Massey Discussion Forums > Massey Talk > M-H Tanks/Racine
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Here are two further illustrations of on going military work in the Australian MH Sunshine factory.

One shows a line of turret lathes and the second ladies at work heattreating six pounders.  The enemy must have lived in dread of these women!

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Tonight the two final artistic shots from the Australian MH Sunshine brochure depicting their wartime military manufacturing activities.

One is a shot in the fields of wartime UK with an Australian made anti aircraft gun in the harvest field.  The tractor fleet pulling the binders look like 201s?  Can anyone be certain?  There were definitely 201s sent over here during the war  And note the women working the tractors, the binders and manual labouring in the fields.  These would be members of the Womens Land Army that was formed during the war in the UK to replace the farm workers who had joined the miltary service.  You can see that the binders were Australian made.  Thousands of these MH "Sunshine" binders came to the war and probaly more of these survive in the UK than those from Canada.  I have one in very good order.

There was a 201 just south of here which I chased some 30 years ago but sadly it had disappeared.  Locally it was a much respected and admired tractor and used to spend its winters belt driving threshing sets (thresher plus stationary baler).  Many locals remembered it but sadly none knew what had happened to it.  The roadside shed where it used to be garaged is still standing.

In the other you can feel the heat in those blast furnaces!

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Here are a final four images from the brochure on MH's Australian wartime production for the military.  They show some of the range of the products that they produced - parts to munitions.

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Here's an old envelope from the Racine tank factory.  Adolf Hitler's address still to be typed on it!!!!!

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

I think that this will be my last post on this thread recording what Massey-Harris produced in the way of a wide range of military machines, armaments, military parts and spares and munitions for the World War II effort in Canada, Australia and the USA.  Hope you have all enjoyed it and maybe some of you in the Ontario, Sunshine or Racine areas will get out and ferret around for more information and history on the subject.  I am sure that there is still a lot more to be had from old timers and archive materials in museums and libraries.

To finish here are shots of a collection of labels for packing products from the Racine factory which I had off a Racine area e bayer maybe 2-3 years ago.

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

I think this is an appropriate brochure to wrap up this war time thread. 

This Massey-Harris post war guide was aimed at giving post war farmers guidance on physical and financial budgeting for their crops and livestock.   farmers were moving into a new age where this was more important to their businessthan in earlier years.  It does show how MH were very paternalistic to their customers.

A Bible for Gary maybe? 

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

4th June 2012 was a special celebration day here in UK for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, it was our Show Weekend, so The Carrington Rally Committee decided to celebrate the Queen's reign in true British style, so here is a photograph of a Royal Canadian Air Foce tractor parked with a British David Brown RAF Tugmaster tractor next to a replica Hurricane Fighter plane famous in World War 2.
As usual we encountered a very wet day on the first day of the show.

I am sure several of you will recognise the Massey Harris 82 tractor with several of you seeing it before.

Malcolm.
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

I have been wondering which thread to post this discussion in for some time, now seeing this tank thread moving into the more general war time theme I think this is the right place.

During 2012 Chris Astell from Vintage Brass Plates here in England sent me a copy of the artwork he had prepared for a customer who was restoring an original import  M-H 102 tractor which required a replacement plate.

Very interesting text for this thread

 "War Time rubber shortage has necessitated the fitting of steel wheels"

Has anyone seen this plate on a tractor in North America or any other parts of the world?

Malcolm.

I
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Malcolm

That was a nice wartime sight as people walked into the Carrington Rally last year as depicted on your previous thread. Pity about the weather on the first day. Are you trying harder for better weather this year!!!!!!!!!!!!


On the plate on steel wheels is that the only one that you have seen in this country or did all steel wheel M-H's have them fitted?


Alan

RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Malcolm:

I have never come across this tag before or even heard of one like it.

It is pretty funny how they think they have to try to explain to farmers how to drive tractors with steel wheels after they have been driving them for years.

Where was this tag located on the tractor? Somewhere near the dash so you could see it?

Joe