A Penchant for Red Machinery

By Bill Vossler
Published on July 10, 2015
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In about 1920, this 8-foot Deering grain binder sold for $115.58 – about $1,428 in today’s terms.
In about 1920, this 8-foot Deering grain binder sold for $115.58 – about $1,428 in today’s terms.
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Binders like this are increasingly hard to find.
Binders like this are increasingly hard to find.
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The binder’s platform canvas and windboard.
The binder’s platform canvas and windboard.
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The binder’s back windboard is shown here.
The binder’s back windboard is shown here.
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A blue toolbox is surrounded by the Deering binder’s knotter and bundle mechanism.
A blue toolbox is surrounded by the Deering binder’s knotter and bundle mechanism.
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The binder’s bundle carrier collects bundles and drops them in a pile for later shocking.
The binder’s bundle carrier collects bundles and drops them in a pile for later shocking.
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Arnold Zempel and his first Farmall.
Arnold Zempel and his first Farmall.
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Photo courtesy Arnold Zempel
Photo courtesy Arnold Zempel
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Gas Review magazine showed this IHC ensilage cutter in 1917. Arnold has one in his collection.
Gas Review magazine showed this IHC ensilage cutter in 1917. Arnold has one in his collection.
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In 1918, this Deering binder (dating to 1890) was celebrated in the pages of The Harvester World as an “old-timer,” having been used every year since 1890. S.W. Templeton, who sold the binder, is shown with it.
In 1918, this Deering binder (dating to 1890) was celebrated in the pages of The Harvester World as an “old-timer,” having been used every year since 1890. S.W. Templeton, who sold the binder, is shown with it.

As a kid, Arnold Zempel fell in love with red farm machinery, from Deering right on up through International Harvester. “When I was in preschool, my dad traded our 1941 John Deere Model A for a 1953 Farmall Super H,” he recalls. “He’d already purchased another Farmall at an auction, and he liked driving it better than the John Deere.”

Arnold’s pair of older brothers had John Deere toys emulating the full-size equipment used on the family farm near Montevideo, Minnesota. “At that time more John Deere toys were made than most of the others and they were made of metal, but I didn’t want one of those,” he says. “I wanted a red one, and all they could find was a red Farmall made out of plastic. Even though it was played with and used, I still have that toy today.”

Along with it, he has a penchant for red machinery. Although Arnold’s collection includes pieces from other lines, he farms primarily with IH equipment. That led to a string of old red machinery, beginning with an F-20 tractor purchased at an auction. “It was something I was interested in because I grew up on a farm,” he says. “As I bought more, I thought it was just interesting and fun to look at the development of the engineering and how it progressed. It might also have something to do with my engineering degree from the University of Minnesota.”

Awed by steam technology

Like many collectors, Arnold’s interest in old machinery was whetted when he attended a threshing show in the late 1950s. “I found that very fascinating,” he says. “Seeing a steam engine was probably the main attraction. Some of those big heavyweight tractors really looked like antiques, because they were something way older than I was used to seeing.”

Arnold also garnered information from his father, Harold. “He had knowledge of that kind of equipment, because he’d seen it,” he says. “I’d watched steam, but had never been around it much. It’s a different kind of engineering and far more dangerous to work with because you have to maintain the boilers, watch the water pressure and levels and all the other things required to work with steam. It’s extremely expensive to maintain and operate.”

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