Case Pedal Tractor

sgalow

New User
Hey all,

I"m currently in the middle of a move and I pulled this out of storage. Always been wondering it"s worth, and whether or not I dare repaint it for the kiddies. Fairly certain this may be the original paint (peeling away of course). I remember getting from my uncle"s barn years ago, and sadly it went to storage.

Been unable to find a model number on it thus far, but I"m sure I"m just missing it. No clue on the year or anything, but have definitely wanted to know more about it, the year, value, and whether or not I dare re-paint it for fear of destroying the value.

Thanks to anyone for any info you have...
Sean
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Well, my opinion is worth not quite as much as it will cost you here, but I think it looks pretty good just as it sits. There are hundreds of restored pedal tractors around, but not many left in their work clothes.

Stan
 
You will cut the value in half if you paint it. The ones in their original condition will out sell the restored ones.

As for value. I would say $250-500 to a CASE collector. It could even bring more if it truly an original model.
 
Thanks for the reply... Point well taken. I think that wear/tear makes for character. Well, so might lead paint I suppose... :)

I found a photoraph of my father on the tractor, and he appeared to be maybe 5-8 years old (and he was born in 1950) so I definitely think it's an old one. Gonna take a flashlight to it tomorrow and search for some kind of model number or something. I was baffled that I couldn't find it thus far. And unless the photo was of my dad on a similar tractor as a boy, I'd have to assume mid 1950s or earlier was when this was from.

I talked to my uncle and he said it was in one of the barns for ages, probably not even touched since the 60s (they cleaned it out a few years ago and he gave it to me), so I suspect everything is original. It's a really nice piece.

Some guy who came over to pick something up from me that I was selling saw it in my garage and offered me $20 for it. I told him it wasn't for sale, and saw how he was looking at it when he spotted it...

Thanks,
Sean
 
Sorry. My last repsonse was when there was only 2 posts in the thread. started typing, and my kids demanded attention, and then the rest come in.

I appreciate everyone's responses. I don't claim to know anything. Definitely could be someone who stuck badging on another tractor and painted it. I'd love to know the origin, so I hope I can find some kind of model number on it that points back to it's origin... No matter what that may be...

I'll check with some family on it and anything they can remember, and see if I can find anything on there that gives any more clues. But for now, it sounds like a few of you are pretty sure already, and I appreciate all of your knowledge. Crazy that you can look at it and recognize it just like that. :) I'm the same with guitars, but sadly, not with tractors.

Thanks,
Sean
 
Found some good quality photos of an open-grill Farmhill H and it appears to be a dead ringer... Right down to the details on the body. Excellent eyes. Not sure it will be worth much with it being "re-detailed" as a case, but it's still such a nice and solid piece of history. I shall continue my search to learn more about it, and will fight the urge to paint. :)

Sean
 

That pedal tractor would have a very high value to me if it was my father's. Especially since you have a picture of him riding it.

It sounds like you have kids. If they are the size to play with it then let them. If they are too big save it for your grand kids.

I have five or six pedal tractors that the kids all ride. Some of the pedal tractors are old but they are part of the family so to speak.
 
it is either a 1949 model or a 1950 model open grill International Model H pedal tractor. the only difference in the model year is the 1950 model had a hole by the fan which i would say this one does so i will say its a 1950 model. I would personally repaint it back to its natural red color since it will bring the collector value back to it since this is not the original color. once completely restored new tires and everything I would estimate the value at an auction to bring between $1,500 and $2,500 maybe more depending on the paint job (some like them restored to look original, others like them very shiny). If you wanted to sell it with the case colors I would say you may get a collector to buy it at $1,000 to 1,200 and then they would probably restore it.
 
I appreciate the info. I talked to my dad about it, and sadly, he's the oldest child, so none of his siblings would remember anyone doing an overhaul on the tractor. He loves learning about this kind of stuff, so he's going to ask my grandma about it on the off chance she remembers anything... It's possible that they just picked the tractor up as you saw it in the pic too somewhere.

I found a good pic of what the tractor "was" and sent it to him. They were about at the same angle, and from the same side, and looking past the color and decals, you can see an identical match.

I'm not sure I'll be able to part with it, but it sure is tempting to bring it back to how it looked when it was new. I guess it depends on how my dad feels about the tractor being restored, and not matching the old pic anymore.

Thanks so much for all the info. As I keep digging through storage, I'll have to see if there's any other family stuff to uncover backstories about, but this has been wonderful. Thanks to all who contributed helping figure this out... It's much appreciated.

Sean
 
I think that's a farmall, I had one in the early 50's. The smooth rear tires with no lugs irritated me even at the age of about four. Mine had an open grill that my older brother wired a big old car horn to and I took it and 3 or 4 bars of the grill off with a hammer.
 
Your comment about modifying the grill on your pedal 'H' reminds me of my own experience. I had a cast iron team of horses and a wagon (or maybe a manure spreader). Took a hammer to them one day...got a good paddling for that!! It was probably an Arcade or a Vindex, since this was back in the early '40s.

Stan
 

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