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MCA Website Picture Up-Date.

Well it is good to see we have a change of photographs on the home page, but of particular interest to me is the 12-20 Orchard tractor sat in the weeds at the side of the track currently at the top of each page, it looks a very nice original example, is it one on our lists or has another one surfaced??? Curious and hope we get to hear more about it and it's location.

Malcolm.

RE:MCA Website Picture Up-Date.

Malcolm:

Glad to see you noticed the picture!! How could you not, as this is a very cool looking picture.

Ok for it's origins, You know how Jo likes to collect wine bottles from every place we travel arround the world, If there is a Winery in the area we have to stop and get a bottle that has their local name and town on it. Many times when we go to Massey events she makes me find a liquor store that has a bottle from the town where the show was or the closest town near by.

Once in a blue moon we actually travel to places that are unrelated to any Massey events such as auctions, shows or private collections which like I say is very few and far between. This particular day we were to travel several hundred miles and visit 4 winerys on the way and If you have ever been to a winery you know they fill you up with samples trying to get you to buy that perfect blend they all make.

After the second winery we were traveling to the next and I really had to take a leak but we were on a main highway and was no place to stop and everytime I found a place that looked like it woulld work for me she sped on and laughed and said "How does it feel" now you know what I go through everytime we are on the way to a show'.

Finally, once she gave in and found a back road we pulled off on the gravel and into a field driveway and much to my surprise this tractor was sitting at the edge of the field. I think I wet my pants as I don't remember taking my leak. I got the camera and snapped this picture then went up close to get a picture of the serial number and it read 200,001

I said, "we have to find the owner of this field at once and see if this tractor is for sale". So we went to the next farm house and knocked on the door and the old fella came to the door and said "what in God's name would you want that piece of junk for!!" Besides, I sold it to the local scrap man a year ago and he hasn't picked it up yet. I told him I wanted to buy it from the scrap man If possible to let him know. I said we had two more winerys to go to and would stop back later in the day to see if he got a hold of him.

Well, we proceeded to the next winerys then stopped back at the farmers place later in the day to see what he found out. He said he got a hold of the scrap man and he said he was meaning to get over there one of these days and get it. The farmer said within an hour he heard a noise and looked out to see what it was and the junk man was picking this precious jewel up with a large grapple on a big truck and before he could say a word the scrap man dumped it upside down into his truck and drove off.


Now at this point I bet you are no longer sitting in your seat if you are reading this!!!!!!!!!!!


Malcolm, I should become a story writer as I bet I really got your attention with this one but I can't lie to you any more as you will probably have a heart attack if I keep it up.

The truth is this is a picture of my Orchard Wallis SN 200,072 sitting in the shape I found it in California but the picture has been enhanced and touched up to make it fit the screen size.

I was at an auction today and saw Tom and he put me up to getting you stirred up about this as he noticed your post on his phone way before I was even home to see it.

I did manage to get a really nice looking 20-30 to ride home on my trailer with me from the auction though, I will post pictures under the Wallis thread in time.

Hope I did not ruin your day as it is just about midnight here and you are probebly just hearing the roosters about now,
Joe

RE:MCA Website Picture Up-Date.

Joe,

I'm very impressed with your literary ability!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously - what about you give consideration to writing some sort of "Massey" history book.  I can't do it all on my own!!!  It's time we had a serious Massey book  out of North America.  The only serious one I am aware of so far has been Purc McMaster's recollections which was "ghost" written by Barb and George Smyth as I understand it.

Here's an offer - I'll do the editing for you.

And an idea for a subject - a survey of major MH/Ferguson/MF collections in N America
And another - the MH/MF factories of N America - I'm sure KO could help with info and photos for this?

John

RE:MCA Website Picture Up-Date.

Hello Joe,

I must congratulate you on your writing efforts, you had me paying "full attention" for a few seconds until the story got too good to be true, (I am sure Jo must of had a little to do with this wind up as well as Tom) You know what the old saying is here "every dog has his day, sometimes has to wait a while" so be on gaurd!!! Anyway didn't quite get get to lifting off my chair but very close to it. Even thought the farm track was just like one I took you on across our land, would be nice to think a 12-20 Orchard was just sitting in the weeds just like the remains of an old M-H grain binder we found last year when John was visiting and we were out hunting
When do we expect to see "Wallis Bedtime Stories" in the bookshops????

Your photoshop skills are doing well too Joe, you are multi talented and a multi tasker now both in the office, kitchen and workshop, what shall we see you up to next??

Anyway back to the 12-20 Orchard, it flipped through my mind was it the ex Yuma one has that had full fender skirts on and a very nice original example like yours, have you heard a progress report on it from it's new home in Michigan?

Malcolm.





RE:MCA Website Picture Up-Date.

Malcolm:

I hope I did not irritate you too bad on that story and you will still talk to me after that, I figured you would catch on quick that it was too good to be true with a serial # like that. Sometime things do happen like this though, when you are not looking for them thats when you find them.

The great adventure of this tractor thing is the hunt, but one can't get too frusterated when the hunt comes up empty handed, the best part is the suspence but it is also nice to see a happy ending like a rare tractor riding home on your trailer.

About a year ago I was on a lead of a Wallis Cub I found in a picture in a book from a short story a fella in Iowa wrote thirty years ago, I looked his name up on the internet and found a phone number and called him to see what happend to the Cub he had in the picture he said it sold on his dads auction just a couple years ago and he would get back to me if he could figure out where it went. An hour later he called me back and said it did not sell on the auction but was sold before the auction and went to a man in Texas. He did not know who it was but he said the serial number was # 1565, I laughed and said that it was sitting in my shed. He could not believe it!! He said he had never heard the tractor run but it was loose and in good shape when they had it. This is the tractor that Dick Carroll got from Donald Sell and restored it as you know it today. For a while I was excited to be on the hunt for another Cub but was let down when I found out it was one I already had.

I haven't heard anything on the Wallis 12-20 Orchard that went to Michigan but I am sure he still has it in his line up. I hope he did not paint it as it was very cool looking just the way it was.

Joe