Went to SC this weekend to visit family. While there I visited the textile mill where generations of my family worked since about 1920 (They called us "lintheads."). The mill is now closed, but my cousin who was a supervisor for many years took me for a tour where I worked many hot days until I decided an Army life was better than a mill life.As we walked into the basement, I noticed A-C Orange in the dark shadows. Since I am a Model B lover, I hoped that it was a B, or C, or CA. What I saw was absolutely amazing!! There were 2, count them two, Model IB's that were identically set up for finish mowing with hydraulics, PTO's. and beautifully welded 3-point hitches that had been made by the mill machine shop. The finish mowers were old model Woods that had been painted A-C orange to match the tractors. All were painted the new orange color, in about 1965-66 according to my cousin. The 2 IB's were both 1950's with serial numbers within 3 of each other. The sheet metal was flawless. The only way that you could tell them apart was that a brass plate was on the back of each seat that was engraved "T-1" and "T-2" - I guess, "Tractor 1" and "Tractor 2." My cousin recalled that both had been converted from industrial to mowing tractors in about 1955 - 1957 when the Fords that they had been using wore out. I asked about buying one or both of the tractors. He said that the owners of the mill were taking them to their farm to be fully restored and pampered. I guess that if I can't have one, it is good to know that they will be well cared for, but used for mowing around the farm. It was a sight to behold, because as long as I can remember, I saw the little orange tractors mowing around the mill and the village, but never knew or cared then that they were A-C IB's. It was a real pleasure to see the little tractors again from the perspective of a tractor lover now, rather than a young kid wanting to get away from the mill.
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