ESTABLISHED JULY 1999

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1 ESTABLISHED JULY 1999 o. 74 March / April 2013

2 Committee Members 2012/2013 President: Chris Baillie Vice President: Don Stevenson Secretary: Robyn MacLeod Treasurer: Bruce Mullan ewsletter Editor: Robyn MacLeod Safety Officers: Robert Burgess Ted MacLeod John O Donohue Events Coordinator:Robyn MacLeod Ipswich & District Vintage Machinery Club (Branch of P.R.H.M.R.S.) Contact: Graeme Reddick Doug Kelly Safety Officers: Graeme Reddick Barry Qualischefski Club meetings are held on the second Saturday or Sunday afternoon of each month at a member s residence. The venue will be advised prior to each meeting. All correspondence should be forwarded to: The Secretary, P.R.H.M.R.S. Inc, 27 Balkee Drive, Caboolture Qld robynmacleod@bigpond.com DISCLAIMER This is the official publication of Pine Rivers Historic Machinery Restoration Society Inc. Any views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Club or Committee. The Club and officials or individual members cannot be held responsible for information, advertisements or transactions published in or begun through this Newsletter. Any article may be reproduced by other clubs provided the source is acknowledged. 2

3 A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Just two months into the year and we see, once again, that the weather has caused substantial damage in the east of the state. I hope all our members have been safe during the bad weather. It has been a quiet start to the year on the rally front. The Australia Day celebrations at Samford Museum were cancelled and the Allora rally ended up being short lived due to the weather. Our first meeting for the year was held at Pine Rivers Park and saw a good attendance. The main issue discussed was the rally so origination could begin. The rally may seem a long way off at the moment but some things have to be done early such as booking the park. Some rally flyers have been printed and are available for any member who may be attending an event. Just let me know and I will forward some to you. The more people that know about it the better. Please note: It is expensive to have the ewsletter printed. To keep production costs down please let me know if you are happy to receive your copy by Until next time Robyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is Engineering??? Engineering is the art of modeling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyze so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance. 3

4 FROM THE PRESIDE TS SHED Someone please tell Buster to stop doing his rain dance enough is enough! Seriously though, New Year events such as Allora and Samford have been rain affected for the third year in a row and must be wondering when they will see the sun again? I was unable to attend the February meeting so hopefully Robyn can advise of any news resulting from it. Sorry about the late advice Robyn :-/) The National Rally is getting closer now so it will soon be time to dust off the nominated machinery for the big trip South. Don t forget to give your car/trailer a check over too. I have a site booked and no other definite exhibitors with me so should have room if anybody is in need of some tent space. No snorers or clean jokes thanks! I intend to stay in Tamworth on the way down on Tuesday night. 4 weeks after the Mudgee trip there is a new addition to the calendar. The Petrie Pioneer Village will be holding their first engine rally in many years on the 18 th and 19 th of May. Some fencing for an engine compound will be set up on the Friday. You are all welcome and encouraged to attend or exhibit I have been working to restore some on-site engines including an Emu back to life so please come and check it out. There will be the usual markets and 600hp steam engine in operation. Cheers Chris ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little boy asks his father, Dad where did I get my intelligence from? The father replied, Must be from your mother. I ve still got mine. 4

Howard, Arthur Clifford (1893 1971) Arthur Clifford Howard (Cliff) was born on 4th April 1893 at Crookwell, NSW and was the eldest son Of John Howard a farmer in the area.

5 Howard, Arthur Clifford ( ) Arthur Clifford Howard (Cliff) was born on 4th April 1893 at Crookwell, NSW and was the eldest son Of John Howard a farmer in the area. The family later moved to a farm at Gilgandra. He grew up in the era of the draught horse, but at a young age, realizing that the future of agriculture lay in mechanization, he became one of the pioneers of modern power farming. The idea of using a powered rotor with blades and tines to cultivate the soil had attracted farmers and engineers for almost 200 years. Numerous patents were filed and some extraordinary prototype machines were built in Victorian Britain where many were convinced that the steam engine could provide the power to turn the rotor in the soil. None of these early attempts achieved success as the steam engines had inadequate power-toweight characteristics for field use. In 1912 Howard began experiments in rotary tillage using the steam tractor his father had brought to the farm at Gilgandra. Using various pieces from farm machinery, he rigged a drive from the tractor engine to the shaft of a one-way notched disc cultivator. However the fast spinning discs threw the soil sideways until he developed an L-shaped blade mounted on widely spaced flanges fixed to a small diameter rotor. Cliff Howard driving the first Rotavator at the Gilgandra farm Howard became apprenticed to the engineering firm of McLeerys Ltd at Moss Vale, NSW and during this time he and close friend Everard McLeery spent time modifying Howard s rotary tillage equipment. At the out break of WWI they had almost reached the point of producing the 5

6 first cultivating and seeding machines. Cliff, being unable to join the Air Force due to a motor bike accident, spent the war years in England working first in munitions and eventually joining Armstrong Siddeley where he worked on the prototype of the Napier Lion aeroplane engine. After the war, with little interest being shown in his rotating hoe blade theories in England, he returned to Moss Vale in 1919 only to find that a fire had destroyed the premises. He went back to the Gilgandra farm, rebuilt the blacksmith shop, and with his younger brother Albert, finished the designs and finally built the first ROTAVATOR. It was on the back of the old steam engine that had first inspired him as a boy. The rotor was made from iron bark timber, milled on the farm, and the blades were made from old sulky springs. The design was right and the first test was successful. Because of the success of the test Howard was able to gain financial backing for the venture. He returned to Moss Vale and re-established his old firm. Realizing that the equipment would work better using petrol engines as the power source, in 1922 the first full sized Tractor / Roravator was produced using a 60 hp Buda engine imported from America. A steel girder chassis was built to carry the engine at the front and the rotary cultivator at the rear of the unit. The engine powered the rear wheels of the tractor unit and also turned the rotor to cultivate the soil. It was 15 feet wide, made in five three feet sections and had three rotor steeds and six travel speeds. It cultivated three and a half acres per hour. The same year Austral Auto Cultivators Ltd was formed to produce and market further rotavators. Howard married Daisy May Hayes in 1925 and by 1926 production had outgrown the small Moss Vale factory and a site was secured at Northmead, near Parramatta. The company (Austral Auto Cultivators Pty. Ltd) produced the whole unit, including the engine and it was at this time that the first tractor unit was produce - The Howard D.H. 22. (Named after his wife). 6

7 At Northnead, Rotavators were adapted for all makes of tractors and some hand controlled models were introduced. Due to increased demand, both local and international, it was difficult to service the market requirements. Due to legal reasons Howard terminated his association with the Northmead company in 1937 and moved to England where he established, in 1938, a new company registered as Rotary Hoe Cultivators Ltd. Once again war intervened in Howard s progress. However the end of WWII saw the company saw the company expand with representatives in most countries in the world promoting the products. Cliff Howard returned to his home country in 1959 and bought back the Northmead company integrating it into the world wide group. They produced small garden tractors, the kelpie in about 1945 and the Howard 2000 in In 1971, just a few months before his death, he was awarded the C.B.E. by Queen Elizabeth for his services to agriculture. Howard DH 22 tractor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7

8 DOW SIZI G SALE 1. M Type Inter, 3hp with Inter Grain Grinder on T/port. (Older restoration) 2. Lister H complete 3. Petter M Type 3hp 2 stroke (Older restoration) 4. Cooper horizontal, enclosed 2 1/2 hp 5. Cooper horizontal, enclosed 2 3/4 hp 6. Crossley twin side shaft 1075, complete, dismantled 7. Inter Hammer Mill - small 8. Jaw Crusher, motor or hand operated (x Essay Lab) 9. Dawn 24 Blower 10. Hercus Metal Lathe with accessories 11. Horse Whim gearbox 12. Small Pot Belly Stove/Heater with chimney 13. Old original magneto magnetizer 14. Transart Junior Welder - old type 15. Lister Separator 16. Various Magneto s 17. Various Primus / Blow Lamps and parts 18. Various Pressure Gauges 19. Various Water Pumps - small to medium Phase Motors 21. Timber framed Jig Saw (motor driven) 22. Various Pulley s 23. Various Carburetors 24. Old style Gerni (Electric and working) 25. Rigid Pipe Threader (Ratchet) 26. Various Crank Handles 27. Small timber top metal framed bench with vice. 28. Various wood working tools and machinery 29. One ton Chain Block 30. Over head gantry 31. Heavy duty caster wheels 8

9 32 Transporter wheels 33 + Lots more For more information on these items contact Rod Phone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLUB NEWS Meetings 2013: Date:- Saturday 9th 1.30pm Place:- Graeme Reddick, 25 Hiewett Drive, Regency Downs (BYO Chairs) If you need directions phone Graeme on As the Ipswich members have travelled to our area several times for meetings it is only fair that we do the travelling occasionally. Date:- Saturday 13th 1.30 pm Place:- George & Rosanna Rinaldi, 6 Roseville Street, Petrie Date:- Saturday 11th 1.30pm Place:- Buster & Pam Lindsay, 42 Barleycorn Avenue, Buderim Date:- Saturday 8th JU 1.30pm Place:- Kim & Ronda Petty, 199 Lindeman Road, Beerwah Date:- Saturday 13th 1.30 Place:- To be decided Date:- Saturday 10th 1.30 pm (A.G.M.) Place:- Ted & Robyn MacLeod, 27 Balkee Drive, Caboolture The Newsletter will now appear on the NHMA web site. There are a number of clubs from around Australia who place their publications on this web site so it may be worth a look to see what is happening with other clubs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9

10 COMI G EVE TS All the events listed below are club ratified events. If you are attending another event you must notify the secretary in writing before attending. All agricultural show dates are correct at the time of printing, however are subject to change by local show societies. March 10th - Watercress Creek Olive Festival, Pine Mountain (Ipswich Branch) 30th, 31st & 1st April - Highfields Pioneer Village Vintage Festival 31st - Rathdowney Heritage Festival April 13th & 14th - Laidley Heritage Festival (Ipswich Branch) 19th, 20th & 21st - NHMA National Rally Mudgee NSW 27th - Marburg Show May 18th & 19th - Boonah Show 18th & 19th - Petrie Pioneer Village 19th - Kitefest, Pelican Park, Clontarf 24th & 25th - Esk Show 26th - Dayboro Day 31st & 1st June - Lowood Show June 7th & 8th - Toogoolawah Show 14th & 15th - Kalbar Show July 27th & 28th - South Coast Rally September 31st Aug. & 1st - Rusty Iron Rally, Macksville NSW 7th & 8th - PRHMRS Rally, Pine Rivers Park 14th & 15th - Kingaroy Rally, Kumbia Sports Ground October: 26th & 27th - TADOMS Rally, Oakey Showgrounds 10

11 SWAP MEETS The dates and venues listed are correct at the time of printing. Do not travel without checking. March 24th - Ormiston State School ( ) April 14th - Willowbank Raceway ( ) July 27th - Nambour Showgrounds ( ) August 3rd - Rockhampton Showgrounds ( ) 11th - Rocklea Showgrounds ( ) September 14th - Gympie Showgrounds ( ) 16th - Beaudesert Showgrounds ( ) MARKET PLACE - BUY & SELL Look on page 8 and 9 for sale items If you wish to place an ad. In this section please notify the secretary in writing 11

12 The Best True Lawyer Story of the Year, Decade and Possibly the Century This took place in Charlotte, orth Carolina. A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim the lawyer stated the cigars were lost In a series of small fires. The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued - and WO!!! Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy with the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable FIRE and so was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the FIRES. OW FOR THE BEST PART.. After the lawyer chased the cheque, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSO!! With his own testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,00 fine. Sent in by Chris Baillie 12

Hunter Valley Vintage Farm Machinery Club Inc.

Hunter Valley Vintage Farm Machinery Club Inc. Hit and Miss Magazine July - 2018 No: 357 The Next Meeting of The Hunter Valley Vintage Farm Machinery Club Inc. will be held Monday 20 th August 2018 at