Redneck Ranch.,P.O. Box 118, Clarcona, Florida 32710-0118
Every second Friday of each month I attend the Ocala, Florida
Farm Machinery Auction. There are bargains (and not so bargains) to
be found there. And some real rare stuff. Couple of months ago
there was a Case VAC tractor with a Wisconsin V4 engine in it, and
an ancient Cletrac with a Ford V8 flat head replacement engine. I
bought the long (pictured) riding mower (a Sears, I think) without
mower deck or engine. The tractor had been cut in two and
lengthened to an eight foot wheel base. A rack had been built from
steering wheel to front axle to haul potted plants in a plant
nursery. The darned thing has three speed high and low range
transmission. I fixed it up for fun trips in sandy fields. Perfect
toy for a 74-year-old ‘kid.’
Eastern Diamondback ‘Buzztail’. This ‘kid’ was
sunning itself along an abandoned railroad track last December. It
has a really small rattle you can hardly see at the left end of the
board. He (or she) measured just over 5 feet, minus head. (This
isn’t a tractor).
Sears/Roper. As I intend to paint it John Deere green/wheels
yellow, I’ll paint on name ‘Juan Ciervo Long’ (Long
John Deere).
The riding mower, a Simplicity, I purchased there a year ago
with no engine. Two months ago an 8 HP Briggs & Stratton sat in
the ‘junk row’ at Ocala. Some guy bid $25.00, I got it for
$30.00. I took it home, put gas in the tank and it started right
off! I mounted in on the Simplicity and it makes a great mower.
At the auction there’s good new, slightly used, abused and
partial farm tractors and allied machinery. Once there were two
partial F-12 Farmalls with steel rear wheels, near perfect spade
lugs.
At one auction I bought two machines on tanks. As I opened the
bid at $15.00 a ‘know it all’ told me, ‘Them ain’t
compressors.’
I told him, ‘I know ‘them ain’t compressors.’
‘
The auctioneer didn’t get another bid, so I got both vacuum
pumps with rusted out tanks for $15.00. They were two cylinder
‘surge’ pumps for milking machines. I loosened them up and
advertised them in the Florida Market Bulletin. I priced one at
$40.00 and got it so quick, that I put a $60.00 price on the other.
Now that was some kind of profit!
Of course, new coats of blue paint helped the sale somewhat.
