Meeting at 2:00 pm
Tri-Tip BBQ at 4:00 pm

From the President:

We are making gradual progress at Antique Mechanics, and the facilities are now showing obvious changes. While I have limited my time due to work at home, Victor has once again taken up residence at Antiques, and Sue is making us get necessary paperwork done and handle the Newsletter. Now that the truck sale is complete and the vehicles have been removed we have a good deal more space in the yard. This space filled in right away of course, but we will clear it out again in time for the next sale. We have been going over our tractor inventory and have identified a number of tractors that will be removed from the collection by way of a sale in February. The tractors will be moved to the front of the yard prior to the sale, which will take a good deal of our time for the rest of the year. Proceeds from this sale will be added to the endowment fund amount. The entrance end of the main shop, where the club area is located, has now been turned into a mini town square, thanks to Victor’s efforts. We have now started the clean up of hangar #2 in an effort to create more display area. The circus wagon, which has dominated the building for many years, will be removed from the collection when an appropriate home can be found. The drapers and other stuff in the wagon will be stored in the silver trailer outside. I expect the hangar clean up to move along slowly since we have so many other things to do this year, including some repair to the roof on hangar #3 that now has a section of roofing hanging loose. Some repairs will have to be made while we wait for the new roof that we are hoping for next year. More outside lighting is also on the agenda, since we will probably end up working after dark at times and there are other university-related events being held in the facilities.

Brian Barnett

It looks like it's going to be a good year out at Antiques. There are definitely a lot of exciting things happening. One of the main issues I have been focusing on lately is helping to raise the level of student involvement in the club. We have been putting in considerable effort this quarter to get more students out to the shop, and making more people aware of our club. Socorro Hernandez, Christina Woosley and I took the John Deere L to the Activities Fair on the quad. The L turned quite a few heads, and we came away from the fair with a list of e-mail addresses of perspective members. The

most successful draw to the shop thus far has been the Bottomless Bowls of Beans and Marshmallow Madness Friday night parties which drew about 50 people to the shop on each occasion. A good time was had by all, jamming on the stage, driving tractors, touring the collection or just hanging out in the club area which has been recently converted into an old town square. Where else can you get a ride on a 1916 Case 20-40? Another event that the club was involved in recently was the homecoming pajama-reno and parade, where Nick Pritchard and I led the charge, pulling a hay wagon full of Alumni and their children with the JD 2010. These events may divert some time and attention from tractor restoration, but they get our name out to a lot of people who may have never heard of us. I think getting involved in as many events as possible will be very beneficial to the club in the long run.

The excitement doesn't stop there, folks. In our usual fashion, many projects are underway at the shop. The International TD6 chassis is ready for a final steam cleaning which will be followed by a coat of paint. We’re looking forward to the completion of this tractor which will be a great crawler trainer. The JD 2010 is currently getting a new tire, and disassembly has begun on Diesel Sixty #1.

See You at the Shop,

Nathan Fleischer

Greetings.

With the year 2000 just a couple of months away, I thought I would just step back a moment in time and think back to the 1970's. I personally remember only a few things - like doing twenty-foot skids on my brand new bike and thereby ruining the tire. I am told that I also unscrewed all the lights on my dad's '55 Buick thereby leading him to grout all the screws to prevent the lenses from falling out as he pulled out of the driveway. In retrospect, I'm led to wonder what Antique Mechanics students were doing. Driving over pallets to test antique crawler technology or just because. Baling garbage - well, there was indeed a reason for that. Also of course, preserving important parts of our agricultural heritage, inspiring many others to continue and to support their work, and in many cases themselves staying around or coming back to help make the experience possible for others. This support has been tremendously important to Antique’s survival in recent years. The work is coming to fruition as the yard continues to open up (especially after the recent successful truck sale), the first-round tractor sale has already been scheduled, the small but very important endowment fund will finally be a reality shortly, and the transformation of the front-end of the shop has been bringing smiles to many and bringing many people to the facility. To top it off, there is a near ultimate opportunity to restore Caterpillar's serial number one Diesel tractor and somehow hopefully be able to participate in the company's 75^th anniversary. Your support will be most important in helping get this project done.

As we go into this new year with Nathan Fleischer as Club President, I am confident the Club will continue to prosper. He, Christina, John, Soccoro, Nick, Mark, Myles, Aziz, and Sam have helped pull off a number of impressive events, acquisitions, and repairs. Sue Esdaile and Brian Barnett continue to work very very very hard both behind the scenes and in front to "take care" of things for everybody. Solomon and his family, Rick and Ann, Jerrold, Ron, Jim, JB, Alex and John C, continue to make Antiques functions a high priority on their calendars. I really want to thank everybody for all of their contributions, and I hope they share my excitement about the future of Antiques.

Victor Duraj

It has been about six months since I reviewed with you our progress in constructing the Joe A. Heidrick, Sr. Western Center for Agricultural Equipment, so it's time to give you an update. For those not familiar with this exciting project, this new 18,000 ft² facility is an enhancement of and replacement for our department's 1950 agricultural practices building. Unlike most other projects, this facility is being built primarily through contributed funds and materials. Rate of progress therefore coincides with our incoming gifts. During most of last fall and winter, we were relatively low on money and construction ceased. Following receipt of several gifts this spring, we were in a position to resume construction. In an effort to conserve money, we also became our own contractor/project managers and arranged for materials and labor directly. Since July, construction has continued at a steady pace. The interior plumbing is now completed (other than fixtures), and the electrical and HVAC are installed in a major portion of the building. By proceeding at a pace convenient to the sub-contractors, we have also been able to minimize costs. Our goals are to sheetrock in the next month or two and to complete the building later in the spring. The structure will then be gifted to the university, which will then become responsible for its long-term maintenance.

Over the past five years, about 95% of the required funds for the project has been raised. And we are only about $50,000 short of what is needed for final completion of the facility. We are presently making a concerted effort to bring in those last few dollars. For certain, this has been an extremely long effort, and our students, farming friends, and equipment associates will appreciate the facility upon its completion. We also look forward to perhaps a revisited, student focused, bygone farming days event in the future!

David J. Hills

Chair, Bio & Ag Engineering

(Solutions on page 9)

1. What is it?

2. Which of the following will NOT be sold at the surplus tractor sale in February?

3. What will you find under six inches of dirt in the Antique Mechanics boneyard?

a. concrete
b. buried Y2K survival kits
c. asphalt
d. more dirt

As you may recall from the Spring ’99 newsletter, the Picnic Day Parade theme was "Moo-ving into the Future," and the club and alumni built a huge flying cow float. The float was constructed of steel, chicken wire and "cow-colored" blankets. On the trailer under the cow was a blue tarp with wads of polyester batting which simulated the sky and clouds.

Victor, Solomon, Jim Keller, Sue, Nathan, Tim, Socorro, Christina and Christina’s mom spent long hours working on the cow or picking up supplies, and we are also very grateful to Brian for cleaning the shop after Picnic Day.

The cow was transported to campus over the Highway 113 overpass, and a photo was taken from the freeway of the "cattle crossing" (which appears on the back of the last newsletter). You will have to view the picture on our web page in color to appreciate the lit brake lights of the cars passing under the overpass!

The John Deere L, John Deere 2010 (aka "Grasshopper") and Allis Chalmers WC were readied for the parade. The students had torn down the John Deere L engine in the months prior to the parade, and it ran that morning for the first time. Christina, Socorro and Brian repaired the engine (mainly a valve job) and put the tractor back together, with some help from Christina’s mom. We were all very relieved to have the tractor running for the parade, as there was rumor of a wager that involved Victor pulling the John Deere L through the parade by hand if the tractor was not running. You’ll have to ask Victor what he was supposed to wear when he pulled that tractor – which wasn’t going to be much more than "shorts" and shoes.

All the equipment made it through the parade and was parked on the lawn in front of the Chemistry building. The cow was a very popular photo subject. One student wanted to climb inside the cow and have his photo taken with his head sticking out the back; he said it was the "chance of a lifetime." This was not a possibility, but he was able to be photographed "looking in."

Picnic Day, 2000 is scheduled for April 15. We hope to see you there! And, likely having worked hard all week preparing, we’ll definitely look TAXED!

We had a great time at the annual meeting this year. Thanks to so many alumni who came! It is important that our alumni visit the shop and show their support for our students.

Brian, Victor and Sue spoke about the accomplishments the Society has made in the past year, including shop improvements, the truck sale, harvester removal and the website. Ann Mansker, nominating committee, read the slate of this year’s officers. Davis Hills, department chair, reported some of the changes that are occurring within the University, such as new long-term planning requirements and increases in new student applications and acceptance. Christina Woosley, club president, related the club activities of the past year: restoration of the John Deere L, progress on the TD6 and construction of the Flying Rocket Cow float.

The meeting was followed by Jon Moore’s barbecued tri-tip sandwiches with fixings, and strawberries and ice cream for dessert. A few tractors were started up and a fun time was had by all.

The next annual meeting will be June 3, 2000. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see the improvements to the shop and catch up with old friends.

To the students, alumni and friends of Antique Mechanics, the advent of the year 2000 means more than the end of the millennium, it is the 75^th anniversary of Caterpillar, Inc. and the perfect opportunity to restore Caterpillar’s first diesel tractor, serial number 1C1.

At the forefront of diesel technology in the early part of this century, the Caterpillar Company developed a diesel engine that was suited to the rigors of agriculture, construction and logging. As a result of this effort, the diesel engine was established as an economically superior industrial powerplant, and modern fuel and oil standards were established. The symbol of this success is Caterpillar’s "1C" series of tractors, their first diesel series, beginning with tractor number 1C1.

Our Diesel Sixty, assembled in San Leandro, California, in 1931, was used by Caterpillar for research and development until the tractor was sold to Harms Brothers of Sacramento. 1C1 went through a few hands and was later sold to the Nikkel Lumber Company, which donated it to UC Davis in 1970.

The Diesel Sixty requires some cast iron welding, new tracks, a new radiator core, possibly significant engine work and many other bits and pieces to put it back on its tracks and make it ready for a trip to Peoria next August to take part in the anniversary celebrations. This is a terrific opportunity for our students to represent Antique Mechanics and UC Davis in Peoria. The Antique Mechanics Society has put considerable time into this project, and we have drafted a brochure, presented the project at the annual meeting of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club in Brooks, Oregon, and hosted a luncheon for local Caterpillar enthusiasts to come and give their advice on the project.

Look for regular updates of the 1C1 project on the web site. Come and lend a hand!

Imagine walking into Antique Mechanics on a Friday night, and finding the place transformed into an old-fashioned town square with live music and great food. You pop open a soda from an old roll-around washtub and go for a late-night tractor ride on the Case 20-40. Mood lighting highlights "facades" and pieces of antique agricultural equipment as well as a small platform where the musicians are performing. A hay wagon sits outside, about to depart for a tour.

If you can imagine all that, you have just experienced virtual reality of what is now the entryway at Antique Mechanics.

It all started early last summer after Victor and his cousin from Poland visited the Ponderosa Ranch. After visiting the home of "Bonanza," Victor became motivated to begin work on ideas that had been around for years. Brian and Jim contributed lots of effort and Ron assisted with some design, including the idea – not yet implemented – of making the area right inside the door into a school house.

Victor’s cousin, who had been staying with Victor for a few weeks and was not too wild about helping him paint the inside of his house, seemed intrigued by the idea of assisting with the façade of the new office. In the northwest corner of the shop, the old office was expanded into the club area, and the exterior walls were covered with new galvanized corrugated roof panels. Where the corner of the two new walls should be, there will be an old-fashioned door. To give the office more character, the walls get higher as they get to the door, and there is an even higher false front over the door. An old steel wheel hangs on the false front above the doorway. In the office there is now room for two desks, plenty of bookshelves and a non-Y2K compliant computer.

This concept was expanded out further. An old booth from Bygone Farming Days (built by Ron and his father) was moved into the hangar and established as "Ted’s Snack Shack" (soon to have swinging saloon doors). False eaves have been built above the work/display area on the south wall, now called "JB’s Repairs." A simple platform has been put together in front of the sliding doorway out to the parking lot. The platform is decorated with small pieces of equipment, tools and artifacts. For "Friday Night" events, lectures and presentations, it easily converts to alternative use, such as a stage for the band. Strategic lighting illuminates the platform, decorative signs, and the one cylinder engines on display.

In an effort to bring more students out to the shop and recruit more student club members, three Friday night parties were scheduled for first quarter. The first event, "Bottomless Bowls of Beans," saw over sixty people visit the shop for tractor rides, ping pong, live music and, of course, beans and weenies. The second event was called "Marshmallow Madness." Thirty pounds of marshmallows were there to consume raw, roasted, as rice crispy treats or s’mores. Live music, tractor rides, and hay rides into the fields and around the feedlot made this a terrific event. Lots of people came to help set up for the party and wire the hay wagon so that it would be "street legal." The next event, "Friday Nite French Fry," is scheduled for December 3. The motto will be "We’ve got 50 pounds of potatoes – you cut ‘em – we fry ‘em."

These events have been highly successful at drawing people out to Antique Mechanics, and a number of these students are staying to participate in regular club activities. These events should also help expose Antique Mechanics to as many people as possible in the department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The students and alumni had a chance to visit Fred Heidrick’s farm for a small threshing bee last June. Nathan, Bob Renner, Sue and Victor accepted the invitation to attend that was issued by Fred’s grandson and alumnus of Antique Mechanics, Rusty Lucchessi.

At this event, they had a couple of tractors, a binder, a thresher, two wagons and plenty of pitchforks. A very skilled sack-sewer was on hand to sew up the sacks.

All was going smoothly and the video cameras were rolling when Sue, who was having a turn at pitching bundles into Fred’s thresher, lost the head of her pitchfork in the machine. As Sue recalled, "the pitchfork handle suddenly felt really light." There was a terrible noise as the thresher ground to a halt. The old-time tractor and engine mechanics who were standing around while Sue pitched bundles finally had something to do; the harvester was opened up, and the pieces of pitchfork fished out of it. Not every piece was found, but if the hay pile catches fire, they will probably find the rest of it.

The event was an educational and fun experience for all. We were also treated to a sack sewing lesson with a deadly-looking needle. After the pitchfork incident, everyone stood well clear of Sue when she had her turn!

Last summer the Society assisted with the sale of 14 trucks from the collection, and raised approximately $5,200. The sale was a success, as we now have a little more breathing room in the yard and we are closer to having the money needed to begin an Antique Mechanics Endowment Fund. Trucks that have a club history (the Republic dump truck, "Fernland" Model A, the Model A with the engine restored by the club, and the green Dodge pickup) and trucks that are important in the history of agriculture (the Federal fifth wheel truck and Graham Brothers cattle truck) will remain in the collection.

A surplus tractor sale is scheduled for February 12, 2000. Approximately 30 tractors have been identified as candidates for this sale. Society members Rick, Gerald, Ron, Sue, Brian, Victor and the club president, Nathan, have volunteered their time on Saturday mornings to identify the sale tractors. The proceeds from this sale are expected to bring our endowment fund "seed money" total well past the required $10,000, and we are looking forward to establishing this fund sometime during the year 2000.

For a list of the tractors that will be sold in February, send a SASE to Antique Mechanics Society, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. The tractors will also be advertised on our website prior to the sale.

1. 1C1 starting motor clutch.

2. There are currently seven gas Cat 60’s, eleven Cat 30’s and five John Deere D’s. The Society tractor sale committee has determined that the collection does not require this many identical tractors to represent the development of agriculture in California. There is only one Samson M at Antique Mechanics, so that tractor will remain in the collection.

3. c. asphalt. We are planning to remove the dirt and return the surface of the yard to asphalt with a gravel circular track through the yard for the equipment to run on.

Special thanks to Alex Smith for managing our web site. Check it out: www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~antiques.

Brian Barnett
Victor Duraj
Sue Esdaile
Nathan Fleischer
David Hills

President Brian Barnett
Vice President Solomon Teklu
Secretary/Treasurer Sue Esdaile
Chancellor’s Rep David Hills
Department of Bio and Ag Eng. Rep Victor Duraj

Members: Ron Allen, J.B. Hay, Rick Mansker

President: Nathan Fleischer
Vice President: Christina Woosley
Secretary/Treasurer: Soccoro Hernandez

Members: Myles Anderson, Tim Boucher, Aziz Zine El Abidine, Ariel Graman, Andrew Hall, Matt MacLachlan, Nick Madden, Mark Mattson, John Maynard, Nick Prichard, Miko Solomon, Justin Whitaker

To contact Antique Mechanics, please call (530) 752-6177

The University is grateful for the support it receives from alumni and friends. One of the ways our thanks is expressed is through listing the names of donors in various publications. Should you wish that your name not appear as a donor, please notify us if you have not already done so.

It is the policy of the University of California, Davis to utilize a portion of the short-term investment income on current gifts and grants to support the cost of raising and administering funds.

The University of California does not discriminate in any of its policies, procedures or practices. The University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.