LQ #57 will be running a little late in that there were two three-day work weeks because of Christmas and New Year’s. I am writing this on January 11 and the magazines will be at the mail house today. All copies that are mailed out of the US are sent from our international mail house in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As you might guess, that takes a little longer.

M-H 200 Series Feature (photos #1-#6)
The January edition is a special issue covering the Massey-Harris 200 Series tractors. It is sixteen pages of in-depth information, photos, advertising, company brochures and a wealth of unpublished data and serial numbers. We have also rounded up many of the serial #1 tractors and a very rare Model 201 Distillate prototype. Also included are charts and graphs that list production years, numbers produced and available options.

These were beautiful tractors whose styling and design was years ahead of any other company. The use of Chrysler six-cylinder engines was also another first that made these low-production models highly collectable. Also, because of their low production numbers, they still maintain excellent monetary value.

I would like to thank Ervin Chew, Keith Oltrogge, Bill Parish, Antique Power editor Rick Mannen and especially Daren Meyers for the valuable help in putting this special feature together.

Working Tractors (photo #7-#10)
I had several contributors that I couldn’t fit into the last issue (LQ #56) Working Tractors feature. I promised that we wouldn’t leave anyone out, so the January issue include Working Tractors Part II. If you like seeing old Massey and Ferguson tractors hard at work, you don’t want to miss this.

Canadian Farmerettes from World War II (photos #11-#14)
Canadian contributor, Bonnie Sitter, has put together an excellent historical piece about women who joined the Farmerette Program to keep up food production after the men–and especially the farm boys–were drafted to fight in World War II. Bonnie has been on a mission to persuade the Canadian Government to issue a special postage stamp to honor the women from all over Canada who were a part of this important program. She has made presentations to many civic groups and lobbied members of parliament to make this happen. So far, it is still on hold. Of all the women featured in the excellent photos, one woman–Barbara Wilson Murray is still with us. She turned one-hundred last year.

Rare Tractors (photo #15-#19)
I had asked that any readers who had what might be considered a “Rare Tractor” to send me photos, a brief history and a photo of the serial # tag. I received some interesting submissions ranging from maybe rare to probably one-of -a-kind. I plan to continue this into the next issue, so if you didn’t get a chance to submit your tractor, you still have time!

The First Detroit Built Ferguson T0-20. (photos #20-#24)
Robert Sybrandy and David Lory put together an excellent article and photo essay documenting the beginning production of Harry Ferguson’s goal to produce his new Ferguson tractor in the United States. These formerly unpublished photos are an amazing record to the very first Ferguson tractor to roll off the production line. Starting with the rear axle and differential, manufactured by Borg Warner to the finished tractor, we see Harry Ferguson and Herman Klemm inspecting the first tractor as it rolls down the line. The serial #1 tractor is still intact and is in the possession of the Massey-Harris Twin Power Club in Ontario. The photos were furnished by the Klemm family archives.

Massey Ferguson 410 Combine (photos #25-#28)
Every little kid wants something special that most other kids don’t have. At five years of age, I had a pony. Until we got a place ready for it at my great-grandmother’s farm, we kept in my backyard in the small town of Groveport, Ohio. All the kids in the neighborhood would come over hoping for a Pony ride. I charged the neighbor girls 5 cents to brush him. Now, meet Forrest Lones, who has one of the largest and most unusual playgrounds I have ever seen. And yes, this very large playground is the envy of all his friends. The Lones family: up top is Forrest Lones, Jacob Lones, Forrest’s dad, grandpa Todd Lones, great-grandpa Fred Lones.

EXTENDED LETTERS

Massey Ferguson 1100 Nebraska Test
Former Massey Ferguson engineer, Jim Clark, shares some fascinating stories of how he worked with the tractor lab and the University of Nebraska to conduct Test #1049. It was the first V-8 Diesel tractor that had been tested and the whole story is very interesting. Included is the actual test result sheet from the Tractor Lab.

How Big is Too Big?
This originated from a phone call from subscriber Mike Herr from Ennismore, Ontario. His dad worked in a Massey-Harris dealership in the 1930’s and a customer came in to shop for a new combine. When he saw the new Massey Model 26 combine he remarked that it was the biggest combine that a farmer would ever need. Read Mike’s letter and see how the story played out!

Letters from Readers
As usual, there are eight pages of interesting letters and photos from Legacy readers.

Credit Card Orders
Sadly, because of rapidly increasing bank fees, we have had to start charging a $2.00 convenience fee for credit card orders. We can no long absorb these bank cost and stay in business. If subscribers in the United States pay by check, there is no additional fee.

OUTTAKES LQ #57

OUTTAKES LQ #56

LQ #56 was mailed the first week of October. This issue featured a cover photo of a Massey Ferguson 1150 taken by John Gulick. It is a departure from the type of cover photo that we have used in the past but it has generated rave reviews from readers. Thanks to John for having a good artistic eye and the skills to capture the final image.

The center piece of this issue was the special feature on Working Tractors. Forty collectors submitted photos and information about their favorite Massey and/or Ferguson tractors. Some of the photos were spectacular. In fact, we ran out of space and so will continue those that were not included in the January issue. (photos 1,2,3,4)

The second feature was an exclusive article on the role of the Massey-Harris Company in the post-World War II Marshall Plan. Written by Chase Fleece, a graduate student from Bowling Green State University, the article included never before published photos of Massey-Harris tractors shipped from Racine, Wisconsin to Paris, France. Agriculture production by French farmers was low because most were suffering from malnutrition. Most of the horses and oxen had been killed during the war and tractors were mostly nonexistent. (photos 5,6,7)

Other articles included the rebuilding of a Massey Ferguson Model 50 and Iowa native Nathan Kroeger who restored his grandfather’s M-H 44-6 and won first prize at the Iowa State Fair. (photo 8)

Don’t forget to order your 2024 Legacy Quarterly Calendar. They are $12 in the US, $15 to Canada and $20 to all EU countries. All payments in USD.

Remember, if you didn’t get around to sending us photos of your working tractor, you can still get into the January issue.

Finally, in the January issue, LQ #57, we are going to feature rare tractors. If you think that maybe you have something with a very low serial number or unusual model or configuration, let us know. See the ad on this homepage. (photo 9)

OUTTAKES LQ #55

The July issue of Legacy Quarterly was delivered almost a week behind schedule due to labor issues at the printer and Fourth of July Holiday.

I have already gotten a lot of positive feedback from the two feature articles. The “Life and Times of Harry Bowen” was very well received. Harry furnished us with many excellent old family photos. The article first started out as a piece about the Massey-Harris Pulverator Plow. Harry had sent me a packet of test results from the North Dakota Ag College. They had done extensive testing on the plow in 1930. The packet contain a large collection of old photos illustrating some of the tests that were conducted.

I thought that readers who did know Harry and his family would enjoy reading about the family’s background in farming and as a Massey-Harris Dealer. It was a very interesting documentation of history and pleasant day gone by.

The other feature chronicled the rare Massey-Harris-Ferguson Models 303 and 404 Work Bull Industrial tractors. Montgomery, Minnesota resident Glenn Wondra shares his serial #1, M-H-F Model 404 Diesel Work Bull, which still works hard to earn its keep. Even more rare, is the M-H-F 303 Diesel tractors. We only knew of two that exist and since then I have heard for another reader who also has one. Hopefully, we will find even more!

We will be making some major changes and upgrades to the website in the very near future. Check back in August and try out some of the new features!

Thanks, Gary Heffner, editor.

OUTTAKES LQ #54

The April issues of Legacy Quarterly was delivered to most subscribers by the second and third week of April. This was our 4th Special Combine Issue and concluded our five-part history of the Massey Company with the final chapter devoted to the history of Massey Combines. To try and make this very complicated piece of history easier to follow, we included a six-page timeline written by Ontario resident Ray Bianchi. The entire feature, including the timeline was twenty-three page long. It includes a lot of information and many formerly unpublished photos and information from the Massey Ferguson engineering department.

As you can see by looking at the table of contents, other articles in this issue included Harvesting Blueberries in Nova Scotia with a Massey Ferguson Model 253, David Lory’s MHF Work Bull tractor with a Stilt Kit, Indiana resident Layne Harishefger’s beautifully restored MF 1150 and interesting “Extended Letters” from Ontario resident, Wayne Shaw, Wisconsin resident, Ed Hass and Alabama native, Ray Humphries.

Also of note, in the October issue, we will run our special feature called Working Tractors. It is a chance for subscribers to get out their favorite tractor and send us some photos of it hard at work. Tillage, hay making, mowing, grading, or just driving it around the farm; we want to include you and your family in the October issue of Legacy Magazine. Email your photos or send us prints by mail, either way make sure that your favorite tractor is not left out. If you have questions about how to send digital photos by email or text, give me a call.

Because DVD’s are pretty much an obsolete format, we are going to start posting some of our many videos that we have compiled over the years on the website, legacyquarterly.com Some of these, we produced and others are copies of old factory films that we have collected and sold over the years. They range from old films of Wallis tractors being built to factory films of the Massey Ferguson 2000 Series tractors. Check the website from time to time to see what is new.

If you missed any of the five-part, History of the Massey Company, back issues can be ordered so you don’t miss any of the segments.