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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe 25th Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion, 1986-09-03, Page 21THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1986. PAGE A-21. LeBeau family well known for restoration Anyone who has ever passed through Brucefield is familiar with the line of beautifully restored old tractors edging the cornfields just north of the village. The tractors are the handiwork of Mac LeBeau and his sons Bob and Rick, the present generation of a family which has farmed in the area since they arrived from Texas in 1911. The lineup changes from summer to summer as other tractors are restored to running condition and put on display along Hwy. 4, or as some are sold to collectors, but they are always there from spring to fall - unless they are on display at some local fair or show, as they will be again this year at the Thresher Reunion for the 10th consecutive year. The family will be displaying 12 machines this year, includ­ ing Gibsons, Leaders, Rumleys and Cases, vintage 1925-1945, as well as Mac’s personal favourite, a 1925 Case 12-20 with cross-mounted motor, re­ stored to gleaming running order since it was purchased in 1980 from the old Stratford museum, as arusty pile of junk, seized solid. They have been buying, restoring, collecting and sell­ ing old tractors since 1970, starting with a 1929 Rumley in running condition. Most are purchased in order to restore them to running condition and for a final sale, but some are acquiredjustfor parts. “We spent all one winter putting a Rumley together out of a pile of Rumley parts,’’ Mac Said. He explained that many old parts - or substitutes - are available from most good auto­ motive dealers, and that Case (now Case-International) deal­ ers are very good at stocking vintage parts; but sometimes you have to get the piece you need custom made by a machin­ ist, or do it yourself, as Mac was doing when we visited him in his own shop. At present, the LeBeaus have about 25 tractors on the place, in various stages of restoration. Some are notfor sale at any price, such as the 1947 six-cylinder Gibson, the only one of its kind in Ontario, as far as Mac can tell. “It came from a dealer in Mitchell,’’ he says. “It hadn’t moved in 20 years, and the transmission was out, parts scattered all over the place and lost - we just about had to start from scratch on that one.’’ Mac and Rick do most of the restoration work, while Bob is the painter in the family. Bob also collects model tractors, with a special fondness for Case models; and as another “hob­ by’’, he buys up old Allis- Chalmers tractors, puts Woods Bros, mowers under them, re-paints them, and sells them as working mowers, where they can often be seen mowing roadsidesand large lawns in the immediate area. Mac claims to have retired in 1974, but it is hard to think of him being any busier than he is now. Bob, Rick, and another son, Pete, recently returned ruiriliH i i i 1.__i 572 -iff C * m eu • Welcome) Threshers Blyth Come in and visit us at ttkincnibcr WljetL...•Antiques & Collectibles •Reproductions from the past 7 ©Giftware and Tableware | 170 Dinsley St. W. Blyth 523-9554 from the oil rigs of Alberta, operate LeBeau Farms, cash­ cropping a large acreage from the home farm near Brucefield, their well-kept home flanking Mac’s on Hwy. 4. Be sure to stop and talk to them all at the Reunion - you may not buy or sell a tractor, but you’ll sure enjoy meeting them all! l <.< A new technique in judging the antique cars will be tried this year for the first time, according to Gordon Radford of Londesboro, chairman of the event. As each contestant enters his vehicle, he will be given a slip on which he will later be asked to vote for the best car in the show, with the recipient of the highest number of votes winning the perpetual trophy for Best Antique Car, donated by Clinton Auto Parts Ltd. In other years, the winners from each of the previous three years have formed the committee of judges, and these will be on hand in the event of a tie in 1986. Above, Mr. Radford, [left], poses with the 1984 winner, a 1923 Model T Ford owned by Murray Hall of Wingham. More than 30 antique and classic cars are expected to enter the Blyth show this year. I he 12th Annual Van Egmond Foundation Egmondville, Ont. - 2 km. S. of Seaforth SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 ONLY 12 noon - 5 p.m. Soap Making, Naval Press Crew, Bake Table & Flea Market, Antiques, Food Booth, Farm Animals, Player Piano, Bessie's Bingo, Wood Carving Display from Huron County Museum, Entertainment - Local Talent, Scarecrow Contest (12 and under), Apple Products, Cider Making & Cider Sales, Heritage House Open to Public Political Auction - Jack Riddell auctioneer. 82 Adults - 81 Students - 50c Children [All Proceeds to Heritage Restoration Work] Contact 527-0413 Men’s & Women’s Fashions from our own tannery, Canada & around the world. One Mile South of Blyth on Hwy. 4 Outside of Town. (519) 523-4595 / Open all year round THRESHERMEN WEEKEND SPECIAL SALE • Woollens ... Work Socks, Shirts, Jackets •Leathers ... Jackets, Gloves, Boots