THE NEWBIE - Antique Power magazine articles often refer to a particular tractor’s horsepower or other ratings as determined by the Nebraska Tractor Test results. You might wonder what “Nebraska Tractor Test” means and how those ratings came to be established and accepted everywhere. The origins and evolution of this testing are an interesting part of tractor history, with worldwide consequences.
Read MoreTHE NEWBIE - There are many approaches to buying or selling antique tractors, including auctions; if you have never used that method, it can seem intimidating. Many fine auction businesses advertise in Antique Power magazine, and I called Mecum Auctions in Walworth, Wisconsin, to learn more about how auctions work, because Mecum offers approximately 15,000 collectible cars, motorcycles, boats, and more, per year.
Read MoreTHE NEWBIE - The three-point hitch is now standard equipment on almost all tractors, but back in 1926, when patented in Great Britain by an Irish engineer named Harry Ferguson, it revolutionized the way implements were attached to tractors. Ferguson had visualized the many advantages to be gained by creating a rigid connection between a tractor and plow, so he experimented with this new linkage technology. Soon, his “Ferguson System” for attaching specially designed implements started its climb from obscurity to the status of an important milestone in tractor history.
Read MoreTHE NEWBIE - For readers of Antique Power magazine and all who love antique tractors, summer means more than baseball, barbecues, and beaches; it means tractor shows! These fun events, suitable for the whole family, take place all over the country and provide an opportunity for newbies to see a large quantity and variety of antique tractors in one place. You might even find the tractor of your dreams for sale.
Read MoreTHE NEWBIE - The King Agriculture Museum is scheduled to open today in Centralia, Washington. Antique Power magazine is one of the best places for newbies to learn about antique tractors; another way is to visit a museum focused on tractors or farming history in general. If you travel to the Pacific Northwest this summer, be sure to see the brand new King Agriculture Museum, in the historic Lewis County Lumber building, right off Interstate 5.
Read MoreTHE NEWBIE - Buying your first tractor should be a very enjoyable experience, but do your homework first. The month of February brings us Valentine’s Day, and readers of Antique Power magazine will agree that the love-struck experience of buying your first antique tractor remains carved into the memory like a heart on a tree trunk, or in some cases, just a nasty scar.
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