3109 Fairfax Ct. Fremont, California 94536
This article is a sequel to the article written in Gas Engine
Magazine by John Rasmussen, April 1994 entitled ‘Larry’s
Austin.’ That article resulted in a reunion of two old high
school buddies.
John is a John Deere tractor collector and specializes in the
restoration of unstyled Model L’s. I am a collector of small
Briggs and Lauson engines. While we were in high school, John and I
enjoyed engines, Model T’s, tractors, and oh yes, girls.
Speaking of Model T’s, John and I were reminiscing about the
time that I came up behind his 27 ‘T’ with my dad’s
’41 Pontiac and pushed him wide open in second gear. We got
going so fast the magnets came loose from the flywheel on the
‘T’ and some came up through the floor board. Luckily no
serious injury to John’s feet.
Well, anyhow, to go on with the story. John and his wife, Anne,
and I arranged to meet when I went to Michigan for a family reunion
in July. It was the first time we had met in forty-six years.
How great it was! While John was showing me his beautiful
tractors I spied an old air cooled, Ideal, Model V, upright in his
barn loft. I told him that he should restore it. He said no, he
thought I should restore it. Wow, I thought! He will sell it to me.
Well, John and Anne recently gifted me the engine for ‘all the
birthdays we’ve been apart.’ (Tells you what kind of people
they are!) Needless to say, beyond acquiring the old engine, the
greatest joy of all was reestablishing our friendship.
John and Anne attend many old iron shows and swap meets in
Michigan, so perhaps you will have the privilege of meeting them.
If you ever need advice on, or wish to buy a John Deere, Model L
tractor, John is your man. His address is: John Rasmussen, 6750
Rattalee Lake Road, Clarkston, Michigan 48348.
If anyone out there can give me the year manufactured, or any
other specs on the Ideal, Model V, please let me know. It is an
upright with a magneto within one of its two flywheels. It has a
non-actuated intake valve on top, and an actuated exhaust valve
underneath on the side. It also has a glass oiler cup on the side
of the cylinder. I would guess the vintage to be somewhere between
1910 and 1920.
