Oddest place you’ve driven farm equipment

[trackrat]

As the subject of cat scrapers has come up I helped haul 5 big cats from Dallas to outside LA we put the engine-power unit up on a dolly what we called a 3-axle jeep took the tires off of them and pulled the pans behind 45 was as fast as we could go took almost a week to get there somewhere in Arizona one lost a rear tire and wheel off the back, we all had to stay together so here we sit in the desert no food no water sent one of our escort cars for food while we waited on the guy to put the wheel back on ,I don't think they tried that trick again.

 

[Frankmn]

I drove a D21 cat scraper down I 35 from Bloomington to Burnsville Mn in the early seventies right across the Minnesota River bridge. Was about 8 am during rush hour traffic too. Gordy in MN. (Was for a well known contractor too)

Ames?

 

[Not db4600]

Does parts count?
My accomplices stuffed me in a Farmall B tire (8-24) and rolled me through the tavern. The steps at the back door were interesting.

Now why would someone leave their used B tire on the sidewalk?

 

[dlbuck]

I drove a D21 cat scraper down I 35 from Bloomington to Burnsville Mn in the early seventies right across the Minnesota River bridge. Was about 8 am during rush hour traffic too. Gordy in MN. (Was for a well known contractor too)

I'm guessing a Mr Ames was involved in that.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

We drove 2 tractors on I 275 (3 lanes wide) with a police escort behind us for about 4-5 miles. IH 300u with loader and disc, Ford 8n with scraper blade. My brother called in a favor from the police. We were finishing a yard to reseed it, custom job.
On a side note, rrlunds's post made me remember when I was in the first grade, my Dad and uncle were loading and spreading manure for neighbor 3 miles away. They came for lunch, the neighbor dropped them off, so I went back with them after school in our '52 ford p/u. When the job was done, we needed to bring everything home, so Dad 'volunteered' me to drive the tractor with the manure spreader, while he drove the loader tractor ahead of me, and my uncle followed us with the p/u. I was very excited! So, the first part of the drive home was 1 1/2 lane roads, but the last part was 4 lanes to our farm for a 1/4 mile. Dad pulled out onto the 4 lanes, motioned me to now put it high gear, and as I did, I pulled alongside of him, both of us taking the whole road. And cars were coming. In my 6-yr old mind, I thought we could drive side by side! Dad saw what I was doing and quickly motioned me to get behind him. And that let the cars pass us. I don't remember him saying too much about it - they were glad not to have make another trip for a 2nd tractor, and, could now get started milking cows. Mark.

 

[Ray,IN]

I drove a John Deere 8850 from SW Michigan to North Central Illinois through south side of Chicago via RT 30

That had to be fun___. US 30 is a mad-house.

 

[paul]

More of an odd situation.

Fella was hitch hiking on my blacktop gravel road as I was leaving my field with the sprayer, open station Ford 5000. I had to stop for traffic and he was right there, so what could I do?

Said well Im only going a mile, and you don’t have a seat….. he said that’s a mile less walking and hopped on. He just got let out of the county jail, and was heading back to the Twin Cities.

I drove a mile and a half down the road, to the far side of my property. Just didn’t feel like letting him off at my driveway. Figured going down a field road was a little less informative as to where I was located.

Was an interesting mile and a half.

Paul

 

[Gordy in Mn.]

I'm guessing a Mr Ames was involved in that.

A Bloomington cop escorted us to Zieglers because it was dark and no lights. Did I say we didn't have brakes! Gordy on Mn.

 

[DoubleR]

Dad took load of baled hay five miles to railroad yard and loaded hay into box car.

Back in the fifties we would sell hay to a hay jockey and would take it to town and load it on box cars and they would be sent to Flordia.

 

[560Dennis]

Back in the fifties we would sell hay to a hay jockey and would take it to town and load it on box cars and they would be sent to Flordia.

My dad would let come with him ,I was too young to ride in tractor fender in road gear.
Dad said he was how he put it ,he was surprised how much hay a box car would hold.
Do you remember ?

 

[moresmoke]

A Bloomington cop escorted us to Zieglers because it was dark and no lights. Did I say we didn't have brakes! Gordy on Mn.

A scraper with no brakes? I thought hey always had brakes, just gotta be brave enough to drop the bowl.

 

[MeanGene1]

A scraper with no brakes? I thought hey always had brakes, just gotta be brave enough to drop the bowl.

But when roading, a little rough on the pavement. Or with a DW20, just break the lift cable for an instant stop, and hope you have the seat belt on

 

[jon f mn]

Back when I was doing a lot of custom combining I did a job for a farmer that worked the river bottom in in the metro area. His house became part of the mall of America. When I loaded my combine on the trailer it was in the parking lot of the Hilton hotel right where the mall is now.

 

[brentb]

I crossed the causeway bridge in Port Lavaca Texas with a 30’ header on a John Deere 8820 combine

 

[John in MD]

In the 80's bought a JD4440 near Easton on eastern shore of Md. and didn't want to pay hauling so drove it 72 miles home to north Baltimore County to farm in White House Md. At that time Maryland had a Right to Farm law that let you run on shoulder of state roads. Had to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, so I called ahead and it was legal, ended up having 2 toll facility cops and 4 State Trooper escort before I got to west side of bridge (approx. 5 miles). They stopped me and started chewing on me about it, I told them I had called Bridge Authority information number and they said it was legal, but they hadn't told me to call ahead and line up escort. No fine or escort fees. Wouldn't want to try that now.

 

[hoosier.hz]

When I was at Purdue I hauled a tractor down to put on the front lawn of Lilly Hall for AG week. Drove it down Russel street to Lilly at the beginning of the week. When it was over drove it up University street past all the frat houses, Mackey and Ross Ade to the stadium parking lot to load it back on the trailer.

I am here now!

 

[504]

Drove across the Royal Gorge Bridge. Highest suspension bridge in US.

Not farming equipment but I did haul a dry tanker load of dairy feed into to a new subdivision in Nashville Tn. When I got through there the street turned into dirt and cows were crossing the road going to the milking parlor. While I was waiting a shiny new black BMW was coming the other way. I have a feeling the farm was sold and someone retired. I never had another load to deliver there.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Up a tree.

Mike

 

[trackrat]

We used to do an exhibit at the arboretum in Dallas for harvest fest took a jd b and a plow out there to put on display they were paranoid about their sidewalks and grass

 

[sleepy1]

A old abandoned slate quarry , my son and his friend decided if would be fun to take his jeep there and get it stuck. I told them they got it stuck in the middle winter , so they could get it unstuck.