His Passion Is Antique Orchard Equipment

His Passion Is Antique Orchard Equipment Growing up working in orchards operated by his dad, Ralph, and grandpa, Jim, near Baraboo, Wis., Nathan Pierce took a liking to the McCormick-Deering O-4 orchard tractor. Pierce says he marveled at the sleek, ribbed metal sheeting that covered both rear wheels and extended over the steering wheel and operator platform. He also loved its shiny red color. When he learned that an IH collector in neighboring Illinois was auctioning O-4s, he was ready with his checkbook. Pierce looked them over at the auction and says some were quite rare, but the 1945 model he spotted wasn’t drawing much attention. A short time later, he had his dream tractor in hand. Touching up areas of body paint, adding back the auxiliary lights, and polishing the bright red metal brought the tractor to pristine show condition. Pierce says the tractor runs great for its age and draws a lot of attention in local parades. Nathan acquired a Bean sprayer to serve as the ideal implement to pull behind it, creating a unique parade showpiece. Ralph says that when he bought the Bean, it was in surprisingly good condition. Built on a steel frame with steel-spoked wheels, it showed some rust, but the tank was in good shape. Ralph had a neighbor sandblast the frame, and then they primed and painted it. The wooden tank was hand-painted in two-tone colors. Ralph couldn’t find new decals, so he provided a photograph of a Bean decal to a local graphic artist, who made custom decals. Installing new hoses completed the refurbishment, making it a parade-ready partner for the orchard tractor. Because the Pierces all grew up in the orchard business, the tractor and sprayer hold special significance. “When I was young, apple trees were much larger, so a tractor and sprayer like these were common,” Ralph says. “In the 1960s, we’d have to spray our 1,450 trees every 7 or 10 days during the season, so it was a busy time. The orchard tractor, with its metal sheathing, would protect the driver and easily move between the trees and not damage them. The sprayer was low profile, too.” Ralph says the Bean was likely built before WWII, so it’s definitely an antique. “Those early models had wooden tanks, were painted green, and rode on single axles with steel wheels.” He says the model he has was operated with a PTO pump. Newer models were painted red, had rubber tires, and sometimes dual axles to accommodate larger tanks. Ralph and Nathan took the tractor and sprayer to the National IH Roundup in Iowa a few years ago, and Nathan takes it to local events and parades in Wisconsin. Ralph says, “There used to be 15 or more commercial orchards around Baraboo from the 60s through the 80s, but then people retired, sold their land, and now there’s only a couple left. It’s good to show equipment like the tractor and sprayer so people can have an idea what we used to work with.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ralph Pierce, P.O. Box 101, Baraboo, Wis. 53913 (ralphbbc@yahoo.com).

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