John deere

[dfrisk]

WES - That was the neat thing about tractor pulling 40-50 yrs ago. You got to see every tractor 3-4 times a night. Classes IIRC were 5000, 7000, 9000, & 12,000#. Guys would enter the 5000, 7000, & 9000# clases and between classes toss 2000# of weight on their tractor. The bigger tractors maybe only ran two classes. I know some pulls had even heavier classes, like 15,000 & 18,000#.

Now all the "professional pullers" have a specific tractor, sometimes two, for each class.

 

[sblunier]

Denny,

Local guy, friend of dad's, is part owner of this beast....

Restored to early 70's pulling configuration with a nice Allison power plant!

When they fired it up at Rantoul (Half Century) this summer EVERYBODY took notice!!!!!

G1000 made a pretty looking pulling rig, but I still like to see the farm stock 1066's pull!!!!

 

[dfrisk]

STEVE - That tractor wouldn't have come from up around Prophetstown would it? Sure looks like Bill Newlon's G1000.

It was funny, the neighbor couldn't keep their G1000 running as a stock diesel, always something wrong with it. I don't think it was running at their farm auction, so Bill probably got it cheap.

Every time I'd see Bill pull, whether with his old UB Minny or the G1000, if it ran well enough to get down the track 250 feet or so when he'd stop and let the engine idle and back up to unhook the sled, there'd be a foot of yellow flame coming out of both those exh. pipes.

Still can't think of the name of the announcer most years at the Cambridge fair, but as he said one time after Bill made a not too great of pull, "Those engines are made to run at 2600 RPM under constant load at HIGH altitude and cold temps for hours on end. Getting them to idle, then clean-out and pull at 4000+RPM at more than full load for 15 seconds is NOT a normal thing for them to do!" Plus the fact they were pulling in July or early August, high temps and high humidity, they were a tuner's nightmare.

 

[sblunier]

Denny,

Yes, that is Bill's tractor......and its a real looker!!!!!

 

[jdiederichs]

Boys, does that bring back great memories! I used to own and pull a turbo'd G 1000 Vista MM in the 80's. Really got to appreciate those cast iron monsters. Pulled in everything from 8500 to 15000#
That was slinging weights! Wrenched with Lyle Hull and his two MM's (5-Star and G705) on NTPA circuit also, great memories! Makes me glad to run Cub Cadets nowdays, 10 pound weights are nicer at 60 years young!}

 

[dfrisk]

STEVE B. - Bill's old G1000 returned "HOME" this weekend to the Geneseo (IL) Engine & Tractor club show in Joslin IL right off Rt 92 east of town.

My Buddy's & I got a real good up close look at it.... Your Dad's friend did an EXCELLENT job restoring it. It looks great. Probably not many people remember Bill and the two Nord brothers he traveled with pulling, Perry & Bill, one ran a W9 IH with I think a pair of 409 Chevy's, and the other a Massey 55 with a pair of 427's, I may have the engines in the wrong chassis. Mom worked with both Nord's wives so Dad & I paid attention when they all pulled.

 

[jlspicer]

Small world Denny,
I just saw that tractor at Geneseo as well. I was there yesterday with the two kids. Beautiful day. Sunny and 65*. Didn't get to hear it run as they were towing it through the parade. Cool looking tractor. I really enjoyed watching 'em picking ear corn. Kids were getting bored.

A lot of nice Farmall red there. 1206, gold demos 826 and 1456. Also a 782D for sale. Didn't come home with me, though.

Was a great show. Lookin' forward to next year.

 

[dfrisk]

There was a nice restored 1206 owned by Jerry Snodgrass there too. He was a year ahead of me in school, always rode the same bus as I did. His 1206 was bought new in 1966 by Marlow Carlson. Marlow was also the prior owner of my '54 Super H.

I was actually surprised, I think the IH's outnumbered the JD's there yesterday! My Buddy & I both well remember picking ear corn, my buddy even more so than Me since he farmed until 8-10 yrs ago.

I enjoy working shows like that one. So many people have NO idea how farming is done today let alone 40-50 yrs ago.

There sure were a lot of tractors for sale there.