http://www.smithtractorart.com/new-gallery daily 0.75 2015-05-29 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/t/5567cc50e4b053b0ea0e1613/1432865865491/1.SpireColor200_1S027.png Artwork - Disaster – 1957 I witnessed this unfortunate event in June of that year. As an employee of the local Chevrolet dealership, I had gone to the farm with another employee to pick up the customer’s 1956 Belair for its scheduled service. When the car was not in the garage, the owner’s wife told us that her husband had driven it to the field. He did this after a trip to town for more bailing wire. (Farm cars often doubled as pickups in those days.) Upon arriving at the alfalfa field, we decided to wait to talk to the owner rather than just take the car. With a little more attention, we might have been able to prevent this accident. It wasn’t until the farmer was a few feet from his Chevy that we realized he had parked too close to the windrow. He had left room for the baler’s pickup to miss the car but he had forgotten about the machine’s protruding plunger crank arm spinning just aft of the pickup. The sickening sound of heavy steel striking soft sheet metal was the first thing that diverted his attention from the hay crop being carried into the baler. He grabbed for the 60 John Deere’s clutch lever which only added to the problem. The forward movement of the machine halted, but the live power feature allowed the baler to continue pounding the hapless Chevy. Headlamp glass and chrome trim flew in every direction. Happily, the fellow employee and I were exonerated. The embarrassed gentlemen sent the Chevy to town with us for service and on to the body shop. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343ce4b0660ba5b6fe0d/1432865865491/1.SpireColor200_1S027.png Artwork - Disaster – 1957 I witnessed this unfortunate event in June of that year. As an employee of the local Chevrolet dealership, I had gone to the farm with another employee to pick up the customer’s 1956 Belair for its scheduled service. When the car was not in the garage, the owner’s wife told us that her husband had driven it to the field. He did this after a trip to town for more bailing wire. (Farm cars often doubled as pickups in those days.) Upon arriving at the alfalfa field, we decided to wait to talk to the owner rather than just take the car. With a little more attention, we might have been able to prevent this accident. It wasn’t until the farmer was a few feet from his Chevy that we realized he had parked too close to the windrow. He had left room for the baler’s pickup to miss the car but he had forgotten about the machine’s protruding plunger crank arm spinning just aft of the pickup. The sickening sound of heavy steel striking soft sheet metal was the first thing that diverted his attention from the hay crop being carried into the baler. He grabbed for the 60 John Deere’s clutch lever which only added to the problem. The forward movement of the machine halted, but the live power feature allowed the baler to continue pounding the hapless Chevy. Headlamp glass and chrome trim flew in every direction. Happily, the fellow employee and I were exonerated. The embarrassed gentlemen sent the Chevy to town with us for service and on to the body shop. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343ce4b05def1bca5fae/1432865872002/LastLoad.png Artwork - Last Load - 1952 This farmer passed the church with every load as he hauled his corn from the picker to his nearby farm. He suddenly realized how happy and thankful he was with the 85 bushels to the acre he gathered from his "wire-checked" fields. So he parked his Farmall "M" and wagon, and took a few minutes to go inside and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. His Farmal "M" is an American farming icon and one of close to 300,000 of this model produced from 1939 through 1952 by International Harvester. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343ee4b0edcadf8440a2/1432696646395/SpireColor200_1S010.png Artwork - Fall Harvest – 1986 When my brother, Jim, farmed during the 70’s and 80’s, I saved vacation time from my job to spend a week or two in the fall hauling corn from the picker to the crib. We enjoyed beautiful clear crisp fall days and at other times, suffered through cruel biting cold with wind, sleet, mud, and snow. In this scene, I’ve noticed with horror that I had forgotten to close the sliding gate on the side of the gravity wagon and Jim is leaving a “yellow streak” across the field. I chased him down with the hauling tractor and brought it to his attention. He forgave me when I picked it all up with a bushel basket. We laughed, we cussed, and we got bone-tired; but I remember and cherish almost every minute. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343ee4b0660ba5b6fe2f/1432697100245/SpireColor200_1S011.png Artwork - Military Assistance – 1972 While training in the Badlands, the crew of a South Dakota Army Guard M-548 cargo carrier noticed a local rancher in trouble. They ignored the “For Official Use Only” notice stenciled on their ammunition carrier, left the road, and made their way to the scene. The thoughtful soldiers, with the carrier’s onboard winch, gently eased the John Deere out of the mud hole. The artillerymen refused payment of any kind and continued on their way. Bright and early the next morning, the rancher approached the sentry at the entrance to the training area with trays of still warm freshly baked cookies and sweet rolls. The commander agreed that public relations and homemade treats far outweighed the misuse of government property. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343ee4b0edcadf8440a4/1432697056470/SpireColor200_1S012.png Artwork - My First Car – 1940 Ford Deluxe Tudor I purchased the car pictured here as a sixteen-year-old high school junior with the help of a patient and understanding Dad. It withstood an untold amount of abuse. It survived a collision with a neighbor’s thousand-pound milk cow on the way home from a basketball game one evening. The results were a spin into the ditch, a crumpled left front fender, bent bumper, smashed headlamp, and a very sore wrist. That same understanding Dad found a perfect fender from a donor Ford in a local junkyard and we had "the forty” back on the road in twenty-four hours. No modern car would have survived. My parents agreed that the fondest memory of that wonderful old Ford is that it never failed to deliver its daring and foolish owner and his friends home safely every time. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565343fe4b0660ba5b6fe31/1432696958820/SpireColor200_1S013.png Artwork - Friendly Rivalry – 1953 These two pals agreed on almost everything except their favorite brand of farm tractor. Upon meeting in high school, the rivalry began and at times became rather heated and loud. It included the passing of notes during study hall, and Bosler, the better artist of the two, often drew tiny degrading sketches of Farmalls in the margins. I wish I had kept them. The event pictured here never happened because both were afraid of the outcome and even more afraid of damaging their beloved machines. Decades later, as old men, Bosler bought a Farmall and Smith bought a John Deere. That’s when it became apparent that the whole thing was staged to entertain themselves and their friends. And as I struggled with the details in this picture, especially the green one, how I wished I could just pick up the phone and ask Kenn. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653440e4b0660ba5b6fe35/1432696929201/SpireColor200_1S014.png Artwork - Late for School – 1950 It’s March and the spring thaw has turned the unpaved roads around Alvord, Iowa into bottomless rutted trails. At 7:30 a.m. one morning, Alvord Public School’s ’48 Chevy ground to a halt, hopelessly stuck with its frame resting on the ground. Superintendent Frank B Meyer, who doubled as the bus driver now and then, trudged into the nearest farmyard to ask for help. I, whom more than likely had not done my homework, was overjoyed at the prospect of missing the first period classes. I was even more amused when Mr. Meyer reappeared carrying a log chain and hanging on to the drawbar of a little Oliver 60. I was convinced that this smallest of the Oliver row crops would never dislodge this fully loaded 36 passenger school bus. We would not make it to school until at least 10 o’clock. My expectations were shattered as the farmer and that little Oliver dragged the bus off of the ruts after a couple of spectacular “wheelies” and a whole lot of huffing and puffing. We were less than one half hour late for school. My admiration and respect for those streamlined, smooth running tractors continues to this day. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653441e4b0edcadf8440aa/1432696890413/SpireColor200_1S015.png Artwork - The Cob-Skinners Machines like this were a common sight throughout the Corn Belt from the 30’s into the 70’s. Farmers harvested their corn on the ear in those days and stored it in piles or cribs to dry. They shelled it later when they needed the feed for their livestock and/or when the market price was the highest. This usually occurred during a slack time in the fall and winter months. Minneapolis-Moline Model E shellers were a favorite of many operators because they were tough, easy running, and could shell over 1,200 bushels an hour. Twin brothers, Bernard and Leonard DeSmet of Larchwood, Iowa and their Model R mounted on a very rare ’47 Ford COE (cab-over-engine) truck, was a familiar sight in the Larchwood area from the late ‘50’s on. Everyone in the community knew and liked them and they were affectionately nicknamed, “The Cob-Skinners.” - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653441e4b0660ba5b6fe37/1432696859173/SpireColor200_1S016.png Artwork - Fording the Flock Fords produced from 1932 through 1938 were loved for their peppy V-8 engines and hated for their lousy brakes. That is what caused this 1935 Fordor, piloted by a local man of Norwegian decent, to run into a flock of sheep being shepherded by two young, Inwood, Iowa lads. It was lucky that the only casualties were a couple of sheep. The Ford brakes worked satisfactorily when the cars were new but after years of neglect and thousands of miles on gravel roads, the operating rods rusted and stuck. An owner was lucky to have two wheels that braked and often not at the same time. (Some owners joked that their Fords had two clutch pedals and no brake pedal.) Stubborn old Henry Ford would not follow the lead of Chevrolet and Plymouth with their hydraulic brakes until 1939, when Ford cars and trucks arrived equipped with them. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653444e4b05def1bca5fd1/1432696828969/SpireColor200_1S017.png Artwork - LeRoy Short (1928-1994) & The Farmall 806 The engineers of International Harvester hit a home run when they designed the new ’06 series Farmalls. Introduced in 1964, they had a burly muscular appearance. They looked powerful and they soon demonstrated that it wasn’t just looks. This series proved to be sturdy, reliable, and popular with the farmer. Thousands are still in daily use. LeRoy Short was a favorite of local tractor-pulling fans with his Farmall 806. “Roy” worked it in the field all day and then drove it into town in the evenings and on weekends to thrill the crowds. He is also remembered for his mischievous grin and ever-present overalls. His good humor and hard work will never be forgotten. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653444e4b0edcadf8440c6/1432696798127/SpireColor200_1S018.png Artwork - Caterpillars https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653444e4b05def1bca5fd3/1432696771058/SpireColor200_1S019.png Artwork - Sunday Fun in ‘51 World War II has finally ended with its rationing and shortages. Farmers are replacing the tried old tractors they had coaxed along until the duration of the conflict. However, those indestructible frames and final drives were still sound and usable. It was then that the enterprising and mechanically inclined ones found that a modern automobile or truck engine could be transplanted into that old chassis. Farmalls, Allis Chalmers, and Olivers worked best because of their compact dimensions, durability, and power. This combination multiplied the ground speed and horsepower of the veteran tractors to a degree that almost guaranteed that the daring drivers and riders would be killed or seriously injured. They also proved to be splendid and swift over-the-road haulers and loads of fun on Sunday afternoons as this picture shows. Passing an unsuspecting motorist at highway speeds on a vintage farm tractor both surprised and frightened the victims. Law officers were not amused by this practice and many tickets were issued. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344ae4b0dcba1f60a993/1432696733242/SpireColor200_1S020.png Artwork - Competition – 1961 Since the first two cavemen tilled the soil by scratching the earth with a stick, there has been competition between farmers. There is evidence that farmers had pulling contests with their oxen centuries ago, and horse-pulling contests are still being held on occasion. Early contests, as pictured here, involved a simple flat skid with brave spectators being coerced into providing the weight. But as power and speed increased, so did concerns for safety. Tractor pulling today involves self-propelled automatic skids equipped with Global Positioning Systems that plot the length of the pull and send the information to the announcers booth in seconds; the utmost in safety, speed, and accuracy. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653447e4b05def1bca5fe6/1432697242091/SpireColor200_1S021.png Artwork - Memorial Day – 1983 As this aging farmer works the fields during the final year of his beloved occupation, he pauses for a few minutes to remember his youth and an old friend. It was on this 1929 Hart Parr 18-36, that this then twelve year old, broke his first ground under the watchful eye of his long departed Dad. Retired, he will have more time to pull it into the yard and begin its restoration. It is apparent by this picture that he continued to use the equipment produced by the proud old company that later became “Oliver.” Many Hart Parr’s and Oliver’s have been lovingly collected, restored, and are on display. Others are still in daily use all across the country. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653449e4b05def1bca5fec/1432696697673/SpireColor200_1S022.png Artwork - Distraction – 1956 Forage harvesting, or “filling silo,” was always my favorite farm operation as a boy growing up on the farm. The days were usually cool, dry, and sunny with highs in the mid-sixties. There were several ways to get the material from the field to the silo in those days. The one we utilized required the hauler follow the cutter to load the blower cart. Then the hauler transported his load to the silo, hooked the silo pipe to his blower wagon, and blew the silage into the silo. Loads of fun for a young buck! The part that required one’s utmost attention was following that mighty Massey “55” and keeping your blower wagon under the spout. When the wagon was almost full, it became more difficult to keep the “44’s” speed up to match the larger, more powerful tractor. Silage on the head was both painful and humiliating. Just when everything was working well, something always arrived on the scene to divert your attention. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344be4b0edcadf8440e3/1432696606456/SpireColor200_1S024.png Artwork - Fantasy – 1954 What a lucky kid we have here; plowing oats stubble with his Dad’s brand new Case 500 diesel and five-bottom plow. On top of that, a couple of female admirers in their daddy’s Mercury convertible are inviting him to join them at the carnival in town in the background. Every farm boy has dreamed of this happening, but it seldom does. This young man will be jerked back to reality and realize that the ladies gesturing to him are actually his mother and kid sister in the family’s stodgy Buick. They will remind him that it is time for supper and to help with the chores. This innocent scene has a more important and ominous meaning. This is the first big inch diesel from Case. They mounted it in the old “LA” chassis to do battle with the John Deere “R,” Farmall WD-9, and others. This all signals the trend toward larger equipment, more acres, and the demise of the small family farm that will come decades later. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344be4b05def1bca5ff2/1432696577681/SpireColor200_1S025.png Artwork - NEIGHBORS – 1937 Scenes such as this were common in the farm belt for many decades. Listen and you can hear the murmur of the idling F-30’s valve tappets. Listen also to the rhythmic staccato of the brand new G’s exhaust. Your senses notice the hot oil and metal smell that these two wonderful machines exude as they rest, waiting for their masters. They are far more patient than their equestrian predecessors were a few years ago. What are the two neighbors talking about? Their obvious recovery from the recent depression, the weather, the threat of another world war, the attributes of their competing brands of tractors, or steel wheels over rubber tires. Recent years have brought the demise of many family farms and forced the transition to larger often corporate enterprises with thousands of acre spreads. Farmers in 300 horsepower behemoths with temperature controlled cabs do not often stop to chat with their neighbors across the line fence. Therefore, young people do not understand the significance of this scene. You had to have been there. They will notice however, the scores of these old men and their veteran machines that gather at threshing bee’s, county fairs, and celebrations across this great country each summer. It’s then that they notice the twinkle in their grandfathers’ eyes. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344ce4b0edcadf84410c/1432696538641/SpireColor200_1S026.png Artwork - “Old G” When I was a boy, back in ’53, Dad came home with a gift for me. A magnificent machine, And it was painted green. I was proud of that new “G.”   It worked hard for our family of three, And we took it for granted, regretfully. It disked and dragged and plowed, It was hot and dirty and loud. But I still loved that old “G.”   It began to tire; it was plain to see, It was into the shop with the old “G.” The repairs weren’t much, An overhaul and a clutch, So decades of service were free.   My Dad is gone now, and someday me. The old Deere is resting, rusting under a tree. When evening comes and it’s very still, I hear it often and always will, The wonderful sound of that old “G.”   - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344ce4b0660ba5b6fe7b/1432696493204/SpireColor200_1S028.png Artwork - August 1949 This Alvord Iowa farmer momentarily forgets the peculiar characteristics of the Case steering mechanism. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344de4b0edcadf84410e/1432696342400/SpireColor200_1S029.png Artwork - DISCOVERY – 1971 One of the advantages of drawing is that one can create the impossible, the ridiculous. An old farm tractor on the moon would certainly qualify. Elementary school kids know there is no atmosphere to provide the oxygen required to fire its four mighty cylinders. In that environment, it is simply a useless hunk of iron. So how could this ever happen? The Russians beat us to the moon by making a successful soft landing in 1966 with their “Luna 9”. They probably possessed the technology to lift a 7,000 lb. payload then. Suppose they placed it there. What if James Irwin and David Scott did come upon this American agricultural icon when they toured the moon with the Lunar Rover in July 1971? What a propaganda bonanza for the Soviet Union during the Cold War! Now you know why this picture never appeared in the news. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344ee4b0edcadf844119/1432696260259/SpireColor200_1S031.png Artwork - DUEL – 1948 World War II is over and the farmer is enjoying good times with high commodity prices and the availability of new equipment to replace the worn out items from the 30’s and 40’s. Farm tractors are becoming more user friendly with innovations such as power steering and hydraulic lifts. The good rural economy was probably a factor in spawning this rather foolish contest. The bottom line looks pretty good so what if we tear a lug off a tire or blow a clutch? Heck, the corn is laid by, it’s a long time until harvest, and the guys in town have to making a living too. So the proud gentlemen with the new “M” was rather confident when he was challenged by the neighbor with his little “red-belly” Ford. (“Good Heavens! I’ve got at least 10 drawbar horses and fifteen hundred pounds over him! What could go wrong? This is the easiest 50 bucks I’ll ever make.”) That’s when the IH owner introduced the wonderful world of hydraulics and how it can do more than just lift the plow or the cultivator. His Farmall suddenly lost traction and fell victim to the ingenious drawbar of his smaller opponent. -Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344ee4b0660ba5b6fe98/1432696090144/SpireColor200_1S032.png Artwork - Whoa Allis! This Minnesota farmer solved the problem of losing the starting crank to his ’38 WC by spot-welding it to the shaft. This was a brilliant idea until the day he was in a hurry to get home for lunch, pulled on to the driveway wide open in 4th gear, yanked on the hand brake, and well… you guessed it. Worn brake linings allowed just enough forward travel to push the crank into the brand new fiberglass garage door which pushed it to the rear and coupled it up to the running Allis engine. This created an unintended circular saw that cut a neat and convenient doggy door for the surprised collie standing nearby. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/5565344fe4b0660ba5b6fe9d/1432696305161/SpireColor200_1S046.png Artwork - GHOSTTOWN This scene is all too familiar across the American heartland. A street that once was busy with people going about their lives is quiet, sad, and deserted now. Someone will tow the Chevy away and salvage a few remaining parts for their street rod. The John Deere will be parted out or restored. The buildings will be torn down, burned down, moved, or bulldozed away. This once busy thriving little town will eventually return to the prairie and remain only in the pages of some dusty volume in the county courthouse. -Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55635348e4b069f36ca9e0f8/55653450e4b0edcadf84411b/1432697450297/SpireColor200_1S047.png Artwork - AMERICA’S TWO-CYLINDER FAVORITES The 1950 Harley Davidson 74 O.H.V. and the 1950 John Deere Model R diesel are recognized and loved for their appearance, the sound of their exhaust, and the fun they are to ride and drive. Neither of them was without faults, but they did what they were designed to do very well. The two companies that produced these American icons are still going strong after over a century in business. Enthusiasts in this country and abroad are collecting and restoring them and they are being traded for many times their original selling price. I’m sure a few lucky farmers owned both of them at one time. They tilled the fields all day with the “R” and enjoyed a refreshing ride into town in the evening on the “Harley.” And today, they are both carefully parked in the machine shed. - Bob Smith http://www.smithtractorart.com/new-1 daily 0.75 2017-03-10 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/t/58c329e7d482e95e8e5a5346/1489185255655/ New - A Bank on the Move - 1934 During a special meeting in March of 1934 the stockholders of the Granite Savings Bank made the decision to move their building from the main street of tiny Granite, Iowa to Larchwood, a larger town, a more central location; and to change the name to the Security Savings Bank. It was the only bank in the area that remained open during the Great American Depression. The Henry Brandt Engineering Co. of Sioux Falls was hired to move the 22x42 ft. brick building the 8-1/2 miles over narrow hilly country road. They accomplished this by using two of the largest crawler tractors available at the time and an ingenious block and tackle system. They traveled at the lightning speed of 1/4 mile a day by pulling the bank up to the first tractor and then repositioning everything and repeating the process. They did not dislodge a brick or crack a window, a feat that would be difficult with today's technology and equipment.* And this proud old company will prosper and grow into the modern successful institution it is today with locations in three states. - Bob Smith *From the book, "West Ender's Scrapbook" by Diane M. Johnson, copyright 2004 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/58c3261186e6c02103c559ce/1489185255655/Bankonthemove.jpg New - A Bank on the Move - 1934 During a special meeting in March of 1934 the stockholders of the Granite Savings Bank made the decision to move their building from the main street of tiny Granite, Iowa to Larchwood, a larger town, a more central location; and to change the name to the Security Savings Bank. It was the only bank in the area that remained open during the Great American Depression. The Henry Brandt Engineering Co. of Sioux Falls was hired to move the 22x42 ft. brick building the 8-1/2 miles over narrow hilly country road. They accomplished this by using two of the largest crawler tractors available at the time and an ingenious block and tackle system. They traveled at the lightning speed of 1/4 mile a day by pulling the bank up to the first tractor and then repositioning everything and repeating the process. They did not dislodge a brick or crack a window, a feat that would be difficult with today's technology and equipment.* And this proud old company will prosper and grow into the modern successful institution it is today with locations in three states. - Bob Smith *From the book, "West Ender's Scrapbook" by Diane M. Johnson, copyright 2004 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653df6e4b0750ee3a82f16/1432698497634/drawings33.jpg New - Two Old Ladies That Still Turn Heads - 2015 The McCarty McCormick-Deering WA-40 and the Smith McCormick-Deering 22-36 are both retired now after decades of tilling soil and powering feed grinders, threshing machines, corn shellers, and other equipment. And as they rest now at the Granite Threshing Bee, they enjoy the admiring glances of the many visitors. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653453e4b05def1bca602f/1432697618323/SpireColor200_1S056.png New - Birth of an Engineer The little boy was afraid of the mighty diesel's roar at first, but his fear quickly subsided and changed to smiling fascination as he and his dad watched Uncle Jim perform a dynamometer (horsepower) test on a big Case Western Special behind Moen's Farm Store in Inwood, Iowa in the late 1960's. That image, the sound, and the smell of diesel smoke had a lasting affect on little Chuck. He will grow up, go to school, earn a degree in mechanical engineering, and year later; design and build parts for the current models of farm tractors and combines. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653cb9e4b052dd15cdb2e2/1432698064583/Tractor-Motor-City-Transport.jpg New - Trouble at Lefelman's Corner - 1950 I will always remember this event from my youth as a 14 year old farm boy. Answering a request from a passer-by, the telephone operator in tiny Alvord, Iowa issued a “general alarm” that a trucker was in trouble on Lefelman's Corner. (The general alarm consisted of a series of short rings on the party-line telephone.) That corner is the point where the Alvord to Rock Valley and Doon to Inwood roads cross. A small store that sold beer, pop, ice cream, and gasoline was located on the east side of the intersection along with the home of the owner-operator. The house remains to this day. Mom listened to the message, told my dad, who hurried out the door with me right behind him. My request to go along was met with a terse, “OK, but stay out of the way!” Upon arrival, we saw a truck load of shiny new Chryslers tilted at a dangerous list to port. The driver had decided to avoid road repair on Highway 18 west of Rock Valley and took an alternate route on the newly graded dirt road north out of the city. The new road was smooth and easy and led to a blacktopped road that would take him west to his destination, the dealership in Inwood. He did not anticipate the sudden thundershower that crossed his path and turned the road into a slimy slippery quagmire. He made it to within 50 feet of the intersection when the rain-soaked earth gave way. A farmer a mile away was first on the scene with his then twelve year old Allis Chalmers UC and a log chain. He was able to help the mired truck make it to the hard surfaced road and to the relief of the anxious frightened driver. And as was common then, not a penny changed hands. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653d48e4b07b9d5e5f09d9/1432698202424/drawings31.jpg New - Terry Short & Midnite Rider - 2013 This IHC 966 was purchased new and worked hard on the Short Farms for many years. Then it retired, entered show business, and after a few modifications; the old beauty spends its weekends scaring hell out of the green guys. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653d8ae4b096ada8cd2307/1432698272509/Tractors.jpg New - Farming with Fords - 2014 Ford introduced its first successful farm tractor in 1916 and since then has produced hundreds of different models in numerous sizes and powered by gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, and LP. Everyone remembers the early Fordsons, the popular 8N's with their innovative hydraulic lifting drawbar, the familiar white 6000's, and the more recent blue models. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653450e4b0660ba5b6fe9f/1432697492206/SpireColor200_1S048.png New - Summer Dilemma All of us have experienced an unexpected thundershower during a sultry afternoon in June of July in the upper Midwest. As this farmer is realizing, it is always wise to have sufficient fuel if you are going to be operating at a great distance from the farmyard. Mr. Farmer and his son will be forced to sit this one out under the bale wagon. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653452e4b0660ba5b6feb5/1432697518899/SpireColor200_1S049.png New - Minneapolis Moline Minneapolis Moline was a thriving builder of agricultural equipment in the 50’s and recognized by their familiar harvest gold paint. This wire tie hay baler was appropriately named, “The Baleomatic.” They were large, heavy, and complicated for that time with their ingenious wire tying mechanism. In spite of that, many were used by custom operators because the railrolads only accepted wire-tied bales for shipment in those days. Hundreds of them were exported and this scene of one being towed by a Model “Z” could easily have taken place in Australia or New Zealand. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653452e4b05def1bca602a/1432697303905/SpireColor200_1S050.png New - The Suhreptz Jeep At the end of World War II, our long time friend and neighbor, Irvin Suhreptz caught the train to Omaha, purchased, and drove back to Lyon County; one of the first new vehicles I had seen since Pearl Harbor. A brand new bright red Willys Jeep Model CJ2-A. Research reveals that it was one of 71,554 Jeeps that were built at the Toledo Ohio assembly plant in 1946. As a ten-year-old farm boy I was already intensely interested in anything with wheels and an engine. The new Jeep smelled of fresh paint, new rubber, and canvas. I was awestruck by its four-wheel drive capability and the four levers protruding from the floor. We would enjoy riding in it for a number of years as the kind and neighborly Suhreptz’s ferried the Smith kids to catechism classes and other event after storms and during the spring thaw when no other vehicle could tackle the bottomless roads back then. The versatile little vehicle worked hard for many years on the Suhreptz place. Other farmers picked up on Irvin’s innovation and several other Jeeps appears on farms around the area. - Bob Smith https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/55654957e4b096a827f26be6/55653453e4b0660ba5b6feb7/1489185246050/SpireColor200_1S051.png New - Air Attack – 1947 Charlie Van Abbema, the International-Harvester dealer in tiny Alvord, Iowa delighted in buzzing local farmers as they focused on cultivating the new crop for the first time. The sudden and unexpected noise often caused them to plow out several hills of corn. Those that remember agree it was a miracle he wasn’t shot down. - Bob Smith http://www.smithtractorart.com/landing daily 1.0 2016-01-11 http://www.smithtractorart.com/artwork daily 0.75 2015-05-27 http://www.smithtractorart.com/about-avenue daily 0.75 2015-05-27 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/t/5563c919e4b0f1e2020b5b11/1432602915556/27ef868543abf9c4e16439c1aeb8f0bd.jpg About https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55634debe4b044d8a274c716/t/55652fb3e4b04308d393be54/1432694733820/RVSmith_Signature_w125.png About http://www.smithtractorart.com/contact daily 0.75 2017-11-27 http://www.smithtractorart.com/featured daily 0.75 2015-05-27