The Control Station

[Egon]

How many of you fellows would like to spend 12 or so hours a day Sitting and standing on these tractors on a blustery cold day come planting time?

[smstonypoint]

I would be happy to do so if the alternative was to walk behind a team of mules/horses.

Steve

[MIKE R]

I would be happy to do so if the alternative was to walk behind a team of mules/horses.

Steve

I agree. Sitting on my steel seat on the Case makes my butt sore after about 3hours.

I would love to drive them but the thrill will sure be gone by the end of a 12hour day. The center one (oliver/hart-parr) looks to be the comfiest to operate.

[D7E]

It would depend on the pay...better than a shovel !

[AKfish]

That's why so many young people left as soon as they could..! That, and well... the pay was less than you'd make workin' a garbage truck in town.

AKfish

[brin]

If you have ever operated one of those old timers then you know the pain of bottoming out one of those as you are lifted up off the steel seat and the slammed back down...can you say butt ache...there was just no shock absorbing on those old machines...

[Thomas]

Back than if you were lucky enough to own one it was cats meow,compare walking on rough ground triping over dirt balls rock oxen's,horses,mules leading the way on warm/hot smelly day.

[banjodunn]

You blokes are getting soft with all these padded seats and A/C cabs............ gotta admit I don't mind them either though


Jon

[kneedeep]

Read somewhere that Henry Ford got the biggest man in his tractor factory and used his posterior as a mold for the pan tractor seat on the Fords!!
My first tractor was a International A with a pan seat. Bought a round cushion at local Co-op for it and thought I had went to heaven!

[Gary Fowler]

I drove an old Farmall 650 similar to those pictured,( this was when 806 Farmall's were new) it was around 65-70HP and had no trouble pulling a 14 foot heavy breaking disk. It had an air starter but was hydraulic over nitrogen air starter that you had to pump up the hydraulic oil to pressurize the nitrogen tank then hit the starter. If it didn't start, had to pump again for about 5 minutes. It wasn't too bad as far as comfort with a spring loaded seat with a shock absorber in the middle but my back was a lot stronger then. Other than no back rest, you just bounced along like Eddie Albert of Green Acres. It did not have power steering if IIRC and was still a bear to turn around as it took both hands plus it had a hand operated clutch so you had to have lots of room and coordination to run it without running over something or someone.