Half-Scale Models Of Rare Antique Tractors

Half-Scale Models Of Rare Antique Tractors TRACTORS Antiques 23-1-22 "I try to make them look as authentic as possible. Many people think they're real tractors and ask me what they were used for in their day," says Clint Russell, Apopka, Fla., about the half-scale reproductions he makes of antique tractors. Russell is a member of the Florida Flywheelers antique engine club and has built seven half-scale antique tractors including a 1915 International 1020 Titan, a 1916 Inter-national 10-20 Mogul, a 1924 Rumley "M" Oil Pull, an 1892 Froehlich, a 1927 Deere "D", a 1916 Waterloo Boy "R", and a 1913 3-wheeled Bull. "I'm proud of them and have displayed them at various shows, mostly in Florida," says Russell. "I farmed and also sold tractors for many years. I built my first model in 1986. Each tractor takes 1 to 1 1/2 years to build. "I pay a lot of attention to detail, making all the parts out of steel and weld some of them together to make them look like castings. Other parts are bolted together the same way the castings on the original tractors were bolted together. It results in a much different look than is obtained by fabricating steel with modern methods. I made my own wheels for all of them. The Deere, Rumely, and Titan have rubber tires but all the others have steel wheels. Most of the tractors are chain-driven and have a belt-type clutch operated by an over-center lever similar to the drive systems found on the original tractors. Most of my tractors are underpowered because the engines were chosen more to fit the design and size than to provide an adequate power-toweight ratio. "The Rumeley Oil Pull intrigued me as a kid on the farm. The æM' was one of the light-weight models introduced by Rumely in 1924. There were four models in this series and all were similar in appearance except for their physical size. They all had lightweight pressed steel frames instead of the structural steel members of earlier days. In 1927 the tractors in this series were improved and re-rated with new model designations. The æM' became the model æX' and the others were æW', æY', and æZ'. This series was continued until the company was purchased by Allis Chalmers in 1931. Perhaps Rumely foresaw the demise of the Oil Pull when they chose the last four letters of the alphabet, leaving them nowhere to go in lettering future models. To power my tractor I used a Z-C 3 hp Fairbanks-Morse engine. "The 3-wheeled æLittle Bull' was built by the Bull Tractor Co. from 1913 to 1917. It cost only $335 and took the market by storm when it came out, outselling all of its competitors. More than 3,800 units were sold in its first year. However, the tractor's 2-cyl. opposed engine, rated at 5-12 hp (5 drawbar hp and 12 hp at the belt), proved inadequate and many buyers were sadly disappointed with its performance. A larger, heavier version with a 12-24 hp rating was introduced in 1915 and was marketed through 1917, when the company was sold and production was discontinued. During its four years in production the Bull underwent the largest number of production line changes of any tractor ever built in a comparable time period. "To my knowledge, only about 4 or 5 re-stored models of the Bull exist in the U.S. The front end of my model is so light that if I pop the clutch it pops up and I can't control it. I don't ride on it, but I can ride on all the other tractors." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Clint Russell, Florida Flywheelers Engine Exhaust, 2733 Ramsey Drive, Apopka, Fla. 32703 (ph 407 889-0310).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.