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.