October 2000
Cindy Ladage
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The Brinkmans with their traveling display.
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International Harvester made more than tractors: IH also made refrigerators, freezers, and milking equipment. Almost anyone over the age of 35 can recall those heavy International freezers that Grandma has in her basement, still working to this day.
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Larry Brinkman, Freeport, Mich., has been involved with International Harvester since he was a kid. His dad farmed with IH equipment, and Larry later worked for an IH dealer.
'In 1953, I worked for my uncle, who was an International dealer.' he says. 'He went out of business in 1960. Then I started up my own dealership with a friend in 1970.'
Over the years, Larry and his wife Ruth, held onto his International Harvester collectibles. They had a strong desire to display the collection at shows.
'I had a bunch of stuff to show, and I thought I'd like to make a show trailer,' he says. 'Finally, I found one in Fremont that fit the bill.'
It was difficult to find an affordable trailer that was the right size. So when the trailer in Fremont came up for sale six years ago, the Brinkmans jumped at the chance. It took them another four years to convert the old trailer to a traveling International collection. The Brinkmans were ready to roll for show season in 1998. They traveled to their first show in Oakley Mich., and have been moving ever since.
This June, the Brinkmans headed south, taking their trailer to the International Harvester 11th Annual National Red Power Round Up in Sandwich, Ill. While rain soaked the fairgrounds during much of the show, the IH trailer received a good share of the show's visitors. The draw that pulled people out of the display buildings, away from the thousand-plus tractors on display, was the unique quality of the traveling IH collection.
The trailer includes a variety of items produced by International, large and small. The Brinkmans have a freezer, refrigerator, milking machine, cream separator and even a milking vacuum pump. The entire trailer is decorated with International signs and literature. One area has some of the IH kitchen contributions from the heyday of Irma Harding. (Irma Harding was the well-known IH spokeswoman who graced many covers of their literature and manuals.)