Marshall Tractor

By Staff
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Courtesy of Bruce Bundy, 5850 West Warren Ave., Denver, Colorado 80227.
Courtesy of Bruce Bundy, 5850 West Warren Ave., Denver, Colorado 80227.
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Courtesy of Karen Christoffersen, Manitoba Agricultural Museum,
Box 10, Austin, Man., Can. Mr. Clarence Denser of Austin, Manitoba
spent much time working on this engine, and he is to be credited
with its restoration.

The tractory pictured is a 32 – 70 H.P. Marshall, engine number
64832. According to a letter from the Marshall-Fowler Limited in
Gainsboro, England, it was built in 1914 and shipped to Canada on
January 26th of that year, and was bought by Benjamin Baine of
Grosse Isle, Manitoba. Unfortunately, the engine register had been
lost, so we were unable to get all the details in respect to that
engine.

We do know that the Marshall is a four-cylinder engine, and has
two forward and one reverse gear. An unusual feature of this engine
is that the operator cannot change gears from inside the cab, but
must stand on the ground and change the gears manually, sliding
them into place. You can see this in the picture. The levers used
to change gears are directly above the cogged wheels.

From a ‘Canadian Thresherman & Farmer’ dated 1914,
we find that the Marshall, Sons & Co. [Canada] Ltd., had its
main office at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and in 1914 planned the
addition of its factory for the manufacture of this
‘Dreadnaught of the Prairies’ in Canada. There were branch
offices at Winnipeg, Manitoba and Regina, Saskatchewan at an
earlier date, and these tractors were also distributed by
Sawyer-Massey Co. Ltd. The tractor we have, however, was actually
shipped from Gainsboro, England.

The museum staff has repainted this engine, and it is in good
running order. The plow that was bought with the engine, an 8
furrow Avery individual beam power lift plow, has also been donated
to the museum and will be operated with the Marshall at this
year’s Manitoba Threshermens’ Reunion and Stampede to be
held July 23th to July 26th, 1974. Come and see the Marshall in
operation along with well over one hundred other gas and steam
tractors.

First of all I want to tell you how very much I enjoy Gas Engine
Magazine and I sure wish it came monthly!

Just recently I had an interesting experience locating an old
engine I thought you might be interested in sharing with your
readers. I noticed an antique store in the small town of Sedalia,
about 30 miles South of Denver and stopped in to inquire about old
engines. The people running the store said there was ‘some kind
of old machinery down in the cellar’ and that I could go down
and look ‘if I wanted.’ There were no lights except for a
dim flashlight, but I could see that it was a large engine
apparently in top condition. I went back a few weeks later and
found the store closed and vacant. After many phone calls I finally
located the owners of the building and they let me go down and look
it over and take pictures. They told me the engine was installed
new when the building was built in 1898. It is still hooked up to a
line shaft on the ceiling and a water pump on the far end. It
looked like it had been a machine shop. The name on the side of the
water hopper reads ‘Warner.’ The plate above the cylinder
head reads; ‘Engine #2424 H.P. 6, Developed on test 6 9/10 HP,
Keep well oiled. Speed 470 RPM. Igniter should trip when punch
marks on flywheel are even with top of side bar. Union Foundry
& Machine Company Ottawa, Kansas.’

The engine turns over and I imagine could be started without too
much trouble, as it appears to be in absolute top condition.

The owners of the building said the engine is not for sale.

I used to have quite a few engines, some very old, but sold my
entire collection when we moved about three years ago. I am trying
to get started again, but with smaller engines this time.

Caterpillar 30 tractor, serial number PS-7041.
Floyd Perleberg is nearest the camera and the Rev. Arthur J.
Johnson, cat skinner, is seated beside him. Courtesy of Floyd
Perleberg, Route 3, Box 154, Willmar, Minnesota 56201

My display at Western Idano State Fair. Maytag, 1929 B. and S.,
Sears garden tractor, 2 HP Witte and 1916 F.M. Courtesy of Merl
Barnes, 7013 Northview, Boise, Idaho 83704.

Treasures – from 1. to r. 1914, 2-1/2 HP Mogul, Fairbanks &
Morse Eclipse 1912 or older, Fairbanks Morse Model Z headless,
Fairbanks Morse Model Z disc wheel, International 1-1/2 HP, 1919, 2
cylinder Novo, AND his pride and joy, a 1905 International Famous
pump jack 2 HP. In the rear is a John Deere Model A, 1941. Courtesy
of Kenneth M. Fisher, Pleasant Plain, Ohio 45162.

My Dad, Robert L. Fisher is an avid reader of Gas Engine
Magazine and loves to collect and restore old engines and tractors.
I read his copies of Gas Engine and have wanted for a long time to
see Dad’s engines in, along with other articles. Picture is of
the pump-jack. Courtesy of Kenneth M. Fisher, Pleasant Plain, Ohio
45162.

A picture from the March 23rd Idaho Statesman newspaper [we
thank the eidtor for his permission – Jerry Gillilind]. This is a
1/20 scale model of a 1911, 30-60 Oil Pull and a 8 bottom
independent beam plow. Each plow in the model lifts with a lever.
The tractor is powered with a slot car motor. It has real gears and
differential and the flywheel and pulley run. I make my own gears.
Courtesy of Merl Barnes, 7013 Northview, Boise, Idaho 83704.

  • Published on Sep 1, 1975
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