Photos from early 1900s farm

Our local Historical Association posted a photo of farmers preparing to fill a silo in Bovina Center N.Y. I found a few more photos from that farm. They milked cows until 2000 and now have beef. The odd design of the steam traction engine got my attention and with the internet didnt take long to discover the manufacturer.

I have seen 2 of those Westinghouse steam tractors.
I remember that one of them had a rope drive from the engine to a pulley on the drive mechanism.
The engine used water flues instead of fire flues that ran horizontal if I remember correctly.
Richard in NW SC

(quoted from post at 14:12:16 03/21/21) Our local Historical Association posted a photo of farmers preparing to fill a silo in Bovina Center N.Y. I found a few more photos from that farm. They milked cows until 2000 and now have beef. The odd design of the steam traction engine got my attention and with the internet didnt take long to discover the manufacturer.

Click to expand...

Gregg, I'm sure you know that George Westinghouse, most famous for the invention of the air brake was born right here in our "neck of the woods", Central Bridge, NY. He was a genius and actually invented and patented a rotary steam engine; forerunner to the steam turbine. I think by the time he was actually into manufacturing, he had set himself up in PA. Those pictures are absolutely priceless!

That's a great photo! Thanks for posting...

Brian wished I had the internet when I was in school.
Westinghouse sure was a great American. Think of all the
trucks and trains still using his idea.

I,M pretty sure there is one at Brooks Oregon , Antique Powerland , or sure looks like one , pretty neat
Wayne

Richard, Westinghouse really had some great inventions unfortunately the company is a bankrupt spin off of Viacom.

We have photos like that of grandpa. I lived in the farmhouse for 10 years after he passed.

SMS, Great photos! My aunt gave me a couple of my grandparents. My grandpa moved up to the Hancock area from Staten Island before 1930. He bought the truck while still living in Staten Island. He was employed by the Gerry estate for a while before he started dairy farming.

I can relate to the grain binders.

As soon as my sister and I were big enough, our job was to ride the binder and trip the bundle carrier at the right time to make windrows of bundles.

On a farm back then, everyone worked as soon as they were big enough.

I sure can relate, Goose, but shocking the windrowed bundles really wasn't much fun...had to keep track of where one hid the water jug to keep it from the sun!

Our McD binder had the platform on the left of the rider...are these photos reversed perhaps?

For transport through gates, etc.:
1.drop pick reel to bottom of travel.
2.insert travel wheels rear, then tilt lever the binder so raising the front upward, insert travel wheel on the front side.
2a. crank bull (driver) wheel up, putting the binder load on the transport wheels
3. of course be sure bundle catcher was folded up, then raise the outboard deck wheel up and stow, dropping cutter down.
4. then lift the cutting apron up (fairly light as the major machine weight was on the two transport wheels),shove the tongue with metal tab under the cutting apron, engaging a slot under an apron crossbar. Let apron down locking it to latch on the tongue, all near the raised outboard apron wheel.

Then you were ready to go, not forgetting extra twine bales, grease guns (mostly big oil cans and they were in a holder on the binder rear side.) Any water jugs or folded gunny sack seat pads had to be remembered, too!

Groan, lol, Leo

My great-grandfather had a grocery in NYC. Came to the mountains for fresh air. Ended up buying the farm about a mile from the boarding house they stayed in.

Neat pictures! I missed out.... or should I say was out bid on a couple brochures for Westinghouse threshers last year. Couldn't believe how much they brought.

Mike