Vintage Picture-My Dads Old 123 IH Combine In 1959

This isnt the greatest picture in the world as I used my digital camera to take a picture of a picture.My Dad is sitting in the seat.I was 10 then and I'm standing to the left of Dad.My 3 year old brother is in front of me.

Dad bought this 1940's model 123 IH from the local JD dealer in late 1958 or early 1959.He painted the combine with a brush because it had sat out and was rusty.He was so proud of the old 123 as it was the 3rd SP combine in the neighborhood.The otheres were a 45 JD and a 26 Massey.

The bin had been lowered on it,it had a wide rear end on it made from a 2N-9N Ford tractor front end,and it had 15x26 drive tires.In mud it would only spin the right tire.We never got stuck so bad that our 1947 8N Ford wouldnt pull it out.

Dad used it in 1959-61.In 1962 a 1959 model 72 MH SP replaced it.The 123 was then sold to a neighbor and was used until the early-mid 70's when it was junked.

The funniest thing that ever happened to the 123 was this.After school one afternoon my little brother and I walked 1/2 mile south to the field where Dad was susposed to be combining.He was taking the clutch and tranny out of the 123 as it wouldnt move.My 5 year old brother walked over and picked up one of the drive chains that had came off and asked if this was the problem.Dad never said a word and started putting things back together.

• spring harvest in sask.

SP combines must have come into your area a bit later than where I grew up in ND small grain country. There were lots of SPs around there (Towner County, ND) by 1950.

In the 1950's most farms in this area were from 40-160 acres with about half tillable so a SP combine really wasnt needed.Dad only had 160 acres until 1961 when he bought a neighbors 200 acres.

SP combines came in hot and heavy here in the early-mid 60's.Up until then the AC All Crops ruled.

Anyway, your funny story reminds me of a tale that's been going around parts of Oklahoma for over 3 to 4 decades. A farmer's combine "broke down" and suddenly stopped, dead, in the wheat. The frustrated farmer searched in vain to find the problem, even taking off some parts to see just what was wrong. It was his wife who had come out to bring him lunch or take the load of wheat and she had just got up on the combine out of curiosity. That's when it was discovered the combine's only problem, was just running out of fuel. UGH!