More Than Machines: The Stories Behind the Iron

By Bill Vossler
Published on November 23, 2009
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Bob Riebel with his 1931 REO Speedwagon truck.
Bob Riebel with his 1931 REO Speedwagon truck.
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A truck in Bob Riebel's collection.
A truck in Bob Riebel's collection.
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Bob Riebel's mother bought this 1928 International Harvester truck in 1946.
Bob Riebel's mother bought this 1928 International Harvester truck in 1946.
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A 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine. Cut-away windows allowed farm school students to see how internal components worked. An electric motor ran the gas engine at a slow speed for instructional purposes.
A 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine. Cut-away windows allowed farm school students to see how internal components worked. An electric motor ran the gas engine at a slow speed for instructional purposes.
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Close up of the 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine.
Close up of the 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine.
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Explanation for the 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine.
Explanation for the 1947 Minneapolis-Moline Model U cut-away engine.
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A 1936 Case CC.
A 1936 Case CC.
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This rare 1936 Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special features original steel wheels.
This rare 1936 Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special features original steel wheels.
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Bob Riebel's Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special.
Bob Riebel's Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special.
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Another view of the 1936 Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special.
Another view of the 1936 Allis-Chalmers Model E Thresherman's Special.
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A 1937 Oliver Hart-Parr that Bob Riebel got from his friend Henry Kruschke. The tractor's steel wheels needed to be replaced, but Henry donated a spare set.
A 1937 Oliver Hart-Parr that Bob Riebel got from his friend Henry Kruschke. The tractor's steel wheels needed to be replaced, but Henry donated a spare set.
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Bob Riebel and his 1938 Huber Model B.
Bob Riebel and his 1938 Huber Model B.
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Bob Riebel at the wheel of his 1938 Huber Model B.
Bob Riebel at the wheel of his 1938 Huber Model B.
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A rare 1913 Lauson-Lawton Wisconsin 3 hp sideshaft engine.
A rare 1913 Lauson-Lawton Wisconsin 3 hp sideshaft engine.
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The Edwards engine has an unusual silhouette and an unusual operation: It can run on either piston, or both, depending on load size.
The Edwards engine has an unusual silhouette and an unusual operation: It can run on either piston, or both, depending on load size.
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A piece of equipment in Bob Riebel's collection.
A piece of equipment in Bob Riebel's collection.
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Another view of the Edwards engine.
Another view of the Edwards engine.
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One of Bob Riebel’s four REO mowers.
One of Bob Riebel’s four REO mowers.
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Ski-like runners remain intact on this 5 hp Fairmont. The engine was originally used, unsuccessfully, to aerate a frozen lake.
Ski-like runners remain intact on this 5 hp Fairmont. The engine was originally used, unsuccessfully, to aerate a frozen lake.
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The blade on the Maytag lawn mower at left is fully exposed. A careless operator, Bob Riebel says,
The blade on the Maytag lawn mower at left is fully exposed. A careless operator, Bob Riebel says, "could get his toenails trimmed."

Rare pieces, tons of variety, flawless restorations: Those are the hallmarks of a great collection of old iron.

But Bob Riebel goes one step further with his collection – seemingly every piece in it tells a story. From gas engines to tractors to trucks, Bob’s relics tell colorful tales of the past.

Bob, who lives in Le Sueur, Minn., has spent a lifetime gathering unusual pieces. Take his collection of more than 80 gas engines. It includes at least half a dozen extremely rare pieces, like a tractor cut-away engine.

As a teenager, Bob attended the University of Minnesota Farm School in St. Paul. He learned about gasoline engines by way of a 1947 Minneapolis-Moline U tractor engine that had been cut apart to show the internal components working. “An electric motor ran that engine real slow,” he recalls. “The pistons and rings were exposed and the carburetor was partly exposed, so you could see the moving parts, and the instructor could explain what the parts were and what they did while the engine was running.”

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