Demand for massive ag machinery in Brazil is still basically unlimited today but only served ... yet again ... by John Deere. Presumably much the same will now play out in Africa, Australia, maybe even the Middle East. Someone will pick up these storied Brands again tho no different than Massey Furgeson of which no more of that survives upon in all of Great Britain. The Tractor Market in the USA has never been more strong than it is right now actually...new, used, refurbished, classic all doing way better than was true in the 1970s let alone 1980s and early 1990s. If the Federal Government would eliminate the crazy emissions regulations that continue to destroy both the US economy and US Trucking Industry now today that would allow for a thriving Industry to return in the US Tractor market as well. All these Brands need to do today to return as producers is produce a side by side for under $60,000 US Dollars actually let alone a 4 wheeler atv...maybe one even powered by a diesel dengine😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
Something Edgar J Handy told me ,decades ago ; if you see "WF" on any casting , that Oliver/White casting in most cases ..... saw them for many years as I worked
Good video. I grew up on a 550 Oliver gas. One of the ,best tractors I ever sit my azz on. I like the Lefthanded gear shifer. It freed up your right when back plowing or bushoging. Sad what happened to Oliver and MM.
Keep up the good work. Our agricultural history must be saved. I look forward to four big days at Western Minnesota steam threshers reunion, we are all like family there.
Good to see you guys starting to make videos. Hopefully it helps increase interest in the museum. The RU-vid ladder is a long slow climb. Just gotta keep at it.
