Could it be a Ruth Self-Feeder?

For years I have wondered why this old threshing machine feeder house showed Maytag as its manufacturer. So you can understand why I was very interested in Sam Moore’s column on Maytag equipment (Farm Collector, February 2010).

A friend of mine (Penny Andreson, Lincoln, Kan.) purchased this machine at an auction near Wichita and stored it in a building at his place of business. Later he needed more room, so he gave the thresher to me. I towed it 20-some miles to my place, where I stored it in a cattle shed, where it has sat for many years. I often wondered why I did that, taking up space and the like, but being the antique nut that I am, I left it there. Sam Moore’s column on Maytag tells me why I did.

My wife and I were looking closely at the logo and thought maybe it looks like the Ruth logo. When it finally warms up some day, I will look at it closer. I am positive it is a Maytag though.

I really enjoy Farm Collector. I look forward to every issue and read it from cover to cover. I’m 77 years old and have done most everything in farming you write about. In the cartoon in the February 2010 issue, about the kids helping Dad load the hay rack with corn bundles, the artist wrote about their hands being so cold. That reminded me of how I would slap my arms from shoulder to shoulder to warm them up and get the sting out of them. On the way back to the house you probably walked along with the horses to thaw out your feet.