He Still Has Fixes For Old Equipment

He Still Has Fixes For Old Equipment SPECIALTY/SERVICES Norm Macknair is the go-to-guy for old horse-drawn equipment With 40 plus years of experience there isn’t much the second-generation equipment repair specialist hasn’t bought fixed and sold “I’ve sent equipment or parts to 8 countries on 4 continents and to all 50 states ” says Macknair who learned the business from his dad It is a changing business he notes He finds he is doing more custom repair for people and selling fewer parts First featured in FARM SHOW’s Vol 34 No 6 for horse-drawn and antique tractor-drawn plow parts demand for those parts has fallen significantly He credits lower cost new steel bottoms versus older style cast iron on horse-drawn plows He also feels the antique tractor market is changing Attendees he sees at shows of old equipment are in their 70’s 80’s and older As demand shifts his 14-acre parts yard is getting less use “I used to go into the yard once or twice a day for parts; now it’s once or twice a week ” says Macknair “I don’t see as much interest for old tractor-drawn parts or tractors either I’ve been taking axles transmissions and drives to the scrap yard ” Macknair notes that as the industry changes he is more selective in what he buys While horse-drawn enthusiasts still like old hay rakes and hay loaders old manure spreaders are popular with a broader community “Most small farmers including Amish work off the farm ” says Macknair “However if they still have a few horses and milk cows they need a spreader I’m working on my fourth or fifth rebuild of some ” The corn binder has retained its value and is a good seller He sells some as is and has done full restores “I had a guy from Texas buy some last year and I have binders going to Maryland and Ohio They are still in demand ” Even more popular than horse-drawn are pto-driven binders “I get calls from all over the country for them ” he says “In the South they use them to cut sorghum while others use them to cut stalks to sell in shocks for decorations at the big box stores ” One thing that drives up the price at least in Macknair’s region of Pennsylvania is that many pto-driven binders have been converted for motor drives All too often it is a one-way conversion “People cut the frames and alter them in ways that can’t be put back to the original ” he says Between his dad’s experiences and his own Macknair has learned a lot about working with old equipment He shares his knowledge freely on the Facebook group Horse Drawn Farm Equipment He started the group to share current projects In a recent post he walked members through problem areas with John Deere horse-drawn plows He identified 4 major and common issues with photos of them One of the most common questions Macknair gets is how to loosen a rusted-up gearbox or other drive He has a simple solution but one people seldom follow “The answer has 3 steps ” says Macknair “Heat it up and then tap don’t pound Then blow it out with an air gun to get rid of the small particles that fall loose That last step is what people don’t do ” If you’re looking for a part or an old piece of equipment Macknair suggests an email letter or a call if time is a concern While he maintains a website he encourages people to visit the Facebook site instead He admits the website is out of date but it gives an indication of the equipment he deals in Contact: FARM SHOW Followup B W Macknair & Son 3055 U S Hwy 522 N Lewistown Penn 17044 ph 717 543-5136; norman@macknair com; www facebook com/groups/horsedrawnfarmequipment; www macknair com

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