«Previous    Next»
Toy Farmhand Front-End Loader
I've attended a lot of toy shows over the years and also have a large collection of toy tractors, but I had never seen a toy Farmhand front-end loader. So I built my own 1/16-scale model that's mounted on an Ertl Farmall H. The loader can be manually raised or lowered.
  Before building it I took measurements off a real Farmhand loader, which I found in the back 40 of my neighbor's place. Real Farmhand loaders are now quite rare. They were manufactured in the mid 1940's and came with a 10-ft. wide forked "bucket". It was built before balers had become popular and most farmers were still putting up hay by hand with pitchforks. The first guy in theit into a stack in the field. It eliminated a lot of work.
  The loader could be raised up to 30 ft. high so you could make a really big stack. One drawback was that the loader was mounted on a big, clumsy frame which made it difficult to mount or remove. As a result, once the loader was mounted, it was impractical to use the tractor for anything else. In later years most farmers mounted the loader on a Farmall H or Allis-Chalmers WC tractor and used that tractor just for loading and haying work.
  I often exhibit my toy Farmhand at shows. A lot of older men have stories to tell about their experiences with this loader. (Ken Java, 3186 Benson Rd., Frederic, Wis. 54837 ph 715 327-8445)


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2002 - Volume #26, Issue #2