P.O. Box 118 Clarcona, Florida 32710
For almost a year I tried to deal on a General GG tractor built
by Cletrac. It is a small three-wheeler, two 12′ plow tractor.
The owner lived on a small farm near Ocala, Florida and had long
since run it back in a fence corner where the tires rotted thrice,
cows ate the plug wires and rust and rodents took over.
The first time I looked at it, the owner and I walked back to
see it through pine and palmetto (prime Eastern Diamondback
rattlesnake territory and he was barefooted)! He didn’t seem
the least bit interested in selling, so I went on my way.
A few weeks ago, I gave him a call, made an offer and after he
and his ‘cook’ conferred, he accepted.
Hauled it home and what a mess! Put on good tires, cleaned mouse
nest out of manifold, squirrel nest out of gas tank, drained sludge
from crankcase, poured a gallon of kerosene in crankcase, replaced
plugs and fired it up.
I have sales bulletin, operator’s and repair parts manuals
for it. It has a Hercules 1XA3 engine so parts are available. The
tractor used Avery mounted plows, panters, cultivators, etc. After
two years, Cleveland sold patents, etc. to Avery. Avery changed the
engine to an 1XB and sold the tractor as ‘BF Avery A’.
My tractor was originally sold to ‘Dr. Phillips, Inc.’ a
local citrus grower and processor corporation; they sold it after
several years to the Ocala owner. So I’m the third owner.
As you can see from the pictures, this hobby doesn’t just
belong to a man’s world. The pictures are of my WD40 McDeering
and my girlfriend’s 1-12 McDeering. My girlfriend, Cindy
Eppley, is pictured on her 1-12 ‘little Ernie’. If you look
on Ernie’s fenders, you can see the two daisies I had to paint
for her.
The tractors are restored to mint condition and Cindy did the
naming. Ernie is the grandson and the WD40 is called
‘Boss’.
Boss is the grandfather with two big stalks of wheat on the rear
fenders. Ernie has a brother named ‘Bert’. Bert is a W-12
McDeering who is presently in the hospital with a belly ache (bad
motor).
Cindy loves to go to the shows with Ernie. When she gets there
and when Ernie is off the truck, they take off and are lost in the
crowd. When I first met her, she would come over to the shop and
help me work on the tractors. She cleaned rust and grease and loved
every bit of the mess and work that goes with keeping such big
‘toys’. So I gave her Ernie as a gift.
Eric A. Ganjon, 1432 Hughs Shop Road, Westminster, Maryland
21157
