Tractor Trivia
Farming in the 40’s
I was born August 21, 1965. I came home from the Northwest Medical Center in Thief River Falls, MN,(which is no longer there) to a small dairy farm in Garnes Township, Red Lake County, Minnesota.(Note: The entire hospital bill was $195) At that time there were two houses on the farm. Grandma Della and Grandpa Ames lived in one house and mom and dad and I lived in a little shack down by the Lost River. Neither house had a bathroom although grandma and grandpa’s house did have running water in the kitchen. The dairy barn did also have water for the cows!
Our big tractor power at the time was a 1949 R John Deere. (Wish I still had it!)About that time dad also bought a G John Deere with a narrow front. Some of my earliest memories of tractors include these two models. This is probably why the R John Deere and G John Deere are two of my favorite tractors! We have pictures of me sitting in the bucket of that G in March of 1966. Mom took out the camera and we snapped a couple pictures of her, dad, and I and the dog Lester. I can also remember being in the yard when I was quite young(probably 3 or 4) and seeing dad and grandpa baling hay. The R was on the front of their Super 77 New Holland Baler with an air cooled Wisconsin Engine on it. These memories are powerful in my mind. When I was 4 years old we also bought a 1942 B John Deere and a 1952 A John Deere that belonged to my other grandfather, Clarence Ellickson.(He bought both of these new at Rolandson Implement in Oklee, MN.)
Dad would also often sit around the table over dinner or a cup of coffee and talk about moving to the farm in the 40’s and about what tractors they had or the neighbors. It is these memories, I think, that gave me a life-long love for tractors of that vintage. It now makes me realize I was probably born 30 years too late! If I were to have been born in 1935, I would have grown up when A and B John Deeres were new. When I was 4 years old the Farmall company would have released the H and the M. Some neighbors would have probably had SC or DC Cases and maybe a WC Allis Chalmers would have driven by. Someone might have had a Massey Harris Challenger or by the time I was 12 Massey would have introduced the popular model 44! Some neighbor in Oklee may have a 70 Oliver sold by Ernie Larson,(He had a dealership in Oklee.) I might even see Bennet Larson speeding down the road on a Custom tractor. The thought of these tractors actually makes my heart be faster and puts a smile on my face. Noone is actually any happier with their life than I am. The advantage of being born in 1965 is that I can still go out in my yard and drive a G John Deere or an R. Maybe I can start the A John Deere or my H Farmall. With a little work I can drive my 55 Massey or my E-3 Coop. Yeah, 1965, Red Lake County, MInnesota…...it is alright with this guy!!
Tractor Trivia Horsepower check!!
1. The John Deere model R was tested in Nebraska at __________ drawbar horsepower.
43.15hp B) 47.5hp C) 49.99hp
2. The John Deere model G was tested in Nebraska at ___________ drawbar horsepower.
32.75hp B) 34.49hp C) 39.99hp
3. The DC Case tractor was tested in Nebraska at _________ drawbar horsepower.
31.16hp B) 32.25hp C) 33.06hp
4. The E-3 Coop tractor was tested in Nebraska at __________ drawbar horsepower.
25.99hp B) 27.25hp C) 30.1hp
5. The H Farmall tractor was tested in Nebraska at __________ drawbar horsepower.
24.17hp B) 27.5hp C) 29.18hp
Answers: 1. A. 43.15hp 2. B. 34.49hp 3. C. 33.06hp 4. B. 27.25hp 5. A. 24.17hp
Green Magazine
RIchard's Publishing
Oklee, MN 56742
218-791-9157