As the school day wears on, many students will count the minutes until being freed from the confines and structure of high school classrooms. So, can you imagine a group of students who voluntarily attend even more school after their regular classes end for the day? A day trip to Four Rivers Career Center in Washington, Missouri, introduced me to students at Four Rivers Night Shift. Students there do that very thing and can’t seem to get enough learning by way of getting their hands dirty.
Four Rivers Career Center is a technical institution that welcomes area high school students for vocational learning. Dan Brinkmann, an Auto Tech teacher at the career center for the last 19 years, started Night Shift in 2008. From dirt bikes to semi-tractor trucks, dump trucks and most notably, tractors, the after-school program has earned a reputation for transforming buckets of bolts into works of machinery art.
Before recruiting each new crop of volunteer students, Dan openly discloses to them his expectations upon joining. First, the group meets weekly on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Students further understand they must wear a uniform of shirt, boots and jeans (with no holes, rips or tears), come prepared with a good attitude, and most importantly, be willing to learn. And, not just about engines. It isn’t unusual to see the kids taking turns cooking for each other or even learning a few line dances to share some laughs and break out of the routine.
The program’s past projects include a Massey-Ferguson 180, John Deere A, Farmall C and a Farmall H with a loader. Their most recent restoration, a 1937 Farmall F-20, was actually launched by the 2020 Night Shift class, but took three years to complete because of delays caused by scarce parts. Found sitting in a field in Carlinville, Illinois, the tractor was in rough condition with a locked-up engine and massive rust. With their work cut out for them, the initial group of students outlined their steps and planned their course of action so all members would be on the same page.
Launched in difficult times
To fully appreciate the group’s work on this particular model, you first have to know a bit of F-20 history and how the model shaped the tractor market decades ago. Life looked a lot different in the 1930s. With the Great Depression in full swing, unemployment reached 24 percent, forcing many Americans to live in their cars or shanty towns.
Despite dire economic conditions, Farmall was making strides forward. The company had hit its first major milestone on April 12, 1930, when its 100,000th tractor rolled off the assembly line. By July of that year, another milestone: The 200,000th tractor was built. It was a short-lived celebration, as the country was reeling from the impact of the Depression, but Farmall trudged forward in hopes of providing the farmer with a more powerful tractor, leading to the introduction of the popular Farmall F-20.
Paul Wallem, a retired International Harvester executive, dealer and author of two best-selling books on the beloved brand, shares his own insights on the F-20. “It was the first row-crop tractor in history that could work in row crop conditions,” he notes. “All other tractors could not go into the field when the crop was planted in 38-inch rows, but a row-crop could go into those rows and cultivate. The whole row-crop philosophy was one of the major changes in the history of agriculture.” Why 38-inch rows? Because that was the average width of a horse.
Produced from 1932 through 1939 at Rock Island Tractor Works in Rock Island, Illinois, the F-20 was an update to the Farmall Regular. Physical dimensions were basically the same and most existing implements would fit the new tractor. While this model featured several improvements over its predecessor, the engine was still an IH-built, 4-cylinder inline design with a 3-3/4-by-5-inch bore and stroke. It was started on gasoline, but could then burn either kerosene or distillate. It produced 15 drawbar and 23 belt horsepower, compared to the Regular’s 9 drawbar and 20 belt horsepower on kerosene. This new model could handle a 14-inch 2-bottom plow and a threshing machine in most conditions. With a 10 percent increase in power over the Regular, the F-20 could plow roughly 7 acres in a 10-hour day.
Tackling unexpected challenges
The Night Shift’s F-20 went through two engines before a third would power the tractor forward. The sleeves and pistons were sticking in the first; the second engine had a water leak that subsequently froze, resulting in a cracked block. Fortunately for the class, Dan’s cousin, another Farmall enthusiast, had an extra block. As they say, third time’s a charm. This engine was a winner and the class successfully crank-started the tractor.
With the challenge of finding a functional engine finally behind them, the students moved onto the transmission. The F-20’s 4-speed transmission replaced the Regular’s 3-speed. It topped out at 3-3/4mph with stock gearing. High-speed attachments were available to gear the machine to speeds suitable for road travel. An enclosed oil-bath steering gearbox was standard on the new line, a distinguishing feature from the Regular, which had open, exposed gears.
The F-20 was available in both regular and narrow versions. The regular version’s rear wheels could be at either 74 or 83 inches, while the narrow could be set at 77 or 57 inches. A wide front axle could be offered for the narrow version by 1935, the same year rubber tires became available. A wide version (with dished cast wheels) reaching up to 96 inches in width was offered starting in 1938. An optional adjustable wide front axle was also offered for this version. A single-wheel front end (instead of dual narrow wheels) also became an option that year.
Production of the F-20 ended in 1939 after almost 150,000 units were built, breaking previous McCormick-Deering production records. One of the most notable changes during its production run came in 1936. All Farmall models had previously been painted Battleship Gray, but an all-new paint color, Farmall Red, was introduced on Nov. 1 of that year. Red was considered a safety feature as it increased visibility on roads, and the new color quickly became a Farmall trademark – similar to the trademark of perfection known as Four Rivers Night Shift’s team of dedicated students.
Hands-on work translates into opportunity
This F-20 will be returned to its owner – Dan West in Car-linville – who financially supported the project and received a better-than-new tractor in return. But, with the program’s growth and herd of donated tractors, the Four Rivers Tractor Club, a 501(c)(3), was formed in 2020 to help finance more in-depth projects and student travel costs. This summer Night Shift students will have attended the 2023 Red Power Roundup in Grand Island, Nebraska, where their show-stopping Farmall restorations were invited for display in the main building. The not-for-profit also provides scholarships to its senior students. The 2023 recipients were Calvin Kelpe and Izzy Parker.
“I liked all the new stuff it taught me,” Izzy says, when discussing what she gained from the program. “I learned a whole lot from working on that tractor and from Mr. Brinkmann. I was there every night. I think I maybe missed one night. Mr. Brinkmann saw that, and how dedicated I was and how much I wanted to learn. And, so a lot of it was him, too, pushing me, and helping me along the way. But, not too much, you know? He’d let me figure out things on my own along the way. It was always pretty fun when he’d have me do that.”
Her combined dedication to the Night Shift program, as well as being an Auto Tech student at FRCC during regular school hours, earned Izzy an apprenticeship at a local Peterbilt dealership. Making the jump from antique tractors to big rigs was a fairly big leap, but Izzy says she’s been able to apply that after-school knowledge in her apprenticeship.
“Working on the tractor during Night Shift, and then during school working on cars, and just regular trucks, and sometimes working on the big Detroits,” she says, “it’s really cool how you can connect all the things together. And, I feel like working on all that has helped me understand a lot more.”
Even though she just graduated, Izzy was already looking forward to school starting in the fall. “I’m glad I’ll be back next year for Four Rivers,” she says. “That’s what I’m going to miss over the summer.” Four Rivers Night Shift welcomes high school students, as well as returning students in their first two years of college.
Every piece on each Night Shift restoration has been touched by a student; sometimes multiple students. The F-20 was no different. The lines are seamless, the castings smooth. Looking into the paint is to see a mirror reflection. But there’s one last thing. When it comes to final touches, every student who worked on the tractor signs his or her name under the hood or somewhere out of sight. It’s their way of leaving a lasting mark on a project they poured countless hours of heart and soul into. What they didn’t count on is the program leaving those same lasting marks on them, somewhere out of sight. FC
Follow the group on Facebook @ Four Rivers Night Shift. You can also find information on their tractor club, Four Rivers Tractor Club.
Gaining broad-based experience
Four Rivers Night Shift students have worked on a variety of antique tractors:
- 1966 Massey Ferguson 180 owned by Dan and Jim Brinkmann, Washington, Missouri
- 1948 Farmall C owned by Jim Buchanon, Washington, Missouri
- 1951 Farmall H owned by John Hagen, Wildwood, Missouri
- 1941 Farmall H w/ loader owned by Dan Groene, Villa Ridge, Missouri
- 1949 John Deere A owned by Allen Shepard, Truxton, Missouri
- 1954 Ford 600 owned by Roscoe Mayer, Washington, Missouri
- 1937 Farmall F-20 owned by Dan West, Hettick, Illinois
- 1958 Massey-Ferguson 50 owned by Virgil and Elsie Siedhoff, Union, Missouri
- 1957 Ford 960 owned by Jack Brinker, Washington, Missouri
- 1959 Ford 941 owned by Jack Brinker, Washington, Missouri
Farm Collector gratefully acknowledges Curt Dennison Photography for providing photos accompanying this article.
Christina Staff is a freelance writer with a knack for bringing stories to life through humor and enthusiasm. She has a strong appreciation for vintage tractors and all things caffeinated. Email her at christina@christinastaff.com.
