Barnyard engineered vs. original

BarnyardEngineering

Well-known Member
Location
Rochester, NY
My dad would fabricate parts and bracket whenever he could to save money. Case in point, he made a set of IH 2350 loader brackets for his 1066 out of scrap metal back in the early 1980s rather than pay the IH dealer a ridiculous amount for a second set of brackets.

They are clearly home made, made to fit and work, not necessarily look perfect. They are well made and not an eyesore by any stretch though.

In the ensuing years I found a pretty nice set of original brackets.

If you were going to freshen up an old tractor that had home built brackets like this on it, and you had the "correct" factory brackets, which would you choose?

Take the "Dad made them" factor out of the equation even. You made them, or maybe even a stranger made them. Doesn't matter. The work is decent, and they're part of the history of the tractor.
 
Personally, I would go with the factory brackets, especially if it were going to a show or parade.

The home built brackets will have no appeal to anyone who did not know the story behind it, and will come off
as a distraction from originality.
 
I have never worried about original correct parts, if I could make an improvement I would. I got a real nice
forklift seat at work once because it wouldn't pass current safety requirements, I put it on our JD M. I
got a comment once at a show, that's not the correct seat
 
Id leave them. As you say its part of the tractors history.



Just a few years ago at a tractor show, I had a man a few years older than me that I didnt know walk up and say, Thats Uncle Mikes tractor. Since I had bought it at Mikes auction, 15 years prior, I
said, Yes it is. How did you know? Turns out that it was the little things that Mike had added to the tractor that gave it away. And the fact that he had spent so much time as a teenager helping
Uncle Mike on that tractor.
 
Personally, I like seeing well made farm shop adaptations. Shows the creativity of the owner, and I leave them in place so long as they don't cause a safety or operational concern. Reminds me of how John Kinzenbaw found the original Farmall H he learned to drive on. The story goes his dad had put a hinged block on the clutch do he could run it. Many years later all he had left of the tractor was the block, and when he finally found it again he was able to buy it, after restoring put the block back on it. I believe those memories are worth more than the tractors we collect.
 
I agree, for selling factory brackets would be better. When I see one shortcut, I assume there are many other shortcuts too. Only leave as-is if you keep it.

On a fifty year old machine, the factory brackets would help it sell faster, but they would have to be very cheap to get your money back from swapping them.
 
Keep the dad made brackets. If he was like me, they would be made as good or stronger than original. Stan
 
Depends on what I was going to do with it,
after freshening. If going to use this
tractor (going back into farm use), I
wouldn't care which set of brackets was on
the tractor. Probably just leave on the set
that is on it now (so I didn't have to
change them). Assuming one set hasn't been
removed.

If heading down the collector piece restore
avenue, or parade and tractor show
direction, I'd probably put the factory
ones on. Simply just because I already have
them, and to silence the whistle blowing
correct police.

I redone an F-20 one time. It had a home
made foot brake and righthand hand brake
added on. And poorly done, at that. And all
the bracketry is clearly home made. Some
of it welded on. I thought about removing
all of that. Grinding welds back smooth.
Make it un-noticeable it was ever on there.
But I chose not to. I decided I rather have
a foot brake, and additional hand brake
rather than not, as it was originally.
For what it's worth, after changing wheels
out among several other things, the same
tractor was un-recognizeable in appearance,
from before. And I have had to (more than
once) point out the homemade brake system,
to prove to previous owners that it is the
same tractor. It's kind of a funny thing,
that they can't remember the serial number
or anything else about it, but they can
remember the homemade brake system once
pointed out. A guy that owned it for 30
years, told me nope, this wasn't his
tractor. And a tear came to his eye when he
saw the add on brake controls. I don't
think he would of ever been convinced it
was his at one time, had it not been for
that.
 
Pa built the loader for the Super 55, all the running gear
for trailers and wagons, all the cow stanchions, the hay
conveyor including the corner, two rock rakes, post hole
digger, mailbox stand. Those big companies started
with someone in their shop. Ive built several items and
wouldnt mind home built. In fact when I see modified and
home built at the shows I appreciate the talent or just the
effort.
 
Steve, I'll have to disagree with you on that one. I'm with Doug-Iowa on this one: Well made, barnyard engineered additions peak my curiosity, and my respect for the craftsman who built them. Sometimes they are so well done you really can't tell from factory originals, unless you have that info in your brain somewhere. steve
 

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