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.
|