Replica Of a Rumely Oil Pull

By Staff
Published on March 1, 2000
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942 Holy Trinity Church Road, Little Mountain, South Carolina
29075.

My father was as much of an old engine or tractor lover as
anyone has ever been. He enjoyed going to tractor shows every
chance he got. He was always bringing home another tractor or
engine or some piece of farm equipment.

He could find an old tractor or engine sitting out in the woods,
all rusted, and locked up, bring it home, clean it up, and have it
running like it was new. He was the type of person who could take
something old and worn out and make it like new again. After I
finally grew up, got married, and settled down, I found out that I
had taken after him. I found myself bringing home all sorts of old
engines, tractors and farm equipment. I would always give them to
him, because I knew how much he loved them and I also knew that we
would restore them together.

My father and I have restored several old tractors together. He
had collected tractors, engines, old cars, farm equipment, anything
that was old, all his life. We had plans to restore each one
together. Unfortunately, I lost my father to cancer on May 29,
1999.

While he was sick I restored a 1957 John Deere 620 tractor. My
father helped me get it home and start restoring it, but he got
sicker and sicker and could not get out any more. This tractor was
a complete basket case, but with a manual and plenty of questions
answered by my father, I got it restored. This tractor is very
special to me because it was the last one that we got to work on
together.

About three months after he passed, I was told about an old
tractor with iron wheels and a weird motor on it. When I first saw
it, I didn’t know what it was. It had a flywheel engine, steel
wheels, chains, belt, tin top, seat and a steering wheel.

All I know is that in my mind, all I could see was my father
just having a fit over it. I could feel that my father was there
telling me that we have to have this one to add to the collection.
So, I bought it.

After many inquiries, I found out that it was made by a man in
Lexington, South Carolina. He made a replica of a Rumely Oil Pull
tractor that was small enough to haul around on a trailer to shows,
and that he could also drive around and show off. He made the frame
out of four-inch channel iron. The wheels were from an old hay
binder. He also used the chain drive, seat and steering wheel from
the binder.

It has a Ford front end (looks like it may be a T-Model), a GM
transmission (three forward speeds and a reverse), and is belt
driven by a 1929 McCormick Deering 3 HP flywheel engine. I found a
picture of a 1929 Rumely OilPull tractor that I used to repaint and
rebuild the top to match the picture.

My father subscribed to GEM for years, and now that he passed,
my mother gives me his magazines each month. I enjoy reading them
very much and thought that I would write this letter and send these
pictures.

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