The Pioneer Engineers Club dedicated its 2024 event to Garr-Scott steam engines and Massey-Harris tractors and equipment. Lovers of other colors brought their favorites too, but the Garr-Scott enthusiasts and Massey-Harris collectors made their presence known during the four-day event in August in Rush County.

Smoke bellowed out of a Garr-Scott steam engine powering the belt to drive a Garr-Scott all-wood threshing machine. A seasoned crew pitched bundles into the machine, just like farmers did 80 years ago. After a false start, where one belt on the thresher was on backwards, feeding straw up the wrong direction, things flowed smoothly.

Straw and chaff were discharged through a pipe to a pile out back, while grain fed off into a spout, feeding into a small elevator, which itself fed into an old-fashioned wooden wagon. Only the electric motor on the small elevator indicated that it might be from a date later than the 1940s.

Garr-Scott, founded in 1849, made steam engines and threshing machines in Richmond, Ind., until 1911. Today, even original literature that promoted these products to farmers is considered collectible.

Tractor treasures

Among dozens of Massey-Harris tractors exhibited at the event, these three caught our eye. Here is a closer look:

All dressed up. John Deere hired a big-name designer to add style to the appearance of its tractors, but none of the Johnny-Poppers had anything over on this Massey-Harris Twin-Power 101 Super when it came to style and appearance. Dave Wright of Manilla exhibited this tractor.

According to tractordata.com, it was originally released as simply the 101, but “Super” was added when the 101 Junior appeared in 1939. The 101 Super was made from 1938 to 1942, and only 8,647 were built.

Here are some facts about the Massey-Harris 101 that could serve you well in a round of tractor trivia. It was one of the first production tractors featuring electric starting. The 101 Super came with a Chrysler, six-cylinder engine. The 101 Senior that followed used a Continental engine. Sometimes called a 40-horsepower tractor, early models claimed 24 on the drawbar and 36 on PTO, although it tested out at over 34 on the drawbar and almost 47 on the belt.

Apples, anyone? This Massey-Harris Pacemaker, Twin-Power Orchard model was stylish, too, for 1938. This one is owned by John Bush of Shelbyville. It was restored with all the tinwork and tweaks for working around trees in an orchard.

The Massey Pacemaker appeared in 1936, replacing the Wallis 12-20 in the Massey lineup, according to tractordata.com. Standard tread, wide front-end tractors were branded as Pacemakers, and narrow-front, row crop tractors were labeled as Challenger models.

These were four-cylinder tractors. Historians say the Twin-Power design gave these tractors an extra dose of belt power. The company only claimed 16 drawbar and 27 belt horsepower, but in testing, it ran 30.58 on the drawbar and over 42 on the belt.

Working clothes. Dan and Jo Fledderman of Greensburg, Ind., are content displaying this Massey-Harris Mustang in its working clothes, equipped with an early loader with a trip bucket. Massey-Harris couldn’t decide whether to stay with names or switch to numbers so, for a while, it did both. Experts say the Mustang m, which replaced the MH 22, was actually a 23 model. Either way, Mustangs were made from 1952 to 1956.

Tractordata.com indicates that while sheet metal styling was new, it was essentially the same tractor mechanically as the Massey-Harris 22. It was powered by a four-cylinder, Continental engine and claimed 27 horsepower, marketing as a two-plow tractor.

Training the next generation of tractor lovers

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I helped officiate a county tractor-driving contest for the first time this summer. Thanks to the Jennings County Extension for the invitation. On a warm evening in June, I scored as young men and women drove and backed either a two-wheel trailer — for eighth grade and younger 4-H members — or a hay wagon — for ninth grade and older — through an obstacle course.

Dave and Jenny Voris hosted the contest on their farm south of North Vernon. They have both a tractor course and a course for lawn and garden tractors and zero-turn mowers in their large barn lot. That’s because they also are volunteer leaders for the tractor-driving program in the county.

Hats off to these kids, who thread their way through tight quarters with only a couple of inches of clearance on each side in spots. But, hey, if they make a mistake here, no one gets hurt. They either knock a golf ball off a stake or just brush the stake. They lose points for each miscue. The low score wins in this contest.

Winners compete in area contests around the state in junior and senior divisions in each tractor type. Then, Tony Carroll, with the 4-H Extension, takes over the Indiana Farmers Coliseum for one day during the Indiana State Fair, hosting the state finals. Participants drive the courses on the Coliseum dirt.

Sound like fun? Maybe your kids or grandkids might want to participate next year.