HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-09-08, Page 46THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 2005. PACE A 25.
Thresher Reunion 2005
Antique ditching machine
back for a third year
The way they were
The Buckeye ditching machine owned by Mervyn and Orval Bauer is back for this year’s
What a slice
Each year before the Reunion the sawmill is assembled.
The attraction always gets a lot of interest when it’s put to
s use at the three-day event. (File photo)
Reunion. (File photo)
By Elyse DeBruyn
Having the only working Buckeye
ditching machine in this area,
owners Mervyn and Orval Bauer of
Bauer Farms in Brussels, are
looking forward to their third
demonstration at " this year’s
Thresher Reunion.
This 1950 machine has been
owned and operated by the Bauer
brothers for more than 20 years and
although it’s still in working
condition, they use it mostly “for
fun.”
“We still use it between the two of
us.” said Mervyn. “Just not as much
as we used to. We’ve done some
custom work for small jobs, but it’s
not feasible for bigger operations.”
The machines originated in Ohio
and are designed to dig trenches for
field drainage. Clay or plastic tiles
(depending on the type of field soil)
are then laid by hand along each
trench.
Bauer said Buckeyes can dig
about five-feet down, but the
average depth in laying tiles is
usually 30 inches. The length of
each trench varies on the field size,
which he said can be anywhere from
“zero to a couple of thousand feet
long if need be.”
“It takes a long time to dig a
trench because it goes so slow. On
average, the digging speed is about
six to seven feet a minute,” said
Bauer.
He said on a good day, the
Buckeye will dig about 4,000 feet,
but the newer models today “can dig
a lot longer.”
He said their machine digs an 18-
inch wide trench and although they
really enjoy using it, they “haven’t
used it much this past year or so
because of the more advanced
technology.”
. He said a new Buckeye machine
in the 1950s would be worth about
$11,500, but today it’s worth $3,500
to $4,000.
The brothers bought the machine
in the early 1980s from Ellis Craig.
Over time, parts have needed to be
replaced and Bauer said any part that
broke down was quickly replaced
through the help of Wolf Equipment
near Walton.
This may only be the Bauer
brothers third demonstration at the
annual show, but they have been
attending it (with the Buckeye) for
the last six years.
"We’re really looking forward to
returning to the show. It’s always
gone. People bring their friends back
over to see it.”
To help make the digging a little
easier, the Bauers use a 1962 - 63
tractor backhoe that begins the
trench hole.
Aside from these machines, the
two brothers will also show a 1947
Austin Western road grader, that for
eight years, has plowed the streets of
Brussels, as well as a number of
residential driveways.
They bought it privately in 1994
from a man in Mount Forest.
“It's in good shape and in
excellent working condition,” Bauer
said. “It’s extremely rare - I don’t
know of any other running machine
of this model in Canada or the U.S.”
Because it is so rare, Bauer said
finding and replacing parts is a
difficult task, but local machine
shops “do their best” to help.
The brothers also restore antique
garden tractors and this year at the
Reunion, they will display a 1960
Massey Ferguson tractor.
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Step Back In Time at the
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