ALL ABOUT TRACTORS BY PAUL WALLEM Bill Schulze was en route home from the Red Power Roundup 2024, Spencer, Iowa, when he drowned as the result of a flooded road. As treasurer for Chapter 2, International Harvester Collectors Club, he was returning with the chapter’s booth displays. Chapter 2 has now provided a permanent memorial Farmall H honoring Bill at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Rockford, Ill. This Farmall model was the largest-selling row crop tractor built by any brand. Over 391,000 were sold. Big tractors – big prices A YouTube post listed these estimated current prices for the largest farm tractors: Big Bud $1.3 million; JD 9470RX $1.2 million; CaseIH Steiger Quadtrac $1.1 million; New Holland T9 Series $1 million; Fendt 1000 Vario $.8 million; Challenger MT8000 $.6 million; Valtra S series $.5 million; and Claas Xerion 5000 $.4 million. Update to last column about electric tractors Monarch tractors are built in Lordstown, Ohio. It is the world’s first all-electric tractor. The company was founded in 2017. Ranging from 40 to 70 HP, the largest has a current list price of $91,288. The maximum run time is 14 hours, and the full charge time is five-six hours. Control can be from the seat or autonomous. The most common applications to date are mowing, under-row weeding, and winery and orchard operations, where a labor shortage is critical. In these, a single operator with an iPad can operate several tractors at once. Dairy feed pushing is also an increasing usage. The global electric tractor market is projected to be USD .9 million for the year 2025 and USD 9.2 million by 2034. North American share for 2025 is expected to reach 27.1 percent. I’m getting great emails from readers From Greensburg, Ind.: O started driving at about 6 years old, with my father looking on, and no instructor. We had 8N Fords, (which) are easy to operate at 12 years old. He turned me loose. We farmed about 12 acres with an 8N Ford 2-bottom plow, a 6-foot pull-type disk, and a 2-row Ford corn planter. I did the plowing and the disking. He wouldn’t let me plant, and then I got to rotary hoe, and the most boring of all, cultivate with a 2-row plow. It was to keep me out of trouble because we were not good at it. But it supplied corn for hogs and sheep. It was a great childhood. I would do it all over again. I’m 71 now, but I remember like it was yesterday. Are you farming? Please – be careful The USDA reports that farm-related accidents are seven times higher than the national average for all workers. They add that farmers are more likely to die on the job than police officers or firefighters. Tractor rollovers are one of the principal causes. Grain storage bin deaths also rank high. Please - be careful. FFA middle schools FFA National Headquarters reports that there are now 822 middle-school FFA chapters in the U.S., with that number continuing to grow. Parents have discovered that 7th and 8th graders respond to the message and goals set out by FFA involvement. Middle school chapters are in stand-alone middle schools, and some in combined schools. Burma Shave signs from the past No Matter the Price - No Matter how New - The Best Safety Device in the Car is You Paul Wallem was raised on an Illinois dairy farm. He spent 13 years with corporate IH in domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP OF IH & SUCCESSES & INDUSTRY FIRSTS OF IH. See all his books on www.PaulWallem.com. Email comments to pwallem@aol.com. |
