Pepperell, Massachusetts 01463
Once again we were gifted with a marvelous day for our Third
Annual Crank Up on Sunday, June 12,1977. Saturday was a soaking
rainy day. We got drenched getting engines, tractors, machinery and
wood loaded and moved. The weatherman had forecast rain in the A.M.
tapering off to showers in the P.M. for Sunday. Needless to say,
the outlook for an engine show was very bleak. Jim Dunn and I had
several calls as far away as Maine asking us if we were going to
have the show rain or shine. Our answer was ‘Yes, of
course,’ as would naturally be expected from two stubborn
Yankees.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy but with no precipitation,
gradually improving as the day progressed. Exhibitors started to
arrive as early as 8:00 A.M. and continued most of the morning. We
had approximately 80 exhibitors who exhibited over 100 engines,
several tractors and machinery that was run by the engines and
tractors. This gave the spectators an opportunity to see how the
machinery was powered many years ago. We had John Blood’s 6 HP
Sandwich which was run by his two sons, Timothy and John, Leonard
J. Bentley with a 6 HP Novo, and Dane Parker’s Farmall regular,
all sawing cordwood. The wood was supplied by John Blood and Milton
Spaulding. John Blood also brought an International Harvester burr
mill. Jim Dunn powered it with his 1929 G.P. John Deere. Marshal!
Britt brought a 1895 well and boring machine that was powered by a
Fairbanks-Morse. Marshall and his able assistants, Don- Black and
‘Lefty’ Perrin, had it set up and they were driving a
casing into the ground with it. ‘Lefty,’ who is a known
prankster, marked the casing with a piece of chalk to indicate the
depth that the casing was driven into the ground. He started to
mark the casing at 200 feet, actually it was in the ground a couple
of feet. John Blood also brought his one-sided thickness planer. We
ran it with my father’s 1939 Farmall H serial number 764 Also
on display was a woodsplitter called a power axe. It is constructed
mostly of heavy wooden beams. I was powered by an Igenco engine
There was a bone grinder on display powered by a 5 HP Stover. Ted
Larter brought his Draper loom again which was powered by an Old;
engine. This is one of the most machinery that I have ever
seen.
Last but by no means least, was a 1931 Wurlitzer band organ
owned and restored by Ed Deibert of Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.
Everyone, young and old, enjoyed the music throughout the day.
Jim and I were very pleased with the turnout of exhibitors and
spectators. We had exhibitors from all six of the New England
states. The food concession was again put on by the Warren
Veterans’ Firemen’s Association. Jim Dunn and I are very
appreciative of all the efforts of the exhibitors that made our
Third Annual Crank Up bigger and better than our second.
Our sincere thanks are also extended to Milton Spaulding for the
use of his tractor and wood, John Blood for wood, machinery,
engines and the use of his dump truck, Bob Willson for moving our
tractors and helping saw wood, and to Jack Carroll for the many
hours of art work that he does for us, and anyone else who made our
Third Annual Crank Up a success.