ADD A LEGEND TO YOUR COLLECTION
If you can’t squeeze a Caterpillar D4 7U into your collector (or your garage!), surely you can find a home for a 1/16th scale model. Produced for the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC), this very handsome collectible comes complete with a scale model 4S bulldozer.
Historically accurate and highly detailed, this diecast model celebrates one of the most popular Caterpillar track-type tractors ever produced. Features include individually linked grousers and operable blade. This first-in-series new release is already proving to be a highly sought-after continuation of the previous ACMOC 1/16 scale collection, and is compatible with the #4 Road Patrol Grader and the #2 Terracer.
Online at www.acmoc.org; email: cat@acmoc.org; (309) 691-5002.
SUNSDAHL TOOL PUTS THE GRIP ON GRILLES
If you’ve ever squandered hours trying to straighten a crumpled tractor grille, this grille tool set from Sunsdahls’ Restoration Tooling is worth a second look. You don’t have to be an expert to use the tool, but you can expect expert results – time after time. The all-steel tool is used with a hammer. Restorers say it’s easy to use, durable, won’t damage the paint and delivers exceptional results.
Specializing in custom-made tools for John Deere, Farmall, Oliver, Case, Ford and Minneapolis-Moline, Sunsdahls’ also offers grille tool sets and specialty tools for John Deere tractors and Lawn & Garden tractors. Instructions and tips are included with every order.
Sunsdahls’ Restoration Tooling, online at www.sunsdahltooling.com; email: info@sunsdahltooling.com; (507) 334-8966; (507) 330-0180.
RACK JACK MAGNUM LIGHTENS THE LOAD
It’s a common problem: getting something heavy in or out of your truck when you’re by yourself. The Rack Jack Magnum by Viking Solutions was designed to easily hoist heavy game for processing and transport – but anyone who singlehandedly wrangles a load of firewood in and out of the bed of a truck could put the Rack Jack to work as well.
The portable, hand-winch powered lifting device easily hoists heavy loads. The Rack Jack Magnum connection mount fits into a standard 2-inch hitch receiver and has two outboard legs to support loading of up to 650 pounds. The heavy-duty, hand-crank winch is mounted to an offset boom, which is specially designed to facilitate loading straight into the bed of a truck.
Viking Solutions, online at www.vikingsl.com; email: info@vikingsl.com; (256) 686-3268.
PARKING BRAKES TAILOR-MADE FOR FORD TRACTORS
Spent any time on a Ford 8N? Then you know that locking and unlocking the standard brakes on older Ford tractors is a challenge all its own. This kit makes the job quick and simple: Just lift the levers up to lock each brake. The FarMech proves its worth when hooking up equipment or when getting off the tractor to open and close gates. An excellent accessory for all 9Ns, 2Ns and 8Ns!
Modeled on the FarMech cam-style parking brake once produced in Parkersburg, Iowa, the brakes are easy to install, easy to adjust and have only one moving part. Available as a kit from the Red Rock Mfg. website, FarMech brakes have a powder coat finish and come with everything needed for installation.
Red Rock Mfg., online at www.redrockmfg.com; email: phil@redrockmfg.com; (641) 780-1748.
SKAT CAT 40 ABRASIVE BLAST CABINET
Whether your restorations are for love or money, a good abrasive blast cabinet is a must. Nothing makes cleaning and prepping parts for restoration easier, and if you don’t already own a blast cabinet it’s probably only because you’re not sure what to get. Needing a cabinet for in-house projects at Farm Collector and sister publications Gas Engine Magazine and Motorcycle Classics, we turned to TP Tools and ordered a Pro-Shop Skat Cat 40 abrasive blast cabinet.
The side-loading Skat 40 features a generous 40-inch by 28-inch by 28-inch interior work area, big enough to accept anything from a fender to, in our first test, a Ford 8N seat and stand. Using the supplied Skat Magic Abrasive crushed glass media (you can also use walnut shells, glass beads and more), we stripped the seat and stand to clean metal in less than an hour. A 90 watt interior floodlight and large 12-inch by 24-inch tempered glass front ensure easy viewing of work, and the included HEPA vacuum does an excellent job of removing dust from inside the cabinet as you blast.
A 5 hp compressor rated at 10-15 cfm at 80 psi is suggested. Our 3.7 hp compressor rated at 11.5 cfm at 80 psi proved perfectly capable, but there’s no question it labors to maintain pressure. An optional low air supply nozzle is on our short list of upgrades.
We also ordered a TP Tools water separator and regulator piping kit with all the pipe elbows, unions, tees and valves needed for the typical home installation, all quality made in the USA and excellent value. That assessment also holds for the Skat Cat 40. Made in Canfield, Ohio, it’s a top-quality cabinet that delivers top-notch results.
Skat Cat 40 Blast Cabinet, TP Tools & Equipment. Online at www.tptools.com or call toll free at (800) 321-9260.
SINGULAR RESOURCE FOR COLLECTORS OF CAST IRON SEATS
The cast iron implement seat may seem a humble thing today, but imagine the difference it made to the farmer who walked along his equipment all day, before seats became commonplace on implements. Productivity aside, spend some time looking at cast iron seats in a collection and you’ll be dazzled by both the artistry and the variety. Fine relics from the agricultural revolution, cast iron seats are prized collectibles today.
A new book published this year – Cast Iron Seats of the World, Book VI – by the Cast Iron Seat Collectors Assn. has rounded up all known seats in one resource. This new book, which incorporates material from the association’s most recent release in 1993, includes photos of nearly 3,000 unique seats, as well as reproductions of vintage line art showing early horse-drawn equipment.
For the seat collector, Book VI is an invaluable resource. Not only does it help the collector assess rarity, it also protects him against reproductions and misrepresentations. This kind of undertaking is a major project for a group of volunteers, and an exceptional reference for the collector.
Cast Iron Seats of the World, Book VI, Cast Iron Seat Collectors, 2016; 328 pages (8-1/2 by 11). Black-and-white photos and illustrations. Hardback, $60; spiral bound, $40; shipping, $8. Available from John Catchings, 3524 Jefferson Twp. Pkwy., Marietta, GA 30066; email: jpc3524@me.com; (770) 587-4004.
