While Allis-Chalmers was the featured brand of tractor at this year’s Historic Farm Days, the Penfield, I l l ., show drew lots of different brands and some neat oldies but goodies – like Vern and Eric Gaus’ beautiful Twin City tractor.

Eric came to the show with his daughter, Madysen, and Vern was there with his wife, Toni. The Twin City belongs to the whole Gaus clan, which began with Charlie and Debbie Gaus. “This is a family tractor,” Vern said. “There are five kids, four boys and one daughter.”

The family is from Buckingham, Ill., just south of Kankakee. They were farmers, but these days the Gauses rent out their ground and Vern is a maintenance supervisor and Eric, a union laborer.

Their love of tractors remains, though, and is an integral part of the family’s travels. (To learn more about the Gaus family and how they got started collecting, check out http://therustywheel .com/2017/05/10/thegaus-family-collection for “The Rusty Wheel” blog story.)

“We enjoy doing this hobby together as a family,” Vern said, adding they were going to drive the Twin City in the show’s parade, then go plow with it. That is one of the things that make the Historic Farm Days such a special show – the opportunity to work ground with old iron.

Those watching enjoyed seeing the Gaus brothers set the guide that helped the tractor plow a straight line. “This was there when Dad bought it. It is hard to get; you just need to adjust it, and then move the plow over,” Vern demonstrated.

Because there is no serial number, it is difficult to designate whether it is a 1920 or 1926, 20-35 model Twin City. The 20-35 tractor was built by the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Co. in Minnesota. It eventually became part of the Minneapolis-Moline tractor company. The 20-35 has a 35-hp engine.

“There are 18 of 30 in running condition.” Vern said, “Dad bought it early in the (19)80s at an auction in northern Illinois. He didn’t do much with it. He passed away in 1999 and in 2004, we got it running,” he said.

“We have about 35 tractors total. We like steel wheel tractors or the less common prairie tractors.”

Some of the tractors the Gaus family has at home include a 1919 10-ton Holt, a 1934 Bates 50 crawler – which they said is the only Bates 50 they know of – a Little Cletrac W and Caterpillar 60s, 30s and a Cat 35. “We also have two Allwork crawlers that are the only two known. They were built out of Quincy,” Vern added.

The Allwork tractors were made by the Electric Wheel Co. that was eventually acquired by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.

One of the draws of the rare 20-35 Twin City were the distinct spiky wheels. The Gaus brothers said they were road wheels because back then, roads were commonly made of dirt or gravel.

They also brought their 1919 30-60 Altman Taylor and their 1915 Model E 30-60 Rumely Oil Pull to the show and took both of these beautiful tractors to the parade. Since they take their tractors to many local shows, chances are likely of seeing a Gaus steel-wheel beauty when out and about.

 

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. Learn more of Cindy’s finds and travel in her blog, “Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl,” at http://travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com