Farm Equipment Museum Tour Guide Booklet

Tigges
Farm Equipment
Museum
In Memory of Robert David Tigges
1916 to 1986
Robert D. Tigges, Manager, 1942-1986 and Owner of Tigges Farm, 1963—1986, along with his wife,
Mary Tigges, kept all the old farm equipment as he felt it should be in a museum to preserve the
history of farming. It was his “dream.” After his passing, the equipment silently waited for his
“dream” to happen. “Happen it did in 2011” when his children, Ken Tigges, Gale Loeffler and
Kathy Rickart, now co-managers of Tigges Farm, decided a few pieces needed to be on display as
background for picture places. With a few pieces in place it was evident many implements needed
to be brought out of their reclusive resting place to make an outdoor walking museum. That museum could be right at home on the farm. The farm equipment didn’t need to leave the comforts of home. Each year a few
more pieces are added. The vast majority were used on Tigges Farm, and some have been contributed by family, friends
and neighbors to help preserve the farming legacy and share the rich agriculture history in Weld County.
Thank you everyone!
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Look for the metal number attached to the item and match it up in this booklet. Equipment is scattered
throughout the farm and around the produce stand. Some equipment is still in use and only on display in
the late fall. Please ask if you can’t find something. Someone will be glad to help you.
1. International Harvester Stationary Motor: Used for corn shellers, threshers and other farm equipment that
needed a motor.
2. Hand-Crank Corn Sheller: Because there was so much farm work to do in the fall by hand years ago, simple
machines like the hand-crank corn sheller were invented to make one chore for the farmer just a little bit easier.
Corn is a very labor intensive crop; it must be picked, shucked, dried and shelled. The corn, after the husk was removed, was fed into the top hole. Knobbed wheels are visible inside the opening. They rub together and remove
the kernels from the cob. Kernels would drop into a box on the ground and when the ear was clean, the cob would
be ejected out the other end. Once the handle was cranked the flywheel helped to keep the momentum going. The
flywheel is an important component as hand cranking is tedious, hard work. The shelled corn was used for feed – usually chicken
feed. Sometimes the corncobs were used as fuel for stoves. Eventually corn shellers were mechanized and used from the 1890’s
until the mid-twentieth century. Today they are no longer used because combines, which combine the work of picking, shucking and
shelling, have made them obsolete. Why is it chained up? —so no little hands can go inside and get chewed up. Farm equipment
was very dangerous years ago.
3. Push Lawn Mower: Not only did you find the push lawn mower on the farm, but about anywhere a lawn needed to be mowed.
Yes, they still make them today, although they may be referred to as “environmentally friendly lawn mowers “ because they require no fuel other than one’s own will and strength.
4. John Deere Model B (Johnny Popper): The Model B was introduced late in 1934 as a
1935 model. It was a medium sized tractor, capable of pulling a plow with two twelve inch
bottoms. The 1935 Model B's are called "Brass Tag" because they have a brass serial
number plate. In late1937 the front frame was lengthened so that the Model B could share
some integral implements with the Model A. From this point on, the tractors were referred
to as "Long Frame" as opposed to the previous "Short Frame". Approximately 57,000
of these tractors were built from 1934 to 1938. By 1939 automobiles had become streamlined and tractors had to be modernized as well. The tractor was redesigned by Henry Dreyfuss. Grills were added in front of the
radiator and the sheet metal became "styled.” The engine was enlarged to 175 cubic inches at this time. The weight increased
to over 3000 lbs. Electric starting and lights became available as an option. A tractor with electric start in 1939 and 1940 is
known as a "Slant Dash" due to the shape of its dashboard. The battery was located behind the fuel tanks and in front of the
new, freestanding dashboard. It was covered with sheet metal panels that were shaped to match the hood. These early electricstart tractors were sometimes called "Long Hood.” In 1941 the engine was changed again slightly, and the transmission was
modified to include six forward speeds. Beginning at this point, all of the electric-start tractors had the more familiar "Straight
Dash". About 140,000 of the "Early Styled" Model B tractors were built. The Model B was redesigned again in 1947, and appropriately called the "Late Styled B" The most significant visual differences were the pressed steel frame and the cushion seat
that now housed the battery box. The Model B now weighed over 4000 lbs., depending on its equipment.. About 110,000 Model
B's were built in this style. The Model B was then replaced, in 1952, by the Model 50, which bore a closer resemblance to the
final Model B's than the first Model B's did!
5. Adams Road Patrol Drag #4, M.D. Adams & CO, Indianapolis MI: The first road drag spreaders were made of wood with
screws at each side to determine the levels. Steel drags replaced the wood, and although not very efficient, for many years they
were the only equipment available for laying and surfacing roads with bitumen. Machines known as tamper-finishers that could
lay and consolidate the bituminous material in one operation replaced the road drag.
6. Elevator Potato Digger: Early potato diggers were in the form of spinners, diggers and potato plows. The harvesting process,
though mechanically assisted by the late 1800’s, still relied on hand pickers to collect the crops, and continued to do so until the
mid-20th century. Elevator diggers, all power take-off, (PTO) driven, consisted of a
digging shear that cuts beneath the crop of potatoes. The elevator diggers raised the
potatoes to the top of the machine by chain webs, consisting of straight steel bars
linked together with gaps to enable soil and debris to be shaken with adjustable agitation and would fall back onto the field. Operators had to ensure agitation was minimal
to avoid tuber bruising. Potatoes, traveling over the rear of the digger, were then
placed in a narrow row on the field to be manually picked up.
7. Horse Drawn Walking Plow (courtesy of Vernon Etter): The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of
soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of
the major advances in agriculture. The primary purpose of ploughing is to turn over the upper layer of the soil, bringing fresh
nutrients to the surface, while burying weeds and the remains of previous crops, allowing them to break down. It also aerates the
soil, and allows it to hold moisture better. In modern use, a ploughed field is typically left to dry out, and is then harrowed before
planting. Ploughs were initially pulled by oxen, and later in many areas by horses (generally draft horses) and mules.
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8. Hand Push Plow: Used to make rows to plant or to irrigate in gardens to big to use a hand hoe or too small for large equipment.
9. Alfalfa Corrugator: Corrugators come in many shapes and sizes. Those of you with a pretty good grasp of the English language
will have guessed that a corrugator is something that corrugates. It creates valleys and mounds in the
field - like the familiar corrugated metal. Alfalfa is usually corrugated once during the growing season,
then harvested three times. Why corrugate? So water can flow through a field. All fields have a slope
to them and corrugating helps the flow of water extend thru the field, especially when crops are not planted in rows. Todays corrugator's look a lot different.
10. 1957 Eversman Ditcher: The Eversman digs and cleans ditches up to 6’ wide and 27” deep.
They made four models that were mechanical trail-behind or 3-point hitch hydraulic control for any
standard farm tractor.
11. John Deere 628 Corn Lister (Planter), Moline, MI : Corn seed is larger than wheat seed and is
planted in rows further apart and deeper. So corn requires a different type of planter. The basic design goes back to the 1880s.
The planter would plant two rows at a time. A plow blade opened a furrow, a plate mechanism dropped down a specific number
of seeds and a following wheel covered the seeds back up with dirt. Most farmers planted three to four seeds in each hill. In the
semi-arid plains, farmers adapted the planter to plant the corn in deeper furrows. This planter was known as a "lister." The lister
would plant the seeds in a deeper furrow and cover them leaving a four or five inch mound of dirt on either side of the furrow.
What rain fell on the field settled into the seed furrow. Then as the season progressed and the corn plant grew, special cultivators
were used to throw the mound of dirt back up over the roots, preserving the subsoil moisture and supporting the stalk. By the 30s,
well over half the corn planted on the plains was planted with a lister.
12. Ferguson Sickle Mower: Sickle mowers have a long bar on which are mounted fingers with stationary
guard plates. In a channel on the bar there is a reciprocating sickle with very sharp sickle sections
(triangular blades). The sickle bar is driven back and forth along the channel. The grass is cut between the
sharp edges of the sickle sections and the finger-plates (this action can be likened to an electric hair clipper). The bar rides on the ground, supported on a skid at the inner end, and it can be tilted to adjust the
height of the cut. A spring-loaded board at the outer end of the bar guides the cut hay away from the uncut
hay. These were the first successful horse-drawn mowers on farms and the general principles still guide
the design of modern mowers. Today, we use large hay and forage disc mowers, built for compact tractors
or full-size operations. If you want big, they got big. This modest sickle mower got its start around 1914 and
is anything but big, but it got the job done.
13. Ferguson Rear Mounted Side Rake: Most hay, when cut, has a moisture level too high for safe storage. Thus lifting the hay
and putting it back on the field utilizes the sun & wind to dry it. When hay is put back on the field in a “wide strip” it is a
“swath.” Then it is raked and rolled into a “narrow strip” it is a “windrow.” Windrows keep the leaves inside so the hay keeps
its green color & the stems on the outside dry faster. Rear mounted parallel rakes are usually power take-off (PTO) operated &
supported by gage wheels that respond to uneven terrain. The side delivery rake replaced the labor intensive dump rake. With a
side delivery hay rake the hay is gathered and pushed to one side of the rake as it moves across the field. This eliminated the
labor intensive and inefficient process of raising, lowering, and back-and-forth raking required by the dump rake. This rake has
bars with rubber mounted teeth that are driven by the ground wheels sweeping the loose cut hay into a windrow, which is a row of
hay raked together to dry, so a hay baler can put it into hay bales.
14. Ford Vintage Tractor: (Probably an 8N or 9N series) Henry Ford was born in 1863 in Dearborn, MI & began experimenting with
gas engines in 1890. His first gas auto engine was invented in 1890 & his first auto was a Model A in
1903. In 1907 he invented his first tractor. Then he found out he couldn’t use the Ford name for his
tractor, so he used “Fordson” until 1920 when it was merged into Ford Motor Company. They continue
to produce tractors today.
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15. Swivel Hitch: A swivel hitch makes sharp corners when trailing implements a lot easier.
16. 3-Point Back Blade: A back blade is used for filling low spots in cattle pens & to form lanes. It is also used for making a berm of
earth to control the direction of water flow in farm fields. It is the reverse of a ditch. Instead of bringing water into a narrow
stream, it helps disperse it over a broad area.
17. Wagner Loader & Dirt Bucket & Fork: Wagner Iron Works began as a blacksmith shop in Buffalo, NY in 1850 & moved to Milwaukee, WI as an iron shop in 1870. It became the city’s largest & most important industrial enterprise during the 1920’s. The
company fabricated steel & was best known for bridges throughout the country. In 1947 they patented the first hydraulic operated tractor loader and dominated the market until 1953 when other companies got on the bandwagon. Wagner Bucket Manure
Forks: Manure forks/buckets are used to clean up manure, hay/straw and light brush cleaning. The large tine design makes for
easy after-use wash down.
18. Harrow: An implement called a harrow is used to brake up big clumps of soil. The early harrows were square shaped with
spikes attached to a wooden frame pulled by a horse or ox. Later the design was changed to triangular, which made it easer to
pull though the soil by the horse or ox. Harrows are made of iron and steel with teeth or discs that dig into the ground. Harrow
teeth or discs are offset and perpendicular with the direction that the implement moves. They loosen and lift the soil simultaneously, leaving the soil in its granular form suitable for plant growth. Harrows also aerate the soil, conserving moisture for long
periods and destroying any weeds.
19. Corn Stalk Bundler: The handling of corn is one of the toughest jobs on the farm. A hundred years ago, corn harvesting required more labor than any other farm crop. Corn was
used not only for grain, but the stalk and leaves made good feed for horses, cattle, and
sheep. Farmers had to chop down the cornstalks one at a time, and stack them in shocks to
dry. A field of shocks, like hundreds of teepees in straight rows, was a magnificent sight.
But this was not all. After the stalks had dried, they were loaded on wagons and taken to the
farmstead. Then they were shucked by hand or by machine. Some parts went into the barn
for livestock, while the ears were moved to a corncrib for further drying. Sometimes the corn
was shucked in the field from standing stalks. The ears were stripped from the stalk and tossed into a wagon, which was slowly
moved through the field. This greatly increased the farmer's workload and was a terrible task. As machines were invented, the
time needed to harvest corn was lessened. Also, farmers could grow more corn without increasing the workload too much. Early
machines took over cutting and bundling of stalks but left a lot of handwork such as hauling and shucking to the farmer.
20. Manure Spreader: It wasn’t until 1891, during the extended wave of the Industrial Revolution that inventors Joseph Oppenheim
and Henry Synck from the United States developed the first working mechanical “manure spreaders” or “muck spreaders.”
These were so popular that Oppenheim’s son-in-law, Synck built a manufacturing company called the New Idea Spreader Works.
Later this successful business was renamed the New Idea Farm Machinery Company, which celebrated its 100 year anniversary
in 1999 as division of the AGCO Corporation. This is a solid manure spreader with a rear-discharge wagon. The benefits of manure spreading are that it is an economical & environmentally-friendly way to dispose
of manure. It provides a source of nutrients and conditioners for poor soils. It balances out the water levels in soil. Heavy clay soils become lighter & drain better so that
plants and grass don’t suffer from root rot. Sandy soils become more absorbent &
prevent plants from drying out too quickly.
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21. Dump Rack: Aka Buck Rack: Once the moisture level was deemed acceptable, the simplest method of gathering cured hay
was to rake it into piles with a dump rake. Commonly 10 feet wide, this rake had a set of long curved tines mounted on a frame
set between two large wheels. Dump rakes had become standardized by the 1890s and remained virtually
unchanged until the 1950s. An operator sat on a seat mounted above the frame, working a lever to lift the
rake teeth when they were full. Normally, he had only a single horse to handle, but a team could be used for
heavy hay. And because the operation was deemed simple, he was usually the least experienced crewman.
But, dump rakes could be temperamental. As a young crewman recounted: “Two of us have been having
a terrible day of it on the dump rakes... Mine kept refusing to lift and dump the hay, and his got the
dumps and wouldn't stop lifting with every turn of the wheels.” The piles left by the dump rake were
usually pitch forked onto a hay rack and hauled to the stack or barn. Hay racks were homemade, adapted
farm wagons. Farmers built a light wooden deck about eight feet by 16 feet, and made the sides and ends from poles. As little
wood as possible was used to minimize weight and expense. The equipment required was relatively inexpensive, or like the
hay rack, could be homemade. But this process involved much backbreaking and time-consuming work. A farm with 11 head
of cattle and seven horses could require up to 38 tons of hay a year. Producing this amount of hay by this process required
over 200 hours of work. Most farmers found it was imperative to use more mechanized methods of hauling and stacking hay.
22. International Harvester Farmall 100 Tractor: In 1926 IH's Farmall Works began production in a new plant in Rock Island,
Illinois, built solely to produce the new Farmall tractor. By 1930, the 100,000th Farmall was produced. IH next set their sights on
introducing a true “general-purpose” tractor designed to satisfy the needs of the average United States family farmer. For
model year 1939, industrial designer Raymond Loewy was hired to design a new line of tractors. The sleek look, combined with
other new features, created what is known as the Farmall "letter series.” 1941 saw the introduction of the model "MD" the
first row-crop diesel powered tractor. It would be over a decade before IH's biggest competitor (John Deere) would introduce a
diesel option on their row-crop tractors. For 1955 the numbered "hundred-series" was offered. Although given slightly different looks and few new features, they were still updates to the models introduced in 1939. In 1957 IH gave the tractor lineup
another update by increasing power in some models and adding new white paint to the grill and sides and giving new number
designations. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite good sales, IH's profit margins remained slim. The continual adding of
unrelated business lines created a somewhat unwieldy corporate organization, and the company found it difficult to focus on a
primary business, be it agricultural equipment, construction equipment, or truck production. Products with increasingly ancient
technology continued in production year after year despite their marginal addition to sales.
23. Lister: After potatoes are planted the farmers go through the fields with a Lister. It throws a good amount of dirt over the planted
potatoes. The best thing to compare it to today is what we call raised beds in gardening. Then when weeds started showing up
they went across the field with a harrow to uproot the weeds and knock the large beds down a bit.
24. Potato Planter: Potato machinery history goes back to 1878, when the first Aspinwall potato planter was demonstrated in New
Jersey. The Aspinwall Manufacturing Company was organized in 1883 to build potato
machinery in Jackson, Michigan. Aspinwall was the first automatic potato planter. In an
automatic planter, a star wheel with a series of pickers around its circumference is rotated through a hopper full of cut seed potato pieces. Each picker is a sort of mechanical
hand, or jaw, with a sharp point. The point skewers a seed piece and as each opened
picker leaves the hopper, the jaws are tripped, allowing the seed piece to drop into a
tube which guides it into a furrow made by a furrow opener. Trailing double discs (or
shoes) close the soil over the potato pieces. Sometimes the pickers would fail to close
properly on the seed and it dropped back in the hopper, causing a missed hill. Large potato growers felt these misses couldn’t be
tolerated, and a man named Fred Bateman, who owned the Iron Age Company at Grenloch, N.J., developed an assisted-feed
planter. In the Iron Age planter, the pickers deposited the seed pieces into holes in a revolving “lazy-susan”-type plate before
dropping them in the tube. As the plate revolved, a person riding on the planter filled any empty holes by hand, thus eliminating
missed hills.
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25. John Deere Model A Tractor: John Deere's advertising literature in 1933 read: "This Model
A is a brand new tractor - new in it's greater adaptability - new in it's wider range of utility
- new in the array of outstanding features it contains - new in greater economy of operation." Rows between crops were 40 to 42 inches....the width of a horse. Tractors had fixed
tread widths of 40 to 42 inches. The John Deere Model A was the first tractor to have adjustable
wheel tread and a one piece transmission case. Rear wheels could be slid in or out on splined
axles permitting wheel spacing from 56 to 84 inches. A significant change especially since many tractors had side draft when
pulling plows. By being able to change rear wheel tread width, this side draft could be eliminated and thus make steering easier
for the operator. One of the features of the early A's that collectors seek after are models with an open fan shaft. This was the
original design from serial #414809 until #424024. The fan shaft was not enclosed from the front of the governor housing to the
back of the upper water pipe, which also acted as a support for the fan shaft. In 1935 the old style silk screen decals (with a picture of a deer between the words John and Deere) was replaced with the deer picture removed. In the middle of 1938, the styling
was changed on the A for the1939 model year. Electric starting became a popular option at this time also. During World War II all
American manufacturers were under control by the War Production Board. Nothing could be exported without a license. Lend
Lease began in late 1942 and covered tractors, plus some equipment. One Lend Lease contract covered 1,584 Model A tractors.
From 1947 to 1952 the general purpose Model A's with pressed steel side frames are known as “late styled.” Electric starting
was made regular equipment. The price of a new Model A in 1938 equipped with rubber tires was $1,175.25. In 1952 the price
of a new John Deere Model A tractor was $2,400. The original Model A was rated at 16.22 drawbar and 23.52 belt horsepower.
Late styled A's were rated at 35.3 drawbar and 39.45 belt horsepower.
26. Fork Lift: In 1917 the Clark Company, manufacturers of axles, created a truck called the Tructractor to move materials around
their factory. A few years later the first hydraulic powered lift was added to some trucks to give them lifting power. In 1923, Yale
was the first company to use forks that lifted loads off the ground and an elevated mast that could extend beyond the height of
the truck. The early models of the first trucks include: Model K 20 (Narrow High Platform Truck), Model K 21 (Wide High Platform
Truck), Model K 22 (General Utility - Elevating Platform Truck), Model K 23 (Low Platform Truck), and the Model K 24 (Three
Wheel Tractor Truck. The Yale truck is considered to be the first forklift. A few developments helped the forklift to increase in
production including the introduction of the standardized pallet in 1930 and World War II. Both increased production of forklifts.
As the use of forklifts increased so did the amount of hours they were being used. Shortly after forklifts became prevalent, they
were designed with a rechargeable battery that could last 8 hours. In the 1950s warehouses expanded upward instead of out so
forklifts were designed to lift loads up to 50 feet (15.2 meters), which was higher than ever before. With the increased load height,
certain safety measures were applied to the forklift during this time including a cage for drivers to protect them from falling materials and a backrest to help keep the load in place as it's lifted. More safety measures were introduced in the 1980s including the
operator safety restraint and developments in forklift balance technology. Vaughn Motor Company of Portland, Oregon made a
lot of the motors used on forklifts.
27. International R Series Pick-Up: The International R series replaced the L-Series in 1953. It was mostly a facelift of the light
and medium models, but also a remarkable set of changes. The busy front style seen on L series
was cleanly and easily redesigned to become the R line. In place of the ornate grille of the L line
was a simple rectangular opening with a tapered bar running across the center, and the IH "man
on a tractor" logo planted firmly and obviously in the center. The heavy duty models (R-185 and
higher) were changed only slightly in appearance, in that four of the seven vertical bars in the
upper grille were removed. The new R-110 pickup was a handsome little rig. The clean lines of
the grille, hood and front fenders were simple, but pleasing. Exterior chrome plating was used
only sparsely, on the identifying logos and on the door handles, but the design did not need
chrome to look good. The 115 in wheelbase model featured a 6.5 foot pickup box, and cost $ 1,384.00. The biggest seller during
1954-55 was the R-110 model, with 72,659 built. Although it had been only two years since the L line had been revised to become the R line, 1955 was to be another year of big changes for light and medium series. In September the new S series was
announced, replacing the R models from the 100 to 180 series.
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28. Hagie High Boy Corn Topper: A “topper” or sometimes called “cutter” attachment is used to cut the
tops of the corn off or to detassle the corn. This is used mostly by farmers raising seed corn to keep the
corn uniform. The female seed corn is de-tasseled leaving only the male corn to pollinate all the seed corn
increasing the yields.
29. Buzz Saw: Cordwood saws, also called “buzz saws,” use a blade of a similar size to saw mills. Where a
saw mill rips (cuts with the grain) a cordwood saw crosscuts (cuts across the grain).
Cordwood saws can have a blade from 20 to more than 36 inches (910 mm) diameter
depending on the power source and intended purpose. Buzz saws are used to cut long logs (cordwood) and
slabs (sawmill waste) into pieces suitable for home heating (firewood) and were once very popular in rural
America. Buzz saws were used to cut smaller wood into firewood in an era when hand powered saws were the
only other option. Logs too large for a cordwood saw were still cut by hand. “Chainsaws” have largely replaced
cordwood saws for firewood preparation today. Still, some commercial firewood processors and others use
cordwood saws to save wear and tear on their chainsaws. Most people consider cordwood saws unsafe and
outdated technology. Most cordwood saws consist of a frame, blade, mandrel, cradle, and power source. The
“cradle” is a tilting or sliding guide that holds logs during the cutting process.
30. Fairbanks Power Motor Unit: A “hit-and-miss engine” is a type of four-stroke internal combustion engine that was conceived
in the late 19th century and was produced by various companies from the 1890s through approximately the 1930s. The name comes from the method of speed control that is implemented on these
engines (as opposed to the "throttle governed" method of speed control). The sound made
when the engine is running is a distinctive "POP whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh POP" as the
engine fires and then coasts until the speed decreases and needs to fire again to maintain its average speed. Hit-and-miss engines were made by a multitude of engine manufacturers during their
peak usage which was from approximately 1910 through the early 1930s when they began to be replaced by more modern designs. Some of the largest engine manufacturers were Hercules, International Harvester (McCormick
Deering), John Deere and Fairbanks Morse.
31. On-Site Portable Cement Mixer: For smaller jobs, such as residential repairs, renovations, or hobbyist-scale projects, many
cubic yards of concrete are usually not required. Bagged cement is readily available in small-batch sizes, and aggregate and water are easily obtained in small quantities for the small work site. To service this small-batch concrete market, there are many
types of small portable concrete mixers available. A typical portable concrete mixer uses a small revolving drum to mix the components. For smaller jobs the concrete made at the construction site has no time lost in transport, giving the workers ample time
to use the concrete before it hardens. The rotation is powered by electricity. The lever allows the concrete/mortar to be tipped
into a wheelbarrow.
32. Montgomery Wards Cinderblock Maker: Harmon S. Palmer invented the first commercially successful concrete block
machine in 1900, but there were many reasons why concrete block became widely used during the first half of the
20th century. The establishments of a domestic Portland cement industry, the innovations in concrete block machinery, and the marketing and promotion of concrete and concrete block at the 1904 St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition, are all major reasons why concrete block began to be widely used in America. The concrete blocks that Harmon’s machine produced were composed of Portland cement, aggregates, and water and were 30’x8”x10”. Since the
blocks were so large, they had to be set in place by a hand cranked machine. However, with the scarcity of other resources and the cost of materials at the time, concrete blocks became the main source of building materials and the
industry grew rapidly. The creation of the commercial process for manufacturing concrete blocks ed to the employment of concrete blocks for many different architectural and engineering functions since they last long periods of
time, are energy efficient, require minimal upkeep and are fire and rot resistant.
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33. Roller Skate Wheel Lathe: Every good farmer knows that if it turns and has lots of wheels it has to be good for something so
load it up and bring it home. This was used a Warnoco Roller Rink in Greeley to turn wooden wheels when they were worn from
hours of practice and needed to be sized once again as some wheels wore down faster than others.
34. & 36. Hagie High Boy Fertilizer Spreaders: In 1947 Ray Hagie, founder of Hagie Manufacturing Co., Clarion, Iowa, invents the
first self-propelled sprayer for agricultural applications. These fertilizer sprayers were tall so they could spray corn when it was
tall. In the fall, a 2nd unit went on the back and cut the corn down lower to let in the sunlight to dry the
corn. Ray Hagie never intended to produce the world's first self-propelled sprayer. He wanted to grow
hybrid corn. In fact, his first piece of equipment - a “detasseler “ (see #27) - was built for his own
seed corn fields. But as Hagie Hybrids continued to grow, so did demand for his "above the crop"
equipment. Hagie's Iowa farmstead became the birthplace of Hagie Manufacturing - and the world's
first self-propelled sprayer. Three generations, millions of acres and more than a half-century later, the
combination of pride, honesty and old-fashioned work ethic that Ray Hagie instilled in the company still exists at Hagie. It's a principle is called “Hagie UpFront” - and it can be found not only in the product innovations the company continuously introduces
(like their trademark UpFront sprayer booms), but also in the way they work with their customers, employees and suppliers.
35. Grain Drill: A grain or “seed drill” is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Before
the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by hand. Besides being wasteful, planting was very imprecise and led to a poor distribution of seeds, leading to low
productivity. The use of a seed drill can improve the ratio of crop yield by as much as eight
times. The earliest known version, invented in Mesopotamia by 2000 BC consisted of a wooden
plow equipped with a seed hopper and a tube that conveyed the seed to the furrow. By the 17th
century, metering systems were in use to ensure accuracy of the rate of planting. Most consisted of wheels bearing small spoons
that dipped into the seed hopper and guided it to the furrows in standard amounts. Modern grain drills have a variety of metering
systems and furrow openers. In general, the metering device—spoon, cup, fluted roll, or other—passes the seed by tube to one
of several furrow openers, which are forced into the soil by springs or weights, with a short length of chain dragged behind to cover the seed. Drill widths are determined by the number and spacing of furrow openers.
37. Trencher: A trencher is a piece of construction equipment used to dig trenches, especially for laying pipes or cables, for installing drainage. Trenchers may range in size from walk-behind models, to attachments for a skid loader or tractor,
to very heavy and large. A chain trencher cuts with a digging chain that is driven around a rounded metal frame,
or boom. It resembles a giant chainsaw. This type of trencher can cut ground that is too hard to cut with a buckettype excavator, and can also cut narrow and deep trenches. The angle of the boom can be adjusted to control the
depth of the cut. To cut a trench, the boom is held at a fixed angle while the machine creeps slowly. The chain
trencher is a great tool for trenching for large diameter networks (telecommunication, electricity, drainage, water,
gas, sanitation....) especially in rural areas. The excavated materials can be removed by conveyor belt reversible
either on the right or on the left.
38. Popcorn Sheller: Popcorn was first cultivated thousands of years ago by the people living in what is
now Peru. It is estimated that these remnants date from as early as 4700 B.C. Purple popcorn was found in
the early 1900s. The legend that English settlers, who came to America in the 16th and 17th centuries,
learned about popcorn from American Indians has been proven to be a myth. No evidence exists from colonial times to support the claim. During the Great Depression, popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 5–10 cents
a bag and became popular. Thus, while other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived and became
a source of income for many struggling farmers. During World War II, sugar rations diminished candy production, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn. Six American cities claim to be the “Popcorn Capital of the World” - Ridgway, Illinois; Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Schaller, Iowa; Marion, Ohio; and North Loup, Nebraska. According to the USDA, corn used for popcorn production is specifically planted for
this purpose. Most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with increasing area in Texas. As the result of an elementary
school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.
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39. Corn Shellers: Whether the corn was shucked in the barn or in the field, it was shucked by hand. The ears were thrown into a
wagon, and the kernels were shelled by a mechanical device powered by horses. The
first mechanical corn picker was introduced in 1909, and by the 1920s one- and tworow pickers powered by tractor engines were becoming popular. Massey-Harris
brought the first self-propelled picker to the market in 1946, but the big breakthrough
came in 1954, when a corn head attachment for combines became available, making
it possible to shell corn in the field. The increase in productivity was dramatic. Frequently large corn shellers were shared. After a frost
in the fall, corn was ripe and dry enough for picking. Farmers picked corn by hand, using a
curved husking knife or a peg strapped to the palm of a heavy glove. The person walked down
each row, picking corn from stalks on the right and left, twisting each ear from the stalk and tossing it into a wagon pulled by horses. Stalk after stalk, row after row. The picker threw the corn
against a board -- called a "bang board" -- you would "bang" the ears into the board and they
would fall into a wagon if it was to be hand shelled or the elevator on a mechanical sheller. It was
hard, tiring work. In 1900 one person could shuck about 100 bushels a day. By the end of the
century, combines with eight-row heads could shuck and shell 100 bushels in less than 5 minutes!
40. Snowco Bale Loader: Manual reads: You have purchased a new type bale loader that will give you
years of trouble-free use with reasonable care and maintenance. Your loader will pick up either wire or
string tied, round or square bales. Like all equipment, it must receive reasonable care and maintenance
and operation. These instructions should be followed closely, as they are designed to make assembly
and operation easy and efficient. Nicked named “The One Armed Bandit.”
41. John Deere A-12 Combine With Innes Pinto Bean Head Attachment: Harvesting is an exact process
and the combine is the 2nd step of a Pinto Bean harvest. The beans are cut (1st step) and this usually begins at 3am or 4am so the beans are ready for the combine in the afternoon. The beans can’t be too dry or
they will crack and split. If too moist they the stems will not go thru the combine and will wrap around the
machinery. The 3rd step is trucking them to the elevator. If too moist they will be refused as they will just
mold. Beans are one of the oldest foods known to man and they have been an important part of the human
diet for thousands of years. Beans were one of the earliest food crops cultivated. Common beans were domesticated about 7,000 years ago in both Peru and southern Mexico. In fact, in Mexico, the Indians developed white beans, black beans and all other colors and color patterns. By the time Portuguese and Spanish
explorers discovered the New World, several varieties of beans were already flourishing. The early explorers and traders subsequently shared American bean varieties around the world, and by the early 17th century, beans also were popular crops in Europe, Africa and Asia.
42. Allis-Chalmers All Crop Harvester/ All Crop Combine: This is a tractor-drawn, PTO-driven (except the All-Crop 100 and the
All-Crop SP100) harvester made by Allis-Chalmers from the mid1930s to the early 1960s. These combines were a very effective
tool for family-sized farms, since they didn't require the investment or maintenance of a self-propelled unit. The A-C offering was
particularly flexible, able to harvest various small grains and everything from flowers to various grass and legume crops for seed.
It would have been used for pinto beans. Many of these units are still in working condition, and they are well known for their dependability and low maintenance; however, as they are quite small machines (and now very old), they are not practical on today's
large farms. They were superseded by the Allis-Chalmers Gleaner combine harvesters.
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43. Grain Bin: Grain bins are used to store dry matter, usually grains or corn. Bins may be round or square, but round bins tend to
empty more easily due to a lack of corners for the stored material to become wedged and encrusted.
This grain bin was made by Butler Manufacturing Company. Their first galvanized steel grain bin was
introduced in 1907. By 1938 research had proven the superiority of these bins over wooden ones, and
the next year the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its intention to receive bids on delivering
30,666 steel bins needed to store excess grain from a bumper crop. This order was one and a half
times more bins than had been produced the previous year by the entire industry. Guaranteed bids had
to be submitted within 30 days and delivered within just 60 days of receiving an order. Butler took
on the challenge and, against phenomenal odds, refurbished an abandoned plant in Galesburg,
Illinois, supplied it with machinery, staffed it, and mass-produced 14,500 steel bins in 59 days, plus
another 6,000 bins in just 15 days. The seemingly unachievable became achievable through Norquist's clear vision, the company's adventurous commitment, and the efforts of hundreds of
motivated people. The event was a spark that began to shape what Butler Manufacturing is today.
44. Mayrath Grain Auger & Boot: Martin Mayrath lived on his father's farm near Dodge
City, Kansas. As a young man he worked on the family farm and was aware of the
strenuous labor associated with shoveling grain. In 1943, Mr. Mayrath invented the
portable grain auger. The spiral flights on the center shaft inside the tube turn and
force the grain up to the top. At the foot auger is where the grain is dumped to be fed
into the auger to the top of the grain bin. The name “boot” comes from putting your foot in a boot. In the case of the grain auger
you are putting grain in the boot. The grain auger was invented while many young men were away at war. They came home and
didn’t know what an auger was, but it didn’t take long for them to take a likin’ to them. By 1945, patents were issued to Mr. Mayrath for several of the key concepts still used in grain handling today. Early production was accomplished in Dodge City, Kansas.
In 1956, a new factory was built in Compton, Illinois. This new manufacturing facility was located in the heart of the grainproducing region. Hutchinson/Mayrath has grown to become a supplier to the world with grain and material handling equipment.
45. Gravity Wagon: Gravity wagons are used to transport grain to bin or ear corn to a corn crib. With the slant sides they unload
with ease using “gravity.”
46. John Deere—Lindeman Land Plane: Land planes are used to smooth and level rough fields, without changing the grade
(slope) and help make irrigation easier and makes efficient use of expensive water. Each plant
needs its share of water, so a land plane eliminates high and low spots, sending water all the way to
the end of the row. It operates in the same way a wood plane is used to flatten or level wood.. The
Lindeman Power Equipment Company was established by Jesse and his brother, Harry, in 1924. It
was a retail implement business with a small shop and forge. His brother Joseph joined the company in 1925. The business was sold to John Deere and Company in 1947. He received $1,250,000
for the business ($500,000 for the plant and equipment, and $750,000 for his continued consultation). The Lindeman Land Plane was one of the implements John Deere kept when they bought the Lindeman Power Equipment
Company.
47. 3 Point Mount Cultivator & Anti-Sway Bars: Around the 18th century cultivators began to take over from the harrows to work
the soil. Cultivators were then mounted on wheels. These machines could control the depth at which they went into the soil.
Cultivators stir & pulverize the soil, either before planting or after the crop has begun to grow to kill the weeds by uprooting them,
burying their leaves to disrupt their photosynthesis. This cultivator is in the form of chisel plows that work just beneath the surface.
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48. LaPlant-Choate Scraper: The LaPlant-Choate Manufacturing Company was founded in 1911 by E. W. LaPlant and Roy Choate
to produce stump pullers and house moving machinery. In 1923 they started making crawler tractors and other implements. The scraper was among those first implements made by the company.
LaPlant-Chote began offering scrapers as early as 1935 and was a pioneer in the field of hydraulic
controls. It adopted the trade name of “Carrimor” for its towed scrapers. They featured a bell bottom floor which made them very aggressive loaders, particularly in clay. The trade off was that a
special cutting edge had to be fitted to enable any finish work to grade. LaPlant-Choate was
bought out by Allis-Chalmers in 1953 and Allis-Chalmers continued to produce the LaPlant-Choate
scrapers (suitably repainted and re-branded) until the early 1960s.
49. John Deere 6 Row Bedder: Bedders are used to make raised garden/crop beds for planting. Properly
planned and constructed raised beds maintain a seed bed that promotes optimum root growth and maximum
aeration, infiltration and drainage. Bed-formers have furrowers and a two discs for each furrower. The furrowers are set at the required spacing (centre-to-centre distance between beds), and the discs trail behind the
rear edge of the furrowers. The furrowers excavate soil to the depth of deep cultivation and push the soil to the
left and right. The discs then spread the soil evenly across the soil that passes between the furrowers, leaving
a trench .
50. New Idea Corn Picker: In 1900 corn was shucked by hand, the ears were thrown into a wagon, and the kernels were shelled by
a mechanical device powered by horses. The first mechanical corn picker was introduced in 1909,
and by the 1920s one- and two-row pickers powered by tractor engines were becoming popular.
Massey-Harris brought the first self-propelled picker to the market in 1946, but the big breakthrough
came in 1954, when a corn head attachment for combines became available, making it possible to
shell corn in the field. The increase in productivity was dramatic. In 1900 one person could shuck
about 100 bushels a day. By the end of the century, combines with eight-row heads could shuck
and shell 100 bushels in less than 5 minutes!
51. Clipper Seed Cleaners were invented and manufactured in Ohio by John E. Smith. In 1891, he sold controlling interest in his company to A. T. Ferrell who moved manufacturing to Saginaw, Michigan. A. T. Ferrell and Company soon
became one of the leading producers of seed and grain conditioning equipment. A.T Ferrell Inc. is now located in
Buffton, IN and still manufactures agricultural equipment, including seed cleaners, of which “Clipper” is just one division of the company.
52. Milk & Cream Cans: Dairy farmers in the 19th Century would milk the cows and the milk would
go into the pail underneath the udder. The milk was then heated to kill off any bacteria that
lived in the liquid. Before pasteurization, this was the best way to get rid of bacteria, but it wasn't always effective. The milk was then stored and cooled in the milk can. The milk was transported in the milk cans by the farmer or a delivery man. Customers would go where the farmer
delivered it so they could get their share. They were required to have a jar or a pail so the
farmer could pour milk from the can into that particular container for the customer. This method of transporting and
distributing the milk was not ideal because, in some cases, the milk cans were carelessly washed. Customers who
came for their milk earlier in the day would get a higher quality of cream, whereas people later in the day would get a
lower quality because of the separation. Cream cans were smaller than milk cans since the cream was a more concentrated product. Cream cans came in 4, 8, 10 and 12 quart sizes. The lids were usually held on by a chain and
some lids were designed to force the air out of the can to keep the cream from churning into butter during shipment. Milk cans courtesy of Vernon Etter. Cream can courtesy of Kathy Rickart.
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53. Cream Separator: A separator is a centrifugal device that separates milk into cream and skimmed milk. Separation
was commonly performed on farms in the past. Most farmers milked a few cows, usuall by hand, and
separated milk. Manual rotation of the separator handle turns a worm gear mechanism which causes
the separator bowl to spin at thousands ofrevolutions per minute. When spun, the heavier milk is
pulled outward against the walls of the separator and the cream, which is lighter, collects in the middle. The cream and milk then flow out of separate spouts. Some floor model separators were built with
a swinging platform attached to the stand. The bucket for collecting the cream was put on the platform, and a much larger bucket was set on the floor to collect the milk. Some of the skimmed milk was
consumed while the rest was used to feed calves and pigs. Enough cream was saved to make butter,
and the excess was sold. Today, milk is separated in industrial dairies. Sufficient cream is returned to the skimmed
milk before sale.
54. Covered Wagon: A covered wagon is basically a farm wagon that is covered. A Conestoga
was a very large wagon designed specifically for loads up to 8 tons. The first wagon was built
in 1717 and was named after the “Conestoga River” in Lancaster County, PA & thought to have
been introduced by Mennonite German settlers. They were drawn by horses, mules or oxen.
The Conestoga and the covered Wagons were used extensively during the settling of the West
in the 18th and 19th Century. Pony covered wagon courtesy of Kathy Rickart.
The following statistics vary several persons according to various sites, but in general terms………..
……One farmer:
1930 supplies 9.8 persons
1940 supplies 10.7 persons
1950 supplies 15.5 persons
1960 supplies 25.8 persons
1970 supplies 47.4 persons
1980 supplies 75.7 persons
1990 supplies 100 persons
2000 supplies approx. 125 persons
2010 supplies 155 persons
2050 goal is 310 persons
If you enjoy your meal tonight, thank a farmer and thank agriculture for providing 24 million jobs while you are at it!
Just remember! No Water, No Farm! No Farm, No Food!
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