20th Annual Red Power Roundup, July 23-25, 2009

[mhomrighausen]

I've made a BIG OOOPPPsss!!! That 656 Hydro has the two point hitch. It just looked light compared to the one on my 706. I apologize for that mistake.

 

[dfrisk]

When You really study that 656 Hydro it really is kinda a funny tractor. I didn't see it @ RPRU, Son & I spent too much time looking at the BIG iron or letter series.

I agree with Marlin, that Fast-Hitch looks like something that should be on a 404, not a 656. The F-H on Dad's old 450 was twice as beefy as that hitch.
White wheels were only used on some International Utility tractors built at FARMALL and of course the 1206. And like everything else IHC, clam shell fenders from a 460/560 would have been available until the Flat tops were offered and became more popular and then the clam shells would have been discontinued.

Marlin's also correct, this is a later model 656 built after the 756/856's were released because of the bar grill, the early 656's had a white painted perforated metal corrogated grill screen like the 706's.

It's actually a rather well-optioned tractor, diesel (saddly a D-282, never destined to ever be one of the Ten Best diesel engines ever built!) Hydro, Fast-Hitch. Would have been a nice picker tractor or cultivating tractor with a 4-row frt mount cultivator. Both mounted pickers and frt mount cultivators were still popular in some areas of the mid-west in the late '60's. However, for a mounted picker I would have chosen a 706, no Hydro available but more transmission speeds than a 656 gear drive, same D-282 engine but a bit more HP, and the whole frame & rear end was MUCH beefier. Every fall We'd hear about someone breaking an axle on M's, SM, SM-TA, 400/450/460/560's. Those 2-3/4" dia axles would actually bend from the 3000+ pound weight of the picker like a 2M-E, 2M-H, 2M-HD, and later the 234 pickers. Add the optional sheller or grinder attachment to a picker and the weight is even higher.

 

[kasmith]

My dad still has a 656 that works on their farm. They bought it new, and promptly turned the pump up. When it was new, it ran a 2 row potato harvester. A job that was later taken over by a IH 186 hydro, which has a lot more horsepower. I always loved running the 656 as a teenager. I'd pull out on the road, run the hydro up to full speed then throw the throttle up, and pitch black smoke would roll out of the exhaust. I also used it to cultivate beans. I spent a lot of hours on that machine. I think the trans has been rebuilt 2 times. I gave it it's last coat of paint about 4 years ago, I used a Valspar automotive paint with hardner, and it still looks like the day I painted it. It's only used to move the irrigation gun, and wagons around now. She doesn't work like she used to.

 

[klejeune]

 

[klejeune]

That's about all the pics I took at RPRU this year. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the big stuff. Man, I can't believe how many forum members I missed there too.
It was great meeting Art and Kraig and many others though, and seeing some I met last year in Columbia too.

We left home Wednesday night at 8:30pm and drove overnight. Thought our 2 yr old would sleep while driving at night. The Interstate got a little bumpy getting into IL east of St. Louis and woke him up and he was awake and screaming for hours after that. Man was it foggy between Springfield, IL and WI. Slowed down to 45-50mph on the Interstate at times it was so hard to see.
Rolled into the show grounds around 5am to meet William DeTurck and Howard Sell. I'd been up since 7am Wed and didn't get a nap until we were waiting for Craig Morgan to perform around 3pm Thursday. 40 winks and I was ready to go again.

Oh yeah, the fried cheese curds the FFA was selling were sooooo goooood!!!

 

[dfrisk]

KEITH - Son & I didn't get to RPRU until about 8:30-9 AM Saturday. We were really disappointed so much equip. had left already. We did get to talk to Steve B & Big Steve, Wes H, and Todd Markle.

Gotta agree 100% on those Stoughton, WI. FFA cheese curds. They're just another benefit of living INSIDE the cheddar Curtain, although the curds weren't cheddar cheese.

That scale 1206 is really gonna be SHARP when it gets a few more details. I've got some pic's from the RPRU down in PENFIELD, IL in 2003 I think it was, 1206 with a REAL Turbo-charged Kohler K-series.

 

[thoffman]

Keith/Dennis and others,
The thinking of having the RPRU shows ending on Saturday stinks. The original thougth was/is the people displaying would have a extra "travel day". I know people went many miles to get to the show, but the "paying public" is generly working stiffs like myself (until the layoff comes). I know that the people showing stuff had to take time off, but the money is at the gate. Showing up at noon on Saturday and half the show is sux.

 

[dfrisk]

TOM - I'll have to admit it was cheaper to flat-tow the '51 M to RPRU than it was to pay admission. Took most of the day Friday to make the towbar and get the lights working. I'd say half the show was gone at 9 AM Saturday, by Noon it was 2/3rds gone, when We left about 1:30 to 2 PM it was over 3/4 gone. There was some stuff there I would have liked to have seen.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Note the 1x5 Cub Cadet in the background.

 

[klejeune]

Dennis,
Did you see any local advertising about the show?
Seems to me like Red Power is more for just those who are collector club members and what they get at the gate is just extra. I don't remember who said it, I think the big guy that was working security at the Cadet area, he said the first day gate money paid for the show ground rental. All other money they were getting was going to the Wisconsin Historical Society. That's just heresay though.

Kendell, how does the Cushman show work? Is it just for Cushman collectors and any money they get from outsiders is okay too, or is it something they advertise to try and get a lot of spectators?

It was a long way for us to travel and I only took one Cub. We left just after Noon Saturday so we could get home without having to stay somewhere another night. Got home around 1am after stopping a while in St. Louis to swap out my wifes iPhone at the Apple store there (we don't have an Apple store).

Even our local show that is Thurs-Sun dwindles down a lot Saturday evening. A lot of folks don't show back up on Sunday which is a bummer for those who can't make it earlier.

 

[thoffman]

Kraig,
What 1X5?? Is there one in the picture? All I see is that cool scale model.

 

[kmcconaughey]

 

[dfrisk]

KEITH - Yes there were a few local TV spot ads for RPRU during the week. I didn't check the local paper for ads.

Since it's the BIG national show for ALL of IHC it makes all the collector magazines. I think for the most part Guy Fay's & Mike Schmudlach's idea of getting the show into an Urban setting worked pretty well. The grounds were great IMHO, even with rain showers a couple of the days it wasn't muddy. There was a LOT of room for displays, Sure glad We had the M to ride around on, Just wish SON would have shared the driving "Chores" with Me! He did a great job of dodging golf carts, people on cell phones not watching where they were going, obeying the 5 mph speed limit, etc. It's just that I enjoy running the Ole Girl every now and then, like I did back when I was a REAL little Kid, 5 & 6 yrs old.

 

[wmiller]

Kraig, That beautiful scale model you posted is made from a Case/Ingersoll garden tractor. Do you have a picture of one to show what the builder started with? Thanks,Wayne

 

[kmcconaughey]

I believe it started life as a Case model 444 tractor. Click this LINK then click on the various links that are in the new web page that shows up, for photos of various Case 444 tractors.

 

[kide]

Keith:
The main shows we go to - the Cushman Club of America national events and the yearly Vintage Motorbike show at Portland, In. are mostly attended by members and collectors who know about the events. The CCOA show moves every year, so it isn't like annual event for a town. The VMBA show in Portland is an annual event that gets some local publicity, apparently the WEEK of the show in the local paper. The problem with no prior local publicity is that most of the locals show up on the Saturday at the end of the show, when participants are leaving, or have already left (on Friday). The show is supposed to be a Tuesday through Saturday event, but the hard core start showing up at the fairgrounds up to TWO WEEKS in advance to get choice spots (power is a big problem) and the conventional wisdom is that all the best wheelin' and dealin' is done before the event ever starts.... The club has tried to deal with it, but they can't prevent early arrivals (the fairground controls camping up to the start of the event and it's just extra $$$$ for them). We arrived on Sunday and left on Friday this year.........
Our group wishes a deal could be cut with the Tractor Show association that owns all the land around the fairgrounds, including a huge campground right across the street (during the big Portland Tractor show, the areas we use for camping are all display and vendors..) as we think if the pressure to get a decent camping spot wasn't so great, people might show up later and stay till the end of the show.

 

[jott]

Tom H, I know its hard to see beyond the beautifull red machine, but its back there

 

[proessler]

2009 RPRU Show book came in mail today, Awesome !!! Even snuck in a pic.