“You stalled it again?!?” Getting used to the clutch doesn’t come easy to everyone at the River Valley Antique Assn. Old Fashioned Threshing Show, Mapleton, Ill.
Photo By Robert W. Hunnicutt
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Mitchell Siefert with an antique hay fork at the annual Rock Creek (Minn.) Relics Threshing & Sawing show in September.
Photo By Judy Anderson
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Orin Skramstad helps his nephew pitch oat bundles into the thresher.
Photo By Karen Zuehlke
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An engine display at the July 4 celebration in Exline, Iowa.
Photo By Susan Eddy
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Shelling corn with a Minneapolis-Moline Model D corn sheller at the Le Sueur County (Minn.) Pioneer Power Show Aug. 24 - 26, 2012.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Eric Grayson, La Fontaine, Ind., has been lacing belts for factories for years. About two years ago, he started doing the same work at antique iron shows. Here he’s lacing a belt at the Tri-State Gas Engine & Tractor Show, Portland, Ind.
Photo By Janet Healy
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Caden Babington and a United gas engine displayed by his dad, Craig Babington, at the Northeast Missouri Old Threshers Show, Shelbina, Mo. “Caden had a ball ‘working’ on the engine,” says photographer Susan Eddy. “He would get a wrench out of the toolbox, close the lid, run to the engine, ‘use’ the wrench, run back to the toolbox, open the box, put the wrench in, close the box, back up — and then start all over again.”
Photo By Susan Eddy
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Old iron frames a garden of summer blossoms at the annual Rock Creek Relics Threshing & Sawing show.
Photo By Judy Anderson
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Paul and Deborah Spink were departing the Marilla, N.Y., Ag Day festival when Paul caught this unusual glimpse of a John Deere tractor and encouraged his wife to snap a photo.
Photo By Deborah Spink
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A vintage locomotive stops this young show visitor in his tracks at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion.
Photo By Tom Gerow Jr.
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Bob Vysinka conjured up a bit of time travel when he paired his 1949 Dodge with a Massey-Ferguson Super 35 combine at the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club, Baraboo, Wis.
Photo By Joe Stock
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A Flour City 40-20 tractor on the job at Heritage Park of North Iowa, Forest City.
Photo By Pam Olson
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Troy Vetsch and his grandfather Allen Vetsch, both of Rochester, Minn., with Troy’s 12-24 Hart-Parr at the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Plowing and digging potatoes with vintage horse-drawn equipment at the Mid-Iowa Antique Power Association, Marshalltown.
Photo By Ken Smith
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A load of handsomely restored John Deere tractors hauled by an equally handsome Ford semi-tractor at the annual Rock Creek Relics Threshing & Sawing show in September.
Photo By Judy Anderson
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International Harvester tractors were featured at the Maumee Valley Antique Steam & Gas Assn.’s annual Winter Tractor and Engine show, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind., March 30 — April 1, 2012.
Photo By Joe Stock
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Running an 1898 Case Agitator hand-feed thresher owned by LuAnn Hiniker, Rochester, Minn., during the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Members of the local royalty find time to “horse around” at the Mark Twain Old Threshers Reunion, Paris, Mo., in July. Left to right: Katie Thomas, Madison Breid, Jessie Walter and Lyndsey Henderson.
Photo By Janet Healy
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A sharply restored line-driven Power Horse tractor makes the rounds at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
Photo By Tom Gerow Jr.
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Loading hay into a log barn using a grapple fork at Heritage Days, hosted by James Nelson, Mora, Minn., each September.
Photo By Karen Zuehlke
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Steam engines are a prime attraction at the Eastern Shore Threshermen and Collectors Assn. Old-Time Wheat Threshing, Steam & Gas Engine Show, Federalsburg, Md.
Photo By Stephen Piper
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Applying manpower: A 7 hp Sattley gas engine being unloaded at the July 4 celebration in Exline, Iowa.
Photo By Susan Eddy
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Kelvin Martin is a regular at the Rough & Tumble Engineers Historical Assn. annual Thresherman’s Reunion, Kinzers, Pa., where his dad, Dale Martin, shows his Rumely 16-30. “Kelvin has fun driving or just riding along on my old tractor,” Dale says.
Photo By Dale Martin
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This 1955 John Deere Model 70 is the first Deere owned by the Tarno family of Jamestown, N.D. “We had a 4-bottom, 16-inch hydraulic plow to go with it plus a John Deere 12-foot No. 650 digger,” Myron Tarno says. “We had a 780-acre farm that had very good soil but what was farmed was in poor condition. The land was quite flat with plenty of rock. My brothers and I worked most of that up and picked up tons of rock.”
Photo By Myron Tarno
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Dave Snyder, Hudsonville, Mich., at Heritage Park of North Iowa.
Photo By Pam Olson
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Threshing spring wheat with gas and steam at the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Stacking hay with a very old, very rare hayfork at the annual Rock Creek Relics Threshing & Sawing show in September.
Photo By Judy Anderson
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Adding detergent to the water barrel is a time-honored tradition at gas engine shows. Brothers Ryan and Richard Hembrough were the victims of a surprise sudsing at the Macon County (Mo.) Flywheel Reunion in July. Ryan’s son, Christopher, and Richard’s son, Kevin, found it to be good clean fun.
Photo By Janet Healy
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This 1960 International Harvester T4 crawler owned by Robert Heitman, Wisconsin Dells, was part of the display at the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club show in 2012.
Photo By Joe Stock
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Chopping silage at the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Close-up of wheat in the binder at the American Threshing Assn.’s annual Steam, Gas & Threshing Show, Pinckneyville, Ill.
Photo By Juliet Brand
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Joe Puffinbarger worked with his display at the July 4 show in Exline, Iowa.
Photo By Susan Eddy
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Pup at the wheel at the Northeast Indiana Steam & Gas Assn.’s annual Antique Farm Power Show, LaGrange.
Photo By Joe Stock
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A McCormick-Deering corn picker in original condition at the Prairie Homestead Antique Power Tractor Show, Belmond, Iowa.
Photo By Pam Olson
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A Case steam engine on parade at Heritage Park of North Iowa.
Photo By Pam Olson
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Olivia Anderson with a rug loom at the annual Rock Creek Relics Threshing & Sawing show.
Photo By Judy Anderson
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A second generation chariot. Years ago, twin brothers Ryan and Richard Hembrough used this 3-wheeler to patrol the show grounds. Last fall, at the Steam Show and Fall Festival Days, South Jacksonville, Ill., their sons took the helm. Shown here (with the dads just out of the picture): Christopher Hembrough, the son of Ryan and Becky Hembrough, Whiteman AFB, and Kevin Hembrough, the son of Richard and Sheila Hembrough, Jacksonville, Ill.
Photo By Janet Healy
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With a Case in the lead, 1/2-scale steam engines prepare to head to the field at the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Richard Staats (right) and Clint Banister share an interest in antique engines. Richard has restored countless engines and built five scale models from scratch; Clint has restored Briggs & Stratton engines for a 4-H project. Here, the two are running one of Richard’s scratch-built engines at the Ravalli County Fair, Hamilton, Mont.
Photo By Robert Thorson
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A vintage Fordson tractor is looking good at the Antique Tractor & Machinery Show sponsored by Ozaukee County (Wis.) Historical Society.
Photo by Martha Pyter
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Charlie Foskett’s veneer mill did brisk business at the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show.
Photo By Dave Preuhs
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Nathan and Joel Rand feed a threshing machine at the Mid-Iowa Antique Power Association the first weekend of August 2012.
Photo By Ken Smith
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Larry Newman got a hand from a friend, David Vandlen, in building a reproduction milk cart to pair with his John Deere 110. The rig was displayed at a 2012 show at Gilmore Car Museum near Hickory Corners, Mich.
Photo By Larry Newman
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Sunrise at the Rae Valley Old Threshers Reunion, Petersburg, Neb.
Photo By John Swanson
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A beautifully restored International Harvester Co. Auto Buggy high wheeler owned by Jim and Candy Tombrink, Billings, Mont., on display at the 2012 National EDGE&TA show in Huntley, Mont. This Auto Buggy dates to about 1910.
Photo By David and Nancy Ruark
That’s what show season is. Yes, it’s also a lot of work: driving, cleaning, polishing, loading, unloading, hauling, lifting, toting, wrenching and running around — but at the end of the day it must surely be fun, or we wouldn’t keep coming back for more.
Photos in this section represent the very best of those submitted by Farm Collector readers who
toted cameras to shows all spring, summer and fall. (To see more, check out the show photos that didn’t make it into the issue). Through some kind of happy accident, this year’s selection showcases the fun had by young and old, three or more generations sharing the spirit of show season.
More than a few old iron enthusiasts worry about who will take over the hobby when the elders pass. The answer to that is found in these pages. To paraphrase, if you build it, and if you show them why it’s fun, they will come. All it takes is some old fashioned salesmanship.
Relax; sit back. Spend some time with these photos and remember the sights and sounds and smells of show season. And then share. Show your favorites to a friend, a neighbor, a grandkid. Draw ’em in; share a smile. Doesn’t cost a dime, and it’s good clean fun!
Do you have a special place in your heart for the good old days of life on the American farm? Do your ears perk up at the sound of an old Johnny Popper John Deere? Do your eyes widen at the sight of a vintage Stover stationary? Then Farm Collector is for you!