Fairbanks Morse 15-30 Tractor video

[Steamrguy]

These are pretty rare machines so I thought I would post a video of it. This is the 15-30 Fairbanks Morse gas tractor that is owned and kept at the museum in Vista California.
I am a steam guy but who can not appreciate something like this!

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/2ff...2ef457a8218551

Enjoy
Dean Alling

[Richard Sturdy]

I have never seen one of those before. Wonderful to see and hear one on video. Thanks

Tricky Dickie

[hottube]

Dean,

Thank you for posting this clip. The Fairbanks Tractors have a sound of their own! Anyone have any ideas how many 15-30 Fairbanks Tractors remain today?

Peter

[David Wilson]

We cranked one up at Ken Eders show this past week end, crazy gear shift, clutch combnation, they do run nice.

[Eric M.]

Here are all the 15-25 Fairbanks Morse tractors I know of

One 15-25 owned by Paul Stolzfus diaplayed at Rough and Tumble, Kinzers, PA
One 15-25 owned by Ken Eder
One 15-25 owned by The Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, Vista, CA (This one)
One 15-25 owned by the WDM
One 15-25 owned by Dave Kestler, Northern CA
One 15-25 owned by The Farm Museum in Milton, Ontario, Canada
Two 15-25s shown at Crosby, ND

Not too many around. We got this one from the Arthur Bright auction in the 1980s. There were 5 tractors at the auction (I believe) and the museum was interested in every one except the Fairbanks. And every one sold for more than the museum members had pooled (I think about $15,500 dollars). Then the Fairbanks came up. We bid right up to the edge of our money pool. And we got it.
Sometime soon after the museum received the tractor, they belted it up to the sawmill. The water pump had malfunctioned, so there was no water flowing. Once the tractor had warmed up, the pump began working and spat a nice slug of cold water into the HOT exhaust valve cage, cracking it. The tractor immediately began blowing water out the exhaust. It was immediately shut down, and some people thought that it had blown a head gasket. They removed the head and discovered that the gasket was fine. The valve cage was removed and the crack was discovered. Virgil White, one of the museum's long-time members, had recently acquired a 20 horsepower Fairbanks-Morse N. The 20 and 25 engines share the same size of valve cage, so he took the cage off his engine and put it on the tractor. Then, he repaired the broken cage and reinstalled it on his engine. The tractor was soon put in the very capable hands of "The Arizona Boys", Pat Mackin and Rich Eckert, who are still the tractor's caretakers to this day.

[Sawyer-Massey 11-22]

Eric: The one you have listed as being at the "Farm Museum" in Milton, was actually owned by a good friend and was only on temperary loan to the Museum while it was the "Ontario Argricultural Museum". Once the museum was semi-privatized by the Ontario Government, the tractor went home. It has since been sold on into Western Canada, and may have been sold again since as the fellow had a pair and did sell one on. If this is the case it could be the one that Ken Eder has now. I believe the one that was here was also a Canadian Fairbanks tractor.

Robert

[David Parfitt]

Originally Posted by Eric M.

Here are all the 15-25 Fairbanks Morse tractors I know of

One 15-25 owned by Paul Stolzfus diaplayed at Rough and Tumble, Kinzers, PA
One 15-25 owned by Ken Eder
One 15-25 owned by The Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, Vista, CA (This one)
One 15-25 owned by the WDM
One 15-25 owned by Dave Kestler, Northern CA
One 15-25 owned by The Farm Museum in Milton, Ontario, Canada
Two 15-25s shown at Crosby, ND

Not too many around. We got this one from the Arthur Bright auction in the 1980s. There were 5 tractors at the auction (I believe) and the museum was interested in every one except the Fairbanks. And every one sold for more than the museum members had pooled (I think about $15,500 dollars). Then the Fairbanks came up. We bid right up to the edge of our money pool. And we got it.
Sometime soon after the museum received the tractor, they belted it up to the sawmill. The water pump had malfunctioned, so there was no water flowing. Once the tractor had warmed up, the pump began working and spat a nice slug of cold water into the HOT exhaust valve cage, cracking it. The tractor immediately began blowing water out the exhaust. It was immediately shut down, and some people thought that it had blown a head gasket. They removed the head and discovered that the gasket was fine. The valve cage was removed and the crack was discovered. Virgil White, one of the museum's long-time members, had recently acquired a 20 horsepower Fairbanks-Morse N. The 20 and 25 engines share the same size of valve cage, so he took the cage off his engine and put it on the tractor. Then, he repaired the broken cage and reinstalled it on his engine. The tractor was soon put in the very capable hands of "The Arizona Boys", Pat Mackin and Rich Eckert, who are still the tractor's caretakers to this day.

Eric,

There is a 15-25 (or 15-30?) in the museum at Minden, NE and a 1912 15-25 in a private collection in Iowa that is/was displayed at the Albert City show (see Antique Power vol.13, no.4). I understand that the Canadian F-M you have listed at Crosby is now in the UK, or headed that way. I believe Reynolds in Canada also have one, which Randy Kvill may be able to shed more light on? I also have photos of a few others but no owner/location detail, so they could be ones you already have listed.

Have you found any serial no. or date marked on the one at Vista? I couldn't find any plate when I was there, but didn't climb all over it to look (honestly! ) Would also be interested to know if it is a 15-25 or 15-30, and what the actual difference is!

All the best

David

[Randy Kvill]

Here is a photo of the 15-25 at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. The serial number is C6183 (found on the top of the cylinder) or C6026 (found on serial number plate). It is one of the units that clearly states that it was a Canadian Fairbanks-Morse. We have it dated anywhere from 1910 to 1912. I personally lean to the 1910 as the unit has fenders that were not original and gear guards that are on it appear to be original; which I have seen illustrated in 1910 literature. The catalogue information that I have seen seems to suggest that in 1911, they installed the round fenders.

The tractor was used as a demonstrator in this part of the country before being sold about 1912 to the owner that Mr. Reynolds acquired it from, he used it until about 1955. The tractor has never had the head off as evidenced by original paint still intact on the head bolts. It runs fantastic!

Data on the serial number plate says that it is a 25 hp engine serial number C6026, 250 rpm...maybe if someone has a 30, you may find that it runs at 300 rpm. The plate does not refer to a 15-25...I would imagine it is only the engine serial number plate.

Perhaps someone has serial number information that will confirm its actual date of manufature.

Randy

[Craig A]

There is a 15-30 in a New York state collection too and a similar single in another Eastern collection

[Jon Nessel]

When my grandmas brother was still around, I remember him telling me they used to thresh with one near Mellville Sask. I remember him describing it making a chunk ha ha chunk ha ha sound, reliving a bye gone time as he made the noise. He said it had this unmistakable "pipe music" that could be heard for miles. Truely a neat tractor.

[Eric M.]

Originally Posted by Randy Kvill

Data on the serial number plate says that it is a 25 hp engine serial number C6026, 250 rpm...maybe if someone has a 30, you may find that it runs at 300 rpm. The plate does not refer to a 15-25...I would imagine it is only the engine serial number plate.

Randy

Considering that the engine is already being run 50 RPM faster than normal, I'd think 100 RPM above would be really pushing it.

I'll get the serial number and horsepower on Saturday.