May/June 2020 Antique Power
/The May/June 2020 issue of Antique Power magazine will be available in subscriber mailboxes and on newsstands soon. Our latest cover tractor is a 1916 Eagle 16-30 Model F owned by Schley family. This feature is written by Rick Mannen and photographed by Brad Bowling.
Because Eagle tractors are so scarce, collectors are thrilled to find one. Based on existing serial number data, the Eagle Mfg. Co. of Appleton, Wisconsin, built fewer than 2,500 tractors, even though production ran from 1905 through 1938. The company offered several series ranging from its first 2-cylinder opposed-cylinder types to 6-cylinder tractors.
One of the best restored Eagles, a 16-30 Model F, belongs to Al Schley and his son Jeff of Clintonville, Wisconsin. Eagle tractors are in the Schley family’s blood. Al’s grandfather Fred and Fred’s brothers Bill and Henry bought the 16-30 more than a 100 years ago.
The tractor was sold new somewhere in Canada, possibly in 1917. Unable to keep up the payments on the tractor, the original owner faced repossession. The company agreed, however, to allow the man to use it to finish his custom clover hulling run. Unfortunately, it was late in the year, and the water had not been drained from the engine by the time Eagle found it near a railway siding. Freezing temperatures had ruined the cylinder block and radiator.
March/April 2020 Antique Power
Upon the tractor’s return to Appleton, Eagle replaced the cylinder block with an updated model and accessories. Originally, the governor was mounted on the engine flywheel. In the changeover Eagle installed a Pickering Governor Co. governor, which had become its usual fitting. The tractor was virtually a new tractor when the Schley brothers bought it in 1919.
Each brother had a farm and separate dairy herd, and between them, they had five silos for fodder. They pooled their money to buy the Eagle tractor from Kuester Brothers, a dealer in Clintonville. Kuester also provided them with a three-bottom Oliver Farm Equipment Co. plow and a Fox River Tractor Co. Red Fox brand silo filler. The Eagle mainly powered the silo filler.
To read more about the 1916 Eagle pick up a copy of the May/June 2020 issue of Antique Power magazine!
Other articles in this issue include:
Plowing Every Inch
Charlotte Mehmke’s Square Turn tractor requires a talented operator seasoned with a bit of
courage. text by Candace BrownFrom Erector Set to Farmall Tractor
The restoration of a 1956 Farmall Model 300 Hi-Clear required all of John Bentley’s mechanical skills. text by Robert GabrickA Texas Bulldog text by Glenn Thompson
Out of the Ashes
The Kraus family decided their Oliver Super 88 was worth rescuing. text by Chuck KrausLetter from the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Canada Connection The Manitoba Universal Tractor
Garden Tractor Case Model 444
Photos from the Attic
Classifieds
Show Guide
Tractor Show
Tech Tips The Mysterious Simms Model SPE Diesel Injection Pump
Of Grease & Chaff “Gotta Mix That Mud!”
Gallery Photo by Dennis Hamlin
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