Fired up about a special wagon
Kenny Walthes, Breese, Illinois, recently shared photos of a fire wagon he restored over the winter. “It was in very poor condition,” he says. “We traveled to Tennessee to pick it up and I did not think it would make it home. The metal water tank was incorrect, 75 percent of the lumber was in bad shape and the main frame runners were terribly bowed from all the weight.
“In the enclosed area in the back, there’s a dual-stage pump with a 4-1/2-inch bore. Myron Hoerchler helped disassemble the pump. It was definitely a challenge as it was frozen,” Kenny says. “After we got everything cleaned and painted, he helped me completely reassemble it.” Today, the pump is in full working order and pumps water.
Beginning an Oliver adventure
Over the years, my dad has talked to me a lot about his dream tractor: an Oliver. So it only made sense for him to get me hooked on Oliver [tractors] too.
In the fall of 2021, an auction was coming up with a rusty Oliver included. On that wonderful crisp fall afternoon, driving home from school, my dad told me to look out my window. And there sat my (our) beautiful rusty Oliver 1650 diesel tractor.
I started to learn to drive right away. For once, I wasn’t scared to drive a tractor. It felt natural. But it didn’t take long to figure out we had quite a few problems to fix. The brakes were bad and the fuel was thick at the bottom like honey. That’s when we found out it was our family friend’s dad’s tractor that had been sitting out for about 10 years. Things might be worse than we thought, and that point was proven on an early winter day in 2021.
We took the Oliver to my grandpa Ernie’s shop where it sits today. As I learn mechanics along the way, we’re realizing the more we monkey with it, the more money we’re sticking into it. But my grandpa tells me to keep nudging my dad to get it fixed, lest it become our Model A that I haven’t seen out of our shed in my entire 13 years of life.
My other grandpa (Grandpa Gary) and I made a deal. We signed it and everything. He paints my tractor and I rake his hay for two years. Grandpa Ernie is helping a lot too, as he tinkers with the tractor whether we’re there or not. And he knows a bunch about tractors.
I try to help as much as I can. One time I went in to visit Grandma before we left and I started looking through a copy of Farm Collector magazine. And that’s my story. I won’t mind if I don’t win because I just wanted to tell everyone who will listen to me about this. I like to draw and paint. For our science and fine arts fair, I painted a purple 1850 with a description underneath. I think I’m going to get myself an 1850 and paint it lavender one day. But now we’re off topic.
Thank you for this opportunity and for the interesting articles in the magazine. I borrow them from my grandpa after he reads them and even take them to school. When I found out the back story of the International IH symbol, I told everybody!
Shelby Erdmann, Nodine, Minnesota
Editor’s note: Shelby, we’re all cheering for you and your tractor. Keep us posted on your progress! Until then, we’ll enjoy your drawing in this issue of Farm Collector!
Photographic gems of the past
When one of my daughters had to move me from Bryan, Texas, to Houston, she came across these gems that I had not seen in years. The smaller photo shows the log cabin my maternal grandfather was born in. He told me he remembered snow coming in through the chinks. His home was near Capron, Illinois.
The larger photo was staged for some publication but was never used. It shows me on the homemade sulky used to move the hay carrier into the hay mows. Actually, I never drove this. By the time this photo was taken, I had graduated to setting the fork for the hay carrier or working the hay field. My Aunt Stella usually drove this cart. She never rode it but instead walked along the side. The two kids are my cousins Ted and Marilyn. They are about ready to take on the entry-level task of carrying back the hook end of the hay rope. This was not necessary, but it made the task of pulling back the hay carrier much easier. The men in the barn are my three uncles, Amos, Everett and Jerome.
Clyde Eide, Houston, Texas
Editor’s note: Always good to hear from you, Clyde! Thanks for sharing this wonderful glimpse into the past.
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Originally published as “Letters to the Editor” in the August 2023 issue of Farm Collector magazine.
