Antique Equipment Museum Exhibits
New Exhibits
1918 International Harvester Model H, Owned and Restored by: Ira Matheny, Modesto, CA.
This truck has a four-cylinder, 3.5 bore x 5.25 stroke, 19.6-horsepower engine. Top speed for this vehicle is about 23 miles per hour. The radiator is located in the back of the engine. This modification was made to protect the radiator and engine from teamsters backing their wagons into the vehicle. They were protesting the truck because of its ability to work two to three times harder than the horse and buggy, thus requiring less staff to get the same job done. The headlamps are fueled with a butane torch fed from a tank located near the driver’s seat. These headlamps created a fireball when lit, but after the gas dissipated the light from the torch the flam illuminated the road so the driver could work into the evening.
1959 Ford Model 771 Select - O - Speed Row Crop, Owned by, Richard Best, Woodbridge, CA. Grandpa's Tractor
This tractor is a row crop version of the 600 series tractor developed by Ford. The single wheel, two-row application and Select-O-Speed makes the tractor rare to the West Coast. The model number describes the tractor. The first “7” stands for row crop series, the second “7” stand for Select-O-Speed, and the “1” stands for the series/year. There is no clutch on the Select-O-Speed tractor making its shift-on-the-go function popular. The 771 has a single speed power take-off (PTO), while the 781 has a two-speed PTO standard. Both PTO’s are operated using a switch to the right of the steering column. The color has been matched to the original paintjob.
1944 Ford Model 2N "Narrow" Owned by Dr. Tim K. Atmajian Fresno, CA Restoration By, Carl Schroeder
This tractor is narrower than a standard 7N and 9N Ford tractor by 12 inches. This tractor was modified to fit within the narrow vineyards of the Central and San Joaquin valleys. Interestingly, the modification was not made by Ford Motor Company. When the tractors were unloaded from the factory they were delivered to an independent machine shop so the tractors could be modified upon purchase. This modification became a standard practice as the popularity of the tractors increased in California. The color has been matched to the original paintjob.
Featured Exhibits
1872 Stockton Gang Plow, Donated by George Watte and Sons
This plow was first created in 1854 by Perry Yaple and Wellis Beardsley. With 3 horses hitched to a Stockton Gang Plow, farmers could plow a field in 1/3 the time it took to plow with a single plow. The Stockton Gang Plow was produced locally in Stockton, CA and sold nationwide.
1895 Rumley Steam Engine, Owned by Doug and Tim Peltzer of Porterville, CA
This tractor is the oldest in the museum. It burned wood and coal to heat its water tank. Steam would build up inside the tractor until there was enough pressure to push the tractor forward.
1915 Aultman Taylor ‘30-60’ Owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
Aultman Taylor introduced gas tractors in 1910 and the 30-60 initially had a square radiator. In 1914, the trademark tubular radiator was introduced. This very large tractor has 90 inch drive wheels which set it nearly 12 feet in the air. The power plant is a four cylinder 7 x 9 inch bore and stroke.
1916 Happy Farmer owned by RJ Soults of Tulare
This lightweight 2 cylinder tractor was also known as “The perfect Kerosene burner.” In 1915 the Happy Farmer Tractor Company was formed by D.M Hartsough in Minneapolis, MN. It became La Crosse Tractor Company when it merged with Sta-Rite Engine Company of La Crosse, WI. The end of Happy Farmer Tractors came in 1922.
1919 Huber Light Four owned by Bill Reeves of Sylmar, CA
The horsepower of this tractor is 12 drawbar and 25 belt. It weighs 5,200 lbs. and was sold for $985. Huber Manufacturing Company in Marion, OH began building this particular model in 1916. It used a Perfex radiator, Bennett air cleaner, and Kingston carburetor and ignition.
1923 Best ‘30’ owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
The 30 model was added to the Best Line in 1921. At the University of Nebraska Tractor Tests the 4 Cylinder 4.75 x 6.5 inch bore and stroke engine produced 19.75 horsepower on drawbar and 30.4 horsepower at belt pulley at 810 rpm. It could tow 4,343 lbs. at just over 2 mph.
1927 Travel Air 2000
The original plane had a Curtiss OX-5 90 horsepower engine and was used mostly for training purposes. In 1947 it was converted to a duster by removing the 2 front seats and installing a tank. The engine was replaced with a Continental 220 horsepower. This aircraft could haul up to 1,200 pounds. It was operated for over 50 years by Precissi Flying Service in Lodi, CA. Built by Travel Air Airplane Manufacturing Company Inc. in Wichita, KS, this aircraft is thought to be an oldest example of this type of Agricultural Aircraft in the United States.
1932 John Deere General Purpose Wide Tread owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
This tractor was John Deere’s first row crop tractor. The Wide Tread’s 2 wheel tricycle front ran between 2 rows and the rear wheel tread width allowed the rear end to straddle 2 rows. It has a wheel base of 78.3 inches.
1939 Ford 9N owned by Kenneth Schmall of Fresno
This Ford 9N was a part of the first line introduced in 1939. At the Nebraska Tractor Test 339, it produced 23.5 maximum belt horsepower using a 4 cylinder engine. Equipped with a 3 point hitch, this machine weighed 1,700 lbs. and could reach a forward speed of 6 mph. It cost $585 in Detroit.
1948 Farmall Cub owned and restored by Wayne Wiscarver
First introduced in 1917, the Farmall Cub was a low cost, all purpose tractor for small farms and nurseries. This tractor uses a thermal siphon cooling system in which hot water flows out of the motor to the top of the radiator where it cools. Once it cools it drops down through the radiator back to the bottom of the engine and repeats. There are 2 holes in the hood of this Farmall on the right side used to oil the generator.
1949 Allis Chalmers ‘G’ owned by Doris Soults of Tulare, CA
Because of its small size, this Model-G was a big change for Allis Chalmers and the tractor industry as a whole. It was meant for nurseries, small farms and vegetable gardens and equipped with a Continental 4 cylinder engine 2.375 x 3.5 inch bore and stroke. The Allis Chalmers G produced a drawbar horsepower of 9 and a belt horsepower of 10.3. It was dropped from production in 1955.
1956 Ferguson FE-35D owned by Buzz Fisher of Strathmore, restored by Neil Jaentsch of Springville, CA
This Ferguson was sold new to Howard Fisher in 1957 by Weisenberger’s farm supply in Porterville, CA for $2,907. It is equipped with a 35 horsepower Perkins Diesel engine with 8 speed Transmission and live hydraulics PTO. Though it was built in Coventry, England, this tractor has United States Ferguson colors.
Grey Drum Drive owned by Bill Reeves of Sylmar, CA
This orchard tractor manufactured by the Grey Tractor Company in Minneapolis, MN, was first put on the market in 1914 with a 2 cylinder engine. In 1920 these tractors were being produced with a 4.75 x 6.75 inch bore and stroke 4 cylinder motor. It also contains a cone clutch with Raybestos brake lining, Bennett air cleaner and American-Bosch DU4 magneto.
Holt 75 owned by Jack Nikkel of Shafter, CA
In 1925 Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Company merged to form Caterpillar Tractor Company. Benjamin Holt of Stockton, CA got fed-up with soft soil sticking to the round metal wheels of his tractor. To solve this problem, he invented the Holt 75. This tractor was produced in Stockton, CA in 1917 or 1918. It weighs 3 tons and has a 75 horsepower engine and drawbar horsepower is 50.
Other Tractor Exhibits
- 1913 Linder Equipment Co. International Hay Wheeler
- 1914 Yuba Tractor Model 20-35 owned by Frank Baptise of Somis, CA
- 1915 Avery 25-50 owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
- 1918 Case 10-20 owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
- 1920 International Harvester 8-16 owned by Floyd Schmall of Fresno, CA
- 1920 John Deere Van Brunt Grain Drill owned by Royce Lambert of Arroyo Grande, CA
- 1921 John Deere Windrow Baler owned by John Riasi of Tulare, CA
- 1923 Best ‘30’ owned by Doug Peltzer of Porterville, CA
- 1926 Allis Chalmers ‘20-35’ owned by Brian Hair
- 1928 Ford Huckster owned by Buzz Fisher of Strathmore, CA
- 1928 Caterpillar Model 10 owned by Bill Reeves of Sylmar, CA
- 1937 Farmall F12 owned by Howard Martin of Fresno, CA
- 1938 Case Model L owned by Floyd Schmall of Fresno, CA
- 1949 Allis Chalmers ‘G’ owned by Doris Soults of Tulare, CA
- 1950 Farmall Cub owned by Buzz Fisher of Strathmore, CA
- 1956 Allis Chalmers 20-35
- 1969 John Deere 4020 owned by Alden Nunes of Tulare, CA
- Caterpillar RD7 owned by Chris Visser of Fresno, CA
Other Antique Displays
- 1900 Kitchen owned by Joe Bono of Tulare, CA, stove owned by Bob Decramer
- Dairy Equipment Collection on loan from the Joe Pedro Dairy in Tulare, CA
- Comfort Quilt donated by Donald E. Price of Lake Isabella, CA
- Water Pump Collection owned by Bob Koop of Porterville, CA
For more information on the Antique Farm Equipment Museum, call (559) 688-1030 or email.
