My first memory of dads Massey Harris tractors.

[Alleyyooper]

ROF My very first memory was dad having his Pony hoplessly hung up in a ditch bank. There was a family down the road a pieace that ran a butcher shop. The man asked dad if he would plow the field out back which at my age then I thought was huge but looking at it today It was about 5 acres. To get to the field you had to cross a old wooden bridge over a ditch, about 4 foot deep. This was 1950, dad must have been young, dumb and full of *****. He drove over the bridge then got the field plowed. When he drove back over the bridge it gave way hanging the ponys mounted plow on one bank and the front wheels on the other :fing20: .
:congrats: As I sit here thinking about it today it was a good thing the whole bridge fell in rathen than just one side.
I remember dad and one of my uncles working the rest of that day and all of the next trying to get the pony from out of that mess. In the end they had a wrecker come and winch it out.
I offten wonder if dad ever made any money on that job. I do not remember him ever returning to work that plowed patch up, nor do I ever remember us ever returning to that butcher shop.
Dad was always tell my wife and I stories about that Pony. We decided we would buy him another one in 1987. When we got to the acution sale dad was there already and bought the Pony we were going to get him. When he passed away last spring he left it to my youngest sister. She babies it as he did, and even took it to a couple of showes last summer.
My 1949 Pony top picture, Dads 1949 Pony on the bottom. His has the Arched solid front axel, mines adjustable.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/p84e9ef0afcfac15edd32f0e399c64926/fcace855.jpg

[Argee]

What is the HP of those Ponys??

[Alleyyooper]

The Pony with a 4 cylinder L head Cont. engine of 62 CID has 11 draw bar Horse Power. The pull a single botton 12 inch plow in most places. In hilly areas with clay soils a single 10 inch plow can be used.

[draddogs]

Some great memories Al..

[Alleyyooper]

Yes a lot of them, most of what I remember came latter in my life. I know I spent a lot of time in the fields on the tractor fender with dad. I know he got toasted more than once for my beeing with him. Back in the 50's all the rage was having tonsels and adnoies removed by the doctors of the time. I didn't excape that fate either when I had mine removed.
I came home from the hospital, on a beautiful May day. Dad was out in the south field planting oats. I walked out there and rode on the tractor the rest of the day into late evening. Dad Did get toasted by mom for letting me ride with him in all that dust.
I rode the Massey 20 when dad was pulling a corn binder with it. latter I slowly drove across the field with the wagon picking them up. At the ends of the field dad would jump on the draw bar to turn the tractor around. Was I really driving at 6 ? That wagon load of corn shocks were taken to the silo filler powered by my uncles 37 Allis WC. It had knobby tires on it, round knobs sticking up on it. Dad and a couple of uncles throw the shocks on the chain conver, like manure spreaders used but narrower. They cut the strings, hanging them on a rod on the filler to use latter when bagging grain. That filler chopped the corn then blew it up into the silo.

[mgood]

I assume then, that You could do light to med duty 2 row work with this tractor; our old TE20 did a bangup good job on 2 row; but was a lot more tractor???

[Alleyyooper]

The 20 was considered a light duty 2 plow tractor and could cultvate two rows of corn.
It was powered by a Cont. 124 CID L head gas or Kerosine burning engine. A 140 CID L head of the same MFG. could be had in a Distilate model. The latter are rather rare in this model for some reason.

[mgood]

Yessir: we did 2 row cotton and listed in sudan with the 20; anything heavier than that we used the minnies. I assume then that the Pony was more for garden and large yards?

[Alleyyooper]

The pony could be had with all types of attachments. In it's early days I think there were some sold just to replace a team of horses. For the most pratical perpose they were for small truck farms of 25 acres or less.
I have never seen a pony set up with more than a single row cultvator, but have seen the Allis Chalmbers G set up with a four and even a six row cultivater and it used the same engine as the pony.

[mgood]

With no disrespect meant to Any ones machines,depending of course on soil conditions depth of cultivation, etc., this seems something of an overkill for the G; were the tires taller on the Pony.. Its kind of funny, I've seen a couple of allis G's; but have never seen the MH Pony; henceforth the silly questions.

[Alleyyooper]

I posted a picture of a couple of ponies at the top of this thread.
As far as over kill on the G, I myself don't feel that way. a hyd pump could be hung on the back to lift the cults. with caster wheels on the ends it did a fine job in the onions, carrots and other small row crops growen on what we called the muck farms the dirt was so black. the view was one of the best when doing the crops just inches high.

[mgood]

Ok; I see the point now, in this type of farming the rows are much narrower; where as two rows is not actually cultivating as much ground as with crops such as short staple cotton; where the centers are much further apart; thanks, it all adds up now.. I also am from blackland; only ours weren't loam.. We called it Black Gumbo; and it really could get tight. Thank You