The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-03-17, Page 64Page 8A—Farm Progress '93
FAR
Teeswater machinery company
expands; 3,000 tractors built
by Ron Wassink
TEESWATER--Tucked in behind
Teeswater, along the river of the
same name a small machinery
company builds memories.
The factory is actually a reno-
vated, two-story henhouse. The first
floor contains the machinery --drill
presses, Saws, grinders and
polishers. The second floor is the
paint shop and assembly arca.
It's a hobby-tumed-business for
ex -dairy farmer Bill Ireland. In
almost six years (four as a hobby),
Teeswater's "industrialist" figures
he's built about 3,000 tractors --
mostly of the antique vintage.
These aren't full size models,
though, but scale models., of the
classics and antiques of another era.
Ireland is concentrating his efforts
on finishing 300 models of the
infamous Lion thresher, which was
built in the now extinct Lobsinger
Bros. factory m Mildmay. The
model thresheN were commissioned
by the Bruce County committee of
the International Plowing Match.
The 1/16th scale thresher. is hand -
built and hag 22 pulleys, nine belts,
stacker hood, blower and steel
wheels. For the production run,
Ireland needed 6,600 pulleys, 1,200
wheels and .1,800 tiny wood slats
for the feeder chain.
"We made the ,pulleys. alt the
tooling was made specially for this
machine," Ireland said.
The model is an "original," he
said. "There will be no other
machines
The Lobsingers built The Lion
from 1936 to 1962, and -for a few
years after, the company rebuilt
threshers. The Mildmay threshing
machine company was started in the
1880s by the Hergott family. •
To build the model, Ireland
travelled to the agricultural museum
in Milton to see a Mildmay
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thresher. And he used Teeswater
reeve Graeme Cassidy's thresher to
take the measurements for the
scaled-down version. •
Cassidy's machine is in excellent
condition. It has been retired from
active service and is now used for
display purposes and parades.
When production started, it took
many hours to complete the first
models, like four hours for scroll
work and pin striping. Now, Ireland
and his crew of four full-time and
two part-time employees carr built a
Lobsinger thresher in about 10 hours.
Work will begin in a. few weeks
on a traction engine, to complement
the thresher.
The Waterloo model was chosen
because Ireland Said it was one of
the more popular steam engines in
its day.
When completed, the steamers
' -turn to page lla
The Lion - Bill Ireland of Teeswater holds up a model of a
Lobsinger Bros. thresher he built for the Bruce County IPM
committee. All 300 threshers are sold. (Ron Wassink photo) •
&la
More muscle
for your money
•
In these times you need to make every
dollar of investment work - and work hard! '
That's why Zetor invites you to compare
model for model, feature for feature before
you buy!
Zetor tractors are available in two or four
wheel drive from 50' to 160 hOrsepower
Model 7245
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Fax (019) 2361330 22 Main Street, E., Zurich
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• SALES & SERVICE
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