June 21 thru September 3, 2007, |
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| August 30 |
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On the 30th, we went to the Thresherman's Reunion in Pontiac, IL. Threshermen are the guys who run the equipment that harvest our crops. Most of them collect the old equipment that was manufactured in the early part of the last century and helped establish this country as the bread basket of the world. Here is an old tractor using a very long belt to power a stationary threshing machine. |
The threshing machine sat stationary. You would pull a wagon of wheat up to the front of it and a man, as seen here, would use a pitchfork to put the cut wheat onto a conveyor belt that would pull the grain into the machine. The straw, or what was left after the kernels were removed, would be ejected out the back of the machine into a pile. Later, this entire process was made into a moving machine we now call a combine. |
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In the early days of the last century, before the country had our electrical grid, farms and ranches used stationary engines to power their water pumps and generators. That is if they had one. This is a small stationary engine which is called a hit and miss engine. These engines had a large flywheel that once going only required the engine to have combustion on about one out of every six or seven revolutions. These were extremely fuel efficient. As you can tell by the picture, this one is running! |
O.K., now for a little break. How about some old fashioned soda. Here you can sample several types and flavors that you might not get a chance to taste by going to your local convenience store. |
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One of the types of early tractors used steam. I am not sure what brand this one is but it was probably built somewhere between 1910 and 1920. |
This steam tractor was recently purchased at an auction. While it is not painted yet, the owner was very pleased to find that the boiler steel was in very good shape. These old tractors have to have their boilers inspected every two years by the state of Illinois for safety. |
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Now this one is fun. it is an engine built in 1903 to power the city water system. It is 75hp and has one cylinder. It runs on diesel and has a top speed of 300rpm. Here it is running at about 150rpm. You can see the wheels turning. it makes very little noise and really fun to watch. The engine weighs about 8,000lbs of which 3,400lbs is just the big flywheel seen here. I talked to one of the guys running it and he said that they ran it for about 5 days on less than three gallons of fuel. |
The engine in the last photo was powering this veneer machine via a long drive belt. In this veneer machine, you place a log as seen here, and the machine spins the log while a sharp blade is moved into it to peel off a thin slice of veneer. They are demonstrating this machine for several eager viewers. The veneer produced by this machine was used in making baskets and produce shipping boxes. Remember the wood strawberry boxes with the little green metal edge? |
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Here is a steam engine that is having the steam dumped. |
As an old farm kid, I was having a ball just taking pictures of the beautiful old giants. These machines are just fun to watch because they have so many moving parts. Better than most TV programs.
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Once painted, these old tractors not only run and work but they are an object of art. |
If you ever get a chance to come to the Thresherman Reunion and you like old machinery, this is the place to come.
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If you like tractors, this is the back door of heaven. Dozens of machines lined up and some with equipment attached. |
At the entrance is this old gas station. It is not being used but is really a display of old gas station equipment and pumps. I pulled the duece up and took a picture. Some of these pumps were in operation when the 1932 Fords were new.
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More coming...
June 21 • June 22 • June 23 • June 24 • June 25 • June 26 • June 27 • June 28 • June 29 • June 30 • July 1 • July 2 • July 3 • July 4 • July 5 • July 6 • July 7 • July 8 • July 9 • July 10 • July 11 • July 12 • July 13 • July 14 • July 15 • July 16 • July 17 • July 18 • July 19 • July 20 • July 21 • July 22 • July 23 • July 24 • July 25 • July 26 • July 27 • July 28 • July 29 • July 30 • July 31 • August 1 • August 2 • August 3 • August 4 • August 5 • August 6 • August 7 • August 8 • August 9 • August 10 • August 11 • August 12 • August 13 • August 14 • August 15 • August 16 • August 17 • August 18 • August 19 • August 20 • August 21 • August 22 • August 23 • August 24 • August 25 • August 26 • August 27 • August 28 • August 29 • August 30 • August 31 • September 1 • September 2 • September 3 |
| The Great All-American Road Show is a family values experience. We believe that integrity, hardwork, a strong moral compass and basic self-discipline are values that have made and will keep this country great. As we travel across this great land, it is our intention to let communities and individuals enjoy the freedoms we hold dear. We encourage everyone to do all things in moderation and exhibit a general concern for the welfare of others. |  |
You can download the press release, click here. |
Here are a few photos for use in publications. Click here. |
