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North End I-15 | The fall of 66 I helped custom swath a few crops . I was between summer school and student teaching and needed some cash ! The 103 was tricky to learn to steer . The first 40 acre field looked like a drunken sailor wandering down the street . The machine was a few years old so I'm sure it could have been adjusted a bit better. The double belt drive was real sensitive to the steering wheel comands.
The first self propeled one I ran was a 1955 (year)Owatona 14' planatery drive one . It had a Lycoming 2 cylinder engine . Dad and Neighbor bought it in partnership. Swathers were hard to find that fall . It seemed like it never quit raining . We got ours and neighbors crop down in good shape . Then they custom swathed another 500 acres for another neighbor . They built a push bumper on the back , when the rig spun out on the hills or mudded down , a CJ2A Jeep was following and would give it a push ! We ran that rig 24 -7 till we were done. They sold the machine for more money than they had paid for it to a fellow up on the "rim" . He swathed his crop and sold it to a fellow up on the Delbonita Ridge . He also made money on the deal . The next year(56) we rented a W6 with a 16' pull type . Ran it 24-7 also . I did the night shifts , 12 on 12 off . The next Swather (57) was a 16' 173 IHC The reel was ground drive . Tough to get through a lodged down crop with that reel , sold it and went with a 16' 175 IHC (58)Better machine with a bigger Wisconsin V-4 engine. I kept that machine up till 1988 and traded it in on a S80 riding mower from JD . (Bad trade :<( )
The first one with the Lycoming engine burned oil from the start . Neighbor joked it used as much oil as gas . It was a 4 cycle engine . :>) | |
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Versatile Combine
