Largest McCormick-Deering Collection In North America

Largest McCormick-Deering Collection In North America TRACTORS Antiques 22-6-24 "As far as I know, it's the largest collection of McCormick-Deering tractors in North America and possibly the world," says John Wythe about his antique tractor collection which includes 71 of the 77 McCormick-Deering models, which were built by Inter-national Harvester between 1921 and 1962. The 67-year-old Miniota, Manitoba, farmer began collecting antique tractors in the mid 1970's. He decided to specialize in the gray and red tractors in the mid 1980's, in part to preserve the history of the machines which were named after William Deering and Fowler McCormick, who formed International Harvester in 1902. Wythe and his wife, Joyce, travel across North America to find the prized tractors. Early-on they were plentiful and could be found rusting in groves and woods, and were easily bought. Now they're harder to come by and Wythe watches auction bills and advertises in newspapers to find them. All but four of the tractors in his collection are in running order and he uses many in his 1,000-acre farming operation. One of the most unique tractors in his collection is a 1924 Farmall "Regular". It was the first general purpose farm tractor ever built by IH. One of the rarest is his 1938 W-14. The smallest of the tractors built by McCormick-Deering in the 1930's, only 1,162 were produced between 1938 and æ39. Another rare bird is a steel wheeled 1935 WD-40, the first wheeled diesel tractor ever built by a North American company. Wythe's tractor was among the first 100 of only 3,370 such tractors built. Perhaps one of the most nostalgic for Wythe is a 1530 that's like the one he drove as a boy. Built between 1921 and æ31, the tractor featured the industry's first enclosed chassis. Three different models were built, and Wythe has one of each, built in 1925, æ27, and æ31. About 30 of Wythe's 71 tractors have been completely restored, including paint and body work. Restoring the tractors often includes inter-changing parts from several of the same model tractors, Wythe says. The work can easily take 1,000 to 1,200 hours, he adds. The six smaller model tractors he has yet to acquire were used in eastern Canada, mostly in tobacco fields. One is a Farmall 140 and another is a Farmall 340 diesel manufactured between 1959 and æ62, near the end of the era. However, "I won't lose any sleep over not having them," he says. Wythe and his wife have produced 10 machinery videos at their on-farm studio, including one about their collection called the "McCormick-Deering Saga". Many of Wythe's tractors will be on display at the Austin Thrasherman's Reunion, July 22-26, at Austin, Manitoba. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Wythe, Box 15, Miniota, Manitoba, Canada R0M 1M0 (ph 204 567-3598).

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