Mid-Iowa Magic

Among Dan's favorite factory-built tractors is his 1949 Model G. This unique-looking Allis was built specifically with the small post-war farmer in mind and continues to be a favorite on small truck farms, where its design is especially useful for close work. The tractor's rear engine and drive train, and open tubular framework, allow the operator quite literally a clear view of the ground beneath. Couple that with a belly-mounted cultivator, and you can imagine how well suited the outfit is to precision cultivating - and many other tasks as well. Dan likes the G so well that he recently completed a working half-scale model of the machine, using pieces and parts he found in his junk pile.

Another of Dan's favorites is the Allis-Chalmers Model B, and he has a few of them. "There isn't any shortage of Bs around, so I thought it would be fun to make a few that had never been made," Dan explains with a smile, wiping dew from the hood of his Model B articulated four-wheel drive.

In the old iron hobby, and at shows like Marshalltown, fun is what it's all about.

For more information:

- The 2006 Mid-Iowa Antique Power Association Antique Power Show, Aug. 4-6, featuring International Harvester tractors, IH engines (spotlighting the Famous uprights), and Haflinger horses; call MIAPA President Paul Sams at (641) 754-0524; e-mail: psams@consumersenergy.net www.miapa.org

Oscar "Hank" Will III is an old-iron collector, freelance writer and photographer. He splits his time between his home in Gettysburg, Pa., and his farm in East Andover, N.H. Write him at 243 W. Broadway, Gettysburg, PA 17325; (717) 337-6068; e-mail: willo@gettysburg.edu