On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:50:53 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:38:06 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Speaking of interesting farm machinery, Harold Foskett here in town
just picked up a couple of really interesting tractors yesterday.

Did you see the article in today's Wall Street Journal on tractor
collecting?

http://tinyurl.com/3jlu9e

No I didn't and it's very accurate.

For example:

I have a 1950 IH Farmall Super A wide front that was a demonstrator.
Back in those days, IH used to paint their demonstrators white instead
of IH red. After their demonstration days, they were repainted IH red
and sold to the general market.

The one I have was actually sold by Harold's father when he was the
local IH dealer here in Woodstock. It went to a farmer in Ledyard who
then sold it to a orchard grower in Foster, RI. I went to an auction
and this tractor came up last in the tractor group - I got it for
$450. :)

I brought the tractor home and power washed it to see what I'd have to
do to restore it. As I was washing it, the red paint started coming
off and the white started showing through. I knew that IH never used
white primer, but gray primer so I found the number plate and SN.

Danged if it wasn't a demonstrator. The value automatically went up a
couple of thousand dollars. I restored it to it's original white,
redid the engine and now Harold has it in storage and takes it around
to various tractor shows for me.

I've had some really good offers for it from collectors, although you
don't find many "civilians" who know what it is. And Harold was good
enough to go through his father's records and gave me the original
bill of sale so I have proof it was a demonstrator.