I’m looking for information on this 52-bottom, 14-inch Cockshutt gang plow with a Case steam engine. I think I saw it in Iron-MenAlbum in the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. I remember that the article said that Case only made five steamers that could pull these plows and I think it said they were 250 hp. The article also said that they had three of the biggest gas tractors made at that time hooked to the plow and they could not pull it.
The biggest steamer I’ve seen was 140 hp and that was a monster. The 52-bottom plow is 60 feet of plow. That is a lot of plow. I don’t think the steamer that was in the picture is the one that pulled the plow in the field because it is not big enough. I can count only about 40 handles in the picture so that would indicate there are 12 more behind the left rear wheel of the steamer. The eight men standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the platform gives some indication of the size of the plow.
Also, I’m not so sure that the pictures don’t show a rear view of the plow. The hitch assembly must be massive and I can’t see any sign of a hitch. I can’t believe how many people it took to operate those levers. The biggest plow I’ve seen is 10-bottom and the levers were behind the forward motion of the plow.
Marvin Swanson, 2276 290th St., Ivanhoe, MN 56142
Editor’s note: We’ve looked through a lot of Iron-Men Album issues but have yet to find this photo. Do any of you readers recognize it, or remember it appearing in print?