Retired Dealer Makes Tractors Out Of Wood

Retired Dealer Makes Tractors Out Of Wood FARM HOME Toys/Games 17-6-22 Most collectors worry about rust getting on their prize tractors. Merle Helliwell of Winchester, Ill., worries about termites. Merle is a retired Allis Chalmers dealer who spends his free time making detailed models of his favorite tractors out of walnut and cherry. You may be thinking to yourself that you've seen wooden tractors that have been "carved" out of a block of wood. Well, you haven't seen Merle's. His neatly kept shop has all the latest woodworking tools including a bandsaw, planer, lathe, radial arm saw, sander and many more. The first tractor he carved was a 1919 Fordson since that was one of his favorite tractors as a boy. He used a neighbor's tractor for a pattern to obtain measurements, eventually making several hundred trips back and forth. He eliminated travel on his next project - a 1925 Fordson - by buying one of the antique tractors and parking it in his garage. When he was done carving his replica, he sold the tractor. His latest project is an unstyled John Deere "D". The tractors are all scaled to a strict 6:1 ratio. All of the bolts are hex heads, the wheels steer, the petcocks to check oil on the Fordsons work, and even the pulley brake on the John Deere "D" is operable. Fan blades actually turn and even fan belts are made out of wood. To make the belts, he cuts out a thin sliver of wood around a knot and then fits it delicately over his pulleys. Most people are particularly amazed by Merle's mini radiators. They're made out of separate fins, just like a real one. He drills over 750 holes to make just the radiator core and then assembles the radiator fin by fin. His 1925 Fordson has a working crank and working latches on the toolboxes. There are 64 individual pieces on the two rear wheels, including spokes. He made the fenders for his Deere "D" by soaking the wood and then pressing it into wood forms to dry. Helliwell also carved an antique 6-hp. Fairbanks Morse "hit & miss" engine. When the flywheels turn, the piston goes in and out while the exhaust valve opens and closes in perfect timing. Even the exhaust valve spring is made of wood. A wood wrench fits on all the engine's bolt heads. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Merle Helliwell, Winchester, Ill. 62694. (Reprinted from THE BELT PULLEY, P.O. Box 83, Nokomis, Ill. 62075)

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