The IH Fast-Hitch Story: Implement Show-Stoppers Tell 2-Point Hitch History

By Leslie C. Mcmanus
Published on May 21, 2010
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Rick Wisnefske's 1953 Farmall Super C with a C-72 blade that can be mounted on front or as a belly attachment. Made for the Model C, it can be used on a Super C with a Fast-Hitch converter.
Rick Wisnefske's 1953 Farmall Super C with a C-72 blade that can be mounted on front or as a belly attachment. Made for the Model C, it can be used on a Super C with a Fast-Hitch converter. "It's a little drawbar that hooks into the Fast-Hitch," Rick says, "but it's extremely hard to find." Another unique feature on this Super C: country singer Craig Morgan's autograph on the tractor's hood, a memento of the 2009 Red Power Round Up where Morgan performed in concert.
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Rick Wisnefske's C-251 corn planter. One of the first implements Rick acquired, this planter is more than a pretty face.
Rick Wisnefske's C-251 corn planter. One of the first implements Rick acquired, this planter is more than a pretty face. "I used this to plant corn on a 5-acre hobby farm for three years," he says. "It worked really well for that."
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From the front: disc, spike-tooth harrow and peg-tooth harrow. 
From the front: disc, spike-tooth harrow and peg-tooth harrow. 
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Mark Peters, shown here with Rick Wisnefske's C-14 harrow plow.
Mark Peters, shown here with Rick Wisnefske's C-14 harrow plow. "This is a really rare piece," Rick says. "I've never seen another one. Nobody used anything like that around here."
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Mark Peters' C-10 1-bottom plow.
Mark Peters' C-10 1-bottom plow. "It's pretty rare," he says. "It's the only one I’ve seen."
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Mark Peters' C-20 2-bottom plow. IH implements were built in Memphis, Tenn.; Canton, Ill.; Rock Falls, Ill.; Chicago; Richmond, Ind.; Stockton, Calif.; and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Mark Peters' C-20 2-bottom plow. IH implements were built in Memphis, Tenn.; Canton, Ill.; Rock Falls, Ill.; Chicago; Richmond, Ind.; Stockton, Calif.; and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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A C-11 Plow Chief plow from Mark Peters' collection. The trade name refers to the plow's spearhead-like point.
A C-11 Plow Chief plow from Mark Peters' collection. The trade name refers to the plow's spearhead-like point.
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A C-22 sidehill plow from Mark Peters' collection.
A C-22 sidehill plow from Mark Peters' collection. "This is kind of an oddball," he says. "When you pull the lever, that shifted the rear of the plow, pushing soil uphill or vice versa. It has what is called a 'scotch' bottom." The plow is one of the few Fast-Hitch implements made in International's Hamilton, Ontario, plant, as indicated by the letters "HT" stamped on top of the plow beam. The letter "C" stamped on a Fast-Hitch prong indicates the implement was manufactured at International's Canton Works. If other codes were used, Mark is unaware of them.
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Mark Peters' C-11 roll-over plow, long popular in hilly areas.
Mark Peters' C-11 roll-over plow, long popular in hilly areas. "They're pretty scarce today," Mark says.
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Rick Wisnefske's C-21 mower.
Rick Wisnefske's C-21 mower.
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Mark Peters' C-1 backfill blade.
Mark Peters' C-1 backfill blade. "I still use my blade," Mark says. "The rest of the stuff (he has nearly three dozen implements) doesn't come out of the shed very much."
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A C-254A cultivator from Rick Wisnefske's collection.
A C-254A cultivator from Rick Wisnefske's collection. "They made several versions of the rear section," Rick says, "straight, trip bottom and a weeder attachment. There were a lot of things you could do with that."
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An extremely rare No. 47 blower, from Rick Wisnefske's collection.
An extremely rare No. 47 blower, from Rick Wisnefske's collection. "It's the only one I've ever seen, and I found it a mile and a half from my house," he says. "A neighbor used it to blow straw into his barn once a year. I've never used it but I don’t think it would work that well. It'd be easy to move but you had to anchor it." The piece ran off the belt or PTO.
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Mark Peters' No. 11 side-delivery rake.
Mark Peters' No. 11 side-delivery rake. "It needed a complete overhaul when we got it," Mark recalls.

Looking for a show display that’s a guaranteed draw?

Take an insider’s tip from two Wisconsin collectors: implements.

When Mark Peters, Menasha, and Rick Wisnefske, Larsen, set up their display of about two dozen International Harvester Fast-Hitch implements last summer, they practically had to hand out numbers to the crowd. “I got hoarse from talking so much,” Mark says. “I’ve been told I’m very long-winded, but I ran out of wind. People were lined up to ask questions; they were very interested, very curious. Some of them had never seen stuff like this before.”

The irony of the situation is that implements don’t generate much interest – until people see them. “We went to a Red Power Round Up in Pennsylvania about five years ago,” Rick recalls, “and Fast-Hitch was the feature – and they didn’t have a quarter of our display.”

In the old iron category, a vintage implement is an easy keeper. “Implements don’t take up a lot of space, you never have to change the oil and you never have to winterize them,” Mark says. “They’re very low maintenance.”

The 2-point system

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