This collection of  photos is hopefully only a beginning.  My  plans are to return later and add more pictures to these.  As you will notice, not all of Mr. Bilby's tractors are restored.  Some of his collection are restorable. Tractors beyond restoration will be used for parts.  Mr. Bilby is interested in locating more tractors or parts.  He can be contacted through U.S. Mail at P.O. Box 28, Richmondville, New York. Or you can call him at (518) 294-6642.
 
 

Here is Mr. Charles Bilby at the 1999 Pioneer Engine Gas Up
He is standing next to his English Ford link tracked tractor.

ENJOY THE PHOTOS!!!


 
 
This is the oldest tractor in the collection.  It is a 1924 model.  The wheels are wood spoked with solid rubber tires.  According to Charles, it had gas lighting as original equipment.
The 1924 Linn Tractor is equipped with a 75 h.p., 451 cu.in., four cylinder, Waukesha engine.  Notice the air cleaner under the hood.  Later models moved the cleaner to the driver's cab.  Also notice the wide flat fan belt.
This is a late Thirties or early Forties steel cab.  Charles wasn't sure at the time of this session as to when the steel cab was first available.  The plate in front of the radiator is a snow guard.  Hinged at the bottom, it opens out at the top.  Its purpose was to keep the radiator from plugging with snow and causing over-heating.
What you see here is a middle Thirties model with a 935 cu. in., 170 h.p., six cylinder Hercules engine.  This is a gas engine.  Later a 180 h.p. Cummins diesel was available.  Notice the twin oil filters.  Probably one feature that helped these engines to live so long.  Many engines of this era did not even have one filter.
Looking across the plow blades of a 1933 Linn.  The cab is wooden with a flashing red light on the roof.  The engine in this tractor is a 707 cu. in., 150 h.p. six cylinder gas Hercules.  The plows are a vee wedge in front with a wing on either side, for a total span of twenty-one feet.
1935 model restored for the town of Bethel, New York.  It has the hydraulic operated plow frame.  All the plow controls are mounted in the ceiling of the cab. 
What you see is a beautifully restored 935 cu.in., 170 h.p. six cylinder Hercules engine.  It is in the 1935 Linn unit above. 
The side windows on the wooden cabs are leather panels that pull down in a track.  Metal stays help stiffen them.
The heart of the Linn track drive system is this gear reduced differential.  Notice the lifting eyes cast into the main housings.
The southern view of a Northbound 1935 Linn.  This view helps you appreciate the rugged built quality of these tractors.  The track drive is the crowning feature of the Linn tractors.  Check out the springs! 
Notice the cleats on these tracks.  They help to prevent slipping on ice.  There are two oilers on the side of the track.  One oils the bogie wheels in the center of the track.  The other oils the front idler wheel. Along the side of the dump body is a cable running into a fancy cast guard at the tailgate hinge.  This is the automatic tailgate.  It opens as the body is lifted and closes as it drops.
The inside of the 1935 cab.  This side of the steering column is a piece of flat steel with a turned down handle.  It goes forward through the cab wall.  This adjusts the snow guard in front of the radiator.  On the other side of the steering wheel is a roundish item.  It is the air cleaner.  In front of the seat is the filler cap for the fuel tank.  And in the ceiling are the hydraulic controls for the plow and dump body.
The dash panel in the 1935 cab.  In the green instrument panel are three gauges.  The twin gauge is for generator current (top) and water temperature (bottom). The lone gauge is oil pressure.
This is what you see if you were the driver in the 1935 Linn tractor.  Of course, if the plows were on, the view would be very restricted.  Remember the 1933 Linn above, with the plows that will span twenty-one feet across?
This beautiful piece of machinery along with the other restored  Linn Tractors preserve a time in history that might have been lost were it not for Charles Bilby.  This Linn belongs to the Town of Bethel, New York where it now resides.
Here is a 1946 steel cab.  At this time the wooden cabs weren't being built.  Even with the advanced sheet metal, the interiors were still very spartan.  There is no heater or defroster in this cab.
The inside of a 1946 steel cab.  It has the same steering post and instrument panel of its ancestors.
This is a top view of the 1946's left track.  With the exception of variations in the track tensioning device, little or no change was made otherwise.
It is not known for sure but this is believed to be a Coldwell lawnmower, used to maintain golf courses around the second decade of the twentieth century.  It had a gang of reel mowers attached to the front.  The front drive wheel is a drum the width of the chassis, covered with wooden slats.  Notice the clutch and brake pedals on the floor board.
The Coldwell's power plant is a 1917 four cylinder Continental engine of unknown displacement.  By looking at the size of the spark plugs you can see it was a small engine.  This machine still runs.

 
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Copyright 1999 Tazbat Publishing

Most recent update 03.07.2004