Old Tractor, Twin City.

[MercuryMac]

Guys, I've been building something for a while now but it isn't a car so maybe I should talk about it on the BS section.
It's an old tractor. There were two tractors at first; a 1922 Twin City, and a 1927 Twin City. This Minneapolis Steel and Machine Company brought in two more companies in 1929 to form the Minneapolis Moline Company. In about 1936 the new company went away from battleship grey for it's tractor colour and chose harvest gold, [orangey yellow].
One of my tractors is sort of yellow, but it was made nine years before the company went to yellow, so I think it was an industrial machine. I think this tractor powered a sawmill in the winters as there was sawdust in what was left of the air cleaner. The tractor looked rough and abused.
The other tractor was older but all rusty and it looked better. It had been an agricultural unit for many years, we guessed. When we took the motor, transmission, and rear-end apart, everything was worn out, really worn out. The last picture is of the tractors waiting for me to get doing something.

[smallfoot]

Dig the old tractors...

[Skip]

Nice patina.

[MercuryMac]

I was visiting with some friends that farm near Grande Prairie. The farmer and his hired man are work-aholics, and have a nice big shop to work in. In a fit of boredom they asked what I was doing. I said I was getting behinder and behinder, and could they help me out. They agreed, for a price, and I dug both tractors out of the snow and hauled them to their place. I was to do the running for parts and rebuilding little things. That all could be done with one eye shut, right? ------ Wrong. It turns out that you can't just go running to the nearest Twin City machine agency, anymore, or the local Minneapolis Moline store, or even a close White Farm Implement dealership. Sheesh. In about two days the guys had both tractors all ripped apart and spread all over the floor. The best stuff was picked out and I was sent here and there; getting the head rebuilt, ordering new rings, getting a new radiator core, finding gasket and seal material, and maybe coming up with a brass carburetor. The last picture is of the appropriate carb that we found, but it's got pieces missing and I had already made a few carbs; a Kingston, and a Zenith. We finally went with the Zenith.

[Torchie]

I always wanted to get an Old Fordson with steel wheels to mess with.

Torchie

[Bamamav]

Love the old tractors. I've got a 1955 IH 300 Utility, my Pa in Law has a 8N Ford. Fun finding some of the parts for them. Steiner Tractor is a good source for a lot of stuff.

[MercuryMac]

Thanks, Guys, for showing some interest. This project is a little off to the side of mainline hotrod building, but it is building, and some hotroding, although I hide it in old looking pieces. [plastic fuel float in carb, instead of almost one hundred year old, laminated leather; some small block Chevy valve guides, with Caterpillar valves, shortened and re-grooved for the keepers; many things made on the lathe, and cast iron pieces welded together and made to look like original solid cast-iron.]
Torchie, I imagine you have had to hodrod a few pieces in the boat too, not everybody could do what you do.
Bam, I have the Steiner Tractor catalogue, and read through it sometimes for enjoyment.

[Torchie]

Well not as off topic as a wooden boat build mac.
Mine will be hot rodded when I stick that Ford Y-block back in it.
Maybe we have the makings of a new category here on the UDS.
The "Not Rat Rod related but cool none the less" builds sections.
I always find it interesting to see what other interests our fellow site members have. And usually we are DIY people across the board when it comes to things besides cars and trucks.
Torchie

[lowbudget50]

Can't go wrong with old farm steel! My dad had a hand full of old tractors. Thanks for sharing!

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Torchie

Well not as off topic as a wooden boat build mac.
Mine will be hot rodded when I stick that Ford Y-block back in it.
Maybe we have the makings of a new category here on the UDS.
The "Not Rat Rod related but cool none the less" builds sections.
I always find it interesting to see what other interests our fellow site members have. And usually we are DIY people across the board when it comes to things besides cars and trucks.
Torchie

I'll second the suggestion. We have lots of things here already that qualify.