Re: farmall not putting sn# tags on during ww2

Posted by Hugh MacKay on October 14, 2003 at 14:19:42 from (64.228.13.107):

In Reply to: farmall not putting sn# tags on during ww2 posted by jason r on October 13, 2003 at 17:04:08:

TO ALL: Don't be too quick to put this man down. The key to this story may lie at the Canada-US border. Remember Canada was in this war from day one in 1939. Massey Harris and Cockshutt in Canada had to immediately turn their plants to building war machinery. I was only born in 1942 so don't know the full story. However I can tell you this. I have heard stories of dealers here in Canada sending trucks to the US to pick up IH and JD tractors. In many parts of Canada you go to a farm auction and all the pre war equipment on that farm will be Massey or Cockshutt. Post war equipment will be IH, JD, Case, AC, etc. Those companies made big inroads here during the war. My home farm was a clear example of this. Every pre war implement was Massey or Cockshutt. Starting in 1942 my dad bought a new W4, No.8 Little Genius plow and a McCormick side delivery rake on rubber. This was a tractor rake with a steel tractor hitch. The W4 had to come on steel, rubber was not available until after the war. My dad did not get his wheels and rubber tires until 1946.

As a boy I remember stories of those truck loads of tractors having to cross border at specific places. There definately was a black market of US built tractors into Canada. How extensive and who was involved I can't tell you, as I don't know. In the past two decades the Canadian dollar being in the 60-70 cent range US, many of those tractors have gone back to the US. Just yesterday about 35 miles from the US border I had a Texas 1 ton dually and lowboy pass me on the 4 lane, with two of these tractors on board. I was doing 70 mph and at the rate he went by me he is probably near home by now.

Cockshutt had always sold Oliver tractors painted Cockshutt colors here in Canada. Their new Cockshutt 30 complete with Independant PTO had to be put on hold until after the war. The first one was produced in 1946.

Over the years I have asked a lot of questions on this very subject. 40 years ago there were a lot of tight liped people on the subject. I suspect there are a few people still around who know the full story. We do know most of the players are gone. I would love to hear the rest of the story, may be a good one for Paul Harvey.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: farmall not putting sn# tags on during ww2 George Willer 14:50:56 10/14/03 (1)
  • Re: Re: Re: farmall not putting sn# tags on during Hugh MacKay 17:08:30 10/14/03 (0)

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