Farm Collector (and Gas Engine Magazine) have always done a good job of highlighting the many skills of our old iron community. I’ve got to admire the amount of time, hard work, and dedication so many of you put into these endeavors. Both the work you put in and the results are impressive, and you should be proud.
We’ve given attention to a wide variety of skillsets over the years. From restoration skills, like painting, rust removal, and engine repair, to operation skills, such as competition plowing or running steam engines, many have put their talents on display in Farm Collector and Gas Engine Magazine.
This particular issue of Farm Collector features quite a few people showing off their skills, and I’m excited for you to see them.
Shawn Barrick did a nice write up on his Farmall 450 restoration. As Shawn very validly points out, the Farmall 450 both looks good and works good. The restoration job he did for his 450 certainly shows off his point. Read the full story in “Preserving Farmall Power.”
If you read the December/January 2026 Farm Collector issue, you should remember the name “Louie Frick.” He was the owner of the Oldsmobile Runabout featured there. In “Precision Scale Model Olivers,” his mechanical skills are once again on display with his scale model Oliver tractors. These smaller and fully functional versions are exactly what he needed to make displaying the Olivers much easier.
Plowing competitions are a staple of the farm show scene in the U.K.
Josephine Roberts has the inside scoop on one such competition. The scale, skill, competitors, and more are fully on display in this issue’s “Tales from Wales.”
On the gas engine side of things, Paul Schmidt has an excellent story on the restoration of one of the only 11 Dieter engines known to still be around. Read the full story in “The Twelve of Eleven” to see this excellent engine back in its former state.
Dr. David Cave provides an interesting look into the electrical world in “3D Print an Engine Magnet.” He explains the ins and outs, whys, and hows, of producing a fat blue spark for starting your gas engine.
Between our writers and our readers, we have a ton of hard work and skill on display. I’m grateful for the opportunity to show it off to you all, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Until next time,
