IH Tractors on Montana Farm

[TN Hillbilly]

13 hours ago, jeeper61 said:

Interesting idea that never took off.

1950 Fageol TC CargoLiner

Cabover box truck.

[Old Binder Guy]

On 1/31/2025 at 6:58 PM, TN Hillbilly said:

Cabover box truck.

Wow, jeeper61 and TN Hillbilly, I have never heard of this one! Thanks for sharing! I would feel sorry for the driver in a head-on collision with something else big. I would think it would be for inner city deliveries? Not OTR. Gary

[Old Binder Guy]

I got this photo off of Facebook a few days ago. My 70 year old cousin's son, my first cousin once removed, David Yaeger, his mother Pearle Yaeger, my cousin Janet (Yaeger) Walling and John. Janet is the oldest living Yaeger at this time. She's 87, I believe. Her widowed name is now Lewellen. I am the oldest one with the surname Yaeger. Janet's mother lived until they had her 100th birthday party planned and invitations sent, when Aunt Ina died a few weeks before. Not important to this group. But look at that International Harvester refrigerator with the red inset in the handle. It's like the one Mom had, only Mom's kitchen was yellow, and so was her inset.  Gary😀

[twostepn2001]

Found this pic on FB. caption said that REO Motor Sales of Abilene, Texas wanted to show off their 4WD Winther truck after seeing a laundry wagon stuck in the mud. About 1918. Never heard of a Winther. Gary or roger....?

[Roger Byrne]

Winther-Marwin trucks were built from 1917 until 1927.  The company was started by Martin Winther who had been an engineer for the Jeffery Truck company.  Winther-Marwin trucks were built in both 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive versions at a plant in Illinois.  In late 1918 he moved production to Kenosha Wisconsin and specialized in mainly the 4-wheel drive models.  The sizes ranged from 1-Ton to 7-Ton using Wisconsin engines, Cotta transmissions and Celfer or Clark axle assemblies.  They were very heavy built trucks with the 7-Ton version weighting in at a whopping 9500# and also an expensive truck with prices ranging from $2500 to $6000.  There was one of the three(?) existing trucks in the Van Horn Truck Museum when I worked with Lloyd and it was a 1920 model.  He later sold it to the Hay's Truck Collection in California.  Below is a photo of that truck as it is now, in a very deteriorated condition compared to when Lloyd owned it back in the late 1980's.

[twostepn2001]

Gary, found another chuck wagon pic. This one is on the Spur ranch in north central Texas. lt didn't give a date. l was watching a movie the other night ("Red River" with John Wayne) and l got to wondering..... the cook always had to have breakfast ready for the cowboys, but then stay ahead of the herd so he cook supper. But in all the movies and TV show, the chuck wagon is always rolling the same speed as the herd walks.... No wonder the cook was always grouchy...he had to roll 24/7 and cook all day and night!!

[Old Binder Guy]

On 2/6/2025 at 6:07 PM, Roger Byrne said:

Winther-Marwin trucks were built from 1917 until 1927.  The company was started by Martin Winther who had been an engineer for the Jeffery Truck company.  Winther-Marwin trucks were built in both 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive versions at a plant in Illinois.  In late 1918 he moved production to Kenosha Wisconsin and specialized in mainly the 4-wheel drive models.  The sizes ranged from 1-Ton to 7-Ton using Wisconsin engines, Cotta transmissions and Celfer or Clark axle assemblies.  They were very heavy built trucks with the 7-Ton version weighting in at a whopping 9500# and also an expensive truck with prices ranging from $2500 to $6000.  There was one of the three(?) existing trucks in the Van Horn Truck Museum when I worked with Lloyd and it was a 1920 model.  He later sold it to the Hay's Truck Collection in California.  Below is a photo of that truck as it is now, in a very deteriorated condition compared to when Lloyd owned it back in the late 1980's.

Gee whiz, Roger. I thought you could have at least told us a little something about Winther-Marwin trucks!🙃😁🤣

I suppose you guys are all watching the Super Bowl now? 

Gary

[twostepn2001]

Hey folks, l hate to keep posting different kinds of wagon pics (mostly chuck wagons) but ever since l was shy young feller, l have been fascinated by the borax 20 mule team wagons. l can remember watching "Death Valley Days" on TV being hosted by the Old Ranger, Robert Taylor, Dale Robertson and up to Ronald Reagan. A couple of the shows were actually about the mule teams and wagons and those were my favorites. Well, this morning l found a pic of one of the original teams and wagons along with some interesting information, although l have my doubts about mules being smarter than horses, and l speak from personal experience...lol

"Between 1883 and 1889, a 20-mule team made the arduous 165-mile journey out of Death Valley and across the desert to the railhead in Mojave, California, hauling 10 short tons of sodium borate per trip.

The wagons' rear wheels, towering at seven feet, and were reinforced with 1-inch-thick iron tires. The solid oak wagon beds measured 16 feet in length and 6 feet in depth, with an empty weight of 7,800 pounds. The entire convoy stretched over 180 feet, comprising of three wagons: the first acted as a trailer, the second was the "tender" or "back action," and the last served as the water wagon.

When fully loaded, the mule train weighed around 73,200 pounds. The water tank, which held 1,200 US gallons, provided the mules with the necessary water to sustain them throughout the journey. During the summer months, an additional 500-gallon water wagon was added for dry camps along the route.

Over six years, the 20-mule teams successfully transported more than 20 million pounds (10,000 tons) of borax out of Death Valley.

There were two horses that also made up the team. They were closest to the wagon, known as wheelers, and were ridden by one of the two teamsters required to operate the wagons. Though larger than the mules, the horses were less intelligent and less adapted to the harsh desert conditions. Mules, on the other hand, were favored for desert freighting, as described in Remi Nadeau's Nadeau's Freighting Teams in the Mojave.

The teamster controlled the mules using a single long rein, known as a "jerk line," and a blacksnake whip. He usually rode the left wheeler but could also manage the team from the trailer seat, especially when navigating steep descents. The swamper, who typically rode on the trailer, operated the brake on hilly terrain. Armed with a can of small rocks, the swamper could nudge any sluggish mules back to work.

Both men were responsible for preparing the team, taking care of the mules' needs, and addressing any repairs or veterinary issues. During midday breaks, the mules were fed and watered while still harnessed, while night stops included corrals and feed boxes.

Each day's journey averaged about 17 miles, with the entire one-way trip taking around ten days. Cabins were built along the way for overnight stops for the teamsters and swampers to rest.

In 1894, a steam engine named "Dinah" was brought in to replace the mules. However, Dinah proved to be no match for durability and dependability of the epic 20 mule team's power. She broke down and was towed back to town by the very mules she tried to replace."

 

[iowaboy1965]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting. I admitt a certain level of fascination with the mule team as well. 

Tubi TV had maybe the first season or may be to that could be watched on demand. I watched all or most of them. The show was a bit before my time, at least the early episodes were. Wondering now how many seasons it was on and what years. I will have to look it up.

Edit. Wow it was on a lot longer than I figured it was. I don't recall ever watching it as a kid. I do recall Andy Grifith as well as Gunsmoke, Maverick and a few others.

[Old Binder Guy]

I grabbed this off of Facebook this afternoon. Which Type of Mogul is this? Roger will be upset because I can't remember my lesson from him. Gary

[jeeper61]

1940 photo of ice harvest on the Kenduskeag Stream in Maine

I remember going to one Ice house with my uncle to get ice for his camp in the summertime.

That was in Northern Quebec in the 1970s 

[twostepn2001]

A more modern version of a chuck wagon? At least the cook could stay ahead of the herd with this.

[Old Binder Guy]

On 2/23/2025 at 10:07 AM, twostepn2001 said:

A more modern version of a chuck wagon? At least the cook could stay ahead of the herd with this.

Twostepn2001, Dad had one of those old 'cow "MOO" electric horns' on our 1947 Jeep. I managed to find one in a junk shop. This chuck wagon definitely needs one of them. It is the lower left here.

It is on the lower left on the board with some additional horns, up high in Mike's shed.

A Handphone horn in the 1925 Model TT Ford truck. It also has an electric magneto horn, the button in the low center.

My Grandpa Yaeger's first brand was a "curleycue" called the French Horn. I found this French Horn in a brass bin at the junkyard.

Thomas Edison also sold horns. This is one of his on my cylinder phonograph.

I also have a few shoehorns too.

I found this genuine longhorn shoehorn made in Scotland too. I always wondered if that is where the name "shoehorn" came from, is steer horns.

Mike's 1957 Chevy even has an "ahooga" horn.

And what's an accordion without a horn anyway. I guess the rest of my and Mike's accordions are "de-horned?"  Gary

[Roger Byrne]

Gary sure is one horny guy . . . .  

[jeeper61]

A load of red 

[Old Binder Guy]

On 2/24/2025 at 5:41 PM, Roger Byrne said:

Gary sure is one horny guy . . . .  

Roger... That's a bygone memory! I'm now De-horny. Now, YOU are much younger than me. You know, there could be ladies checking on this nonsense here. You have WAAAAAAaaaaay more horns on your old cars than I have total. Even a "Potato Horn!"! I think that makes YOU hornier! (Remember, Roger, The potato goes in the front. Not the back.) Gary

PS: I got a call from TubaCase47, Tom Railsback of Great Falls. We are all getting older (well, I AM OLD) and needing to make changes. He said he is moving to Nebraska to be with his nephew, one of his sister's sons. I'm glad there will be someone to look after Tom. He has collected tubas for ages. What do those horns mean on this page?

[Howard_P]

PBS in Fort Wayne has produced a history of IH in Fort Wayne titled "Truck Town".  It is a good history of the Fort Wayne Plant with details many people haven't heard.

This will be shown on their Youtube channel on Sunday, March 2 at 3:00pm EST.  Go to Youtube.com and search for PBS Fort Wayne to find the link to the program.  I don't know if this will be avaiable for viewing later or not.

No tractors here, but some of the trucks did make it to Montana farms and I think some of you will enjoy the history.

[Absent Minded Farmer]

On 2/25/2025 at 6:12 PM, jeeper61 said:

A load of red 

KAT hauled a lot of Binders & a lot of Ramblers & AMCs. The latter is because they both shared a hometown. The company disappeared sometime when I was still in high school & was purchased by JHT, which still hauls cars. I'd wager they had a contract with IH too, as most of there trucks were either that or Mack. Don't recall what cab-overs they had.

My friends dad used to work for them & said the other hot spot for KAT new vehicle pickups was in Milwaukee. Either at the lakefront, which was served by four RR car ferry services or over at Reed Street yard. I'd include a pic of said yard, but aerials of it are now hard to come by. The internet is flooded with pics of all the new development crap that is down there. The aerials I do have are massive .tiff files & I'm not sure if they'll fit here.... or where the jump drive went. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Dig that load of Airflytes!!! ↓↓↓

 

 

 

Storage lot at AMC. ↓↓↓

 

I ran across these pics & almost loaded them in with  the rest. They are not KAT transports, but AMC inter-plant trucks. They ran back & forth between the body plant across town & the main plant. They would occasionally make runs up to the other body plant in Milwaukee when they needed something faster than the railroad (MILW) could get it to them. The truck/trailer in the last pic is what I recall seeing as a kid.

 

 

Mike

[Howard_P]

KAT transported many of the trucks out of Fort Wayne and Springfield.  There was a second driveaway company--Howard Sober I think it was.  I don't know what their relative volumes were.

[twostepn2001]

Probably don't interest many people on here but it's a fairly big deal here in Texas.

Texas Independence Day celebrates the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. Fifty-nine delegates in Mexican Texas officially declared independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. Texas remained a republic for almost 10 years until February 19, 1846 when it was annexed as the 28th state of the United States.

[Old Binder Guy]

On 3/1/2025 at 12:12 PM, Howard_P said:

PBS in Fort Wayne has produced a history of IH in Fort Wayne titled "Truck Town".  It is a good history of the Fort Wayne Plant with details many people haven't heard.

This will be shown on their Youtube channel on Sunday, March 2 at 3:00pm EST.  Go to Youtube.com and search for PBS Fort Wayne to find the link to the program.  I don't know if this will be avaiable for viewing later or not.

No tractors here, but some of the trucks did make it to Montana farms and I think some of you will enjoy the history.

Howard_P, My cousin Fred Yaeger was often flown to Fort Wayne to bring back, at least two trucks, one piggybacked on the driven one to Bourke Motor & Implement Co. in Lewistown, Montana. They did a real brisk business selling 1600 and 1700 Loadstar trucks for hauling grain and livestock in that area of the Judith Basin.  Gary😉

[twostepn2001]

Just got to thinking (l know..that's dangerous) about TV and movie trucks. Some really recognizable, some not. l think the most famous and popular would be Snowman's KW in Smokey and the Bandit.

And then there is B.J. and the Bear's red and white KW cabover.

About the same time, there was Sonny Pruitt's KW in Movin' On.  "Do it too it like Pruitt used to do it to it."

Then there was the Rubber Duck's black Mack from Convoy.

Then there was the "killer" Pete that chased Dennis Weaver all over southern California in the movie "Duel".

Here's the Blue Mule cabover Ford from the movie "White Line Fever".

This is the Knight Rider GMC Bison that hauled the Kitt car.

This is the KW T-2000 from "18 Wheel Of Justice". Co-starred G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame and later radio talk show host.

Tru Value KW from the movie "Nation Lampoon Vacation". Christie Brinkley in the red Ferrari kept popping up in Clark Griswold's (Chevy Chase) fantasy world.

The black Pete in the movie "Black Dog" starring Patrick Swayze.   ls there any other movie or TV trucks you can remember?

 

[iowaboy1965]

Maximum overdrive.

[twostepn2001]

1 hour ago, iowaboy1965 said:

Maximum overdrive.

Yep, l had totally forgot about that movie.  Clown faced Western Star...lol 

[MacAR]

I do love the duel truck... we had a 1949 that was similar. Black as the Ace of spades and lotsa chrome! Pulled a lot of cows in that old girl, the 5 and 4 took a bit of getting used to but it would fly!

Mac