LDJ

[NY 986]

Over on the IH/ Farmall board they were talking about survivor tractors which I assume means I tractor that was bought new, placed into storage due to health or death or other circumstance and has sat over a great length of time relatively untouched. My question for LDJ is it seems I heard of a John Deere dealer in central NY that the owner had died and subsequently went out of business. The estate was only settled within the last ten to twelve years. In the estate sale were a couple of either 4010's and/or 4020's that had never been off the dealer's lot and were stored in the dealership building. I was wondering if this in fact happened and what you might know about it.

 

[LJD]

It wasn't our dealership. I worked at Laneway Incorporated. It was owned by Jim Lane, a retired chicken farmer turned Deere dealership owner. We had two dealerships. Harpersfield and Oneonta, both in central New York. Jim died around 1995 but did not collect tractors. We did not have any "new" old stock tractors in hiding. We covered much of NY, PA and Maine. Ag, industrial and forestry. Ken Canary was our biggest competitor.

From what you're saying, I would suspect Ken Canary of having new tractors in storage. He was our biggest competitor. He owned several Deere dealerships closer to the Albany area. Called K.C. Canary. I know when he got old, he sold the Deere dealerships and then started a new business dealing more with older Deere tractors. I can't recall the new name. I spoke with Ken maybe 8 year ago - and he wasn't dead then. May be now?

Here in central NY - there were only 2 or 3 Deere dealers. US - Laneway Incs. K.C. Canary, SNB (South New Berlin) and over towards the Finger Lakes is Cazenovia Equipment.

I also used to work for Gangeri Deere back in the 60s, Imperial Tractor Deere in the 70s -but they were not in central NY.

 

[LJD]

You got me wondering so I looked in some newspaper archives.

Ken has his 60th wedding anniversary in 2008. Even had a old Deere tractor at the party. Article below:

Ken and Phyllis Canary celebrate 60th anniversary
September 29, 2008
The Leader Herald
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Ken and Phyllis Canary celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary June 5. A reception in their honor took place Friday, July 11, at the Broadalbin Hotel as part of the Canary family reunion weekend, with approximately 55 family members in attendance. The couple arrived at the reception in a recently restored 1966 Amphicar (amphibious car) that they purchased new. The entrance of the hotel was decorated with a 1952 John Deere Model 70 tractor, the same year and model as the first tractor the couple sold when starting out in the John Deere business. The dining room was decorated with pictures and albums of the past 60 years as well as Phyllis Canary's wedding dress, which had been made by her mother. The guests were entertained by the 1940s music as well as a game of Ken-and-Phyllis-Canary trivia. The winners of the trivia game were Audrey Canary, Warren Canary and Bill Crannell.

The couple married on June 5, 1948, at the Broadalbin Baptist Church. Together they operated an Esso Gas Station and used car lot on East Main Street in Johnstown. Later, they sold used cars and ran a salvage yard on Route 29. In 1952, they started their long affiliation with John Deere, eventually handling farm, construction and lawn equipment.

The farm, lawn and garden portion of the business is now Hudson River Tractor Co., in which the Canarys are still partners. The construction equipment portion of the business was sold several years ago.

Ken Canary enjoys working on and collecting John Deere two-cylinder tractors (1923-1959) and has bought back many that he had sold and traded originally. He also is a pilot.

Phyllis Canary enjoys Creative Memory scrapbooking and reading. They are active members of the Perth Bible Church and the Sacandaga Bible Camp. They also still enjoy flying as well as recreational vehicle traveling.

They have four children, Lynda (Bob) Naske of Johnstown, Lois (Bill) Dmyszewicz of Mayfield, Laurie (Tom) Frederick of Northville and Keith (Kelly) Canary of Vail Mills. There are eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

 

[NY 986]

I wish I could remember which town this dealer was suppose to be in. It seems to me that the person in question had died many years ago. Maybe somebody else here knows. Speaking of historical milestones I see the old Finger Lakes Equipment building on RTE 20 in Waterloo was leveled recently. They went out in the early to mid 1970's. They sold Oliver, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, and New Idea. They had an indoor showroom which was and is rare in these parts. They were tied in with Don Howard in Canandaigua late in their existence. Don Howard is a story in itself.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I recall from years ago, I think a 3010, visible behind glass at the "five points" in Auburn for years after Wally Monroe retired.
I don't know what ever happened to it. Possibly the family still has something, I don't know.
That was the end of the era where we literally had 6 JD dealers to choose from.
We still have 2, which is better odds than most.

 

[Bob Collins]

There were at least 2 more CNY dealers you did not mention. In Sherrill/Oneida there was Oatman Tractor and in Canastota there was Deppoliti John Deere(not sure of the spelling) Oatman closed in the early 60s and I think the other was in business into the 70s. These towns are between Syracuse and Utica. Don't think either had any NOS tractors left.

 

[NY 986]

This is driving crazy trying to figure this out. It seems there was an auction bill advertising these tractors plus dealership items but I never thought to save anything. I want to say this dealer would have been between Syracuse and Binghamton. Your comment about going to 6 to 2 dealers is quite telling. There are easily dozens of dealer names around here that have been out of business for quite a while. I can remember a couple of winter afternoons years ago where the neighbor and I figured out just how many faded into history.

 

[LJD]

You go back to the early 60s there were many Deere dealers around. The farm down the road from me was one and still has a few left-over Deeres that never sold. 420, 530, and a 620.

Our dealership (where I worked, not owned) bought out two local Deere dealers around 1960.

In regard to big old time dealers in central NY? It all depends what your definition is since there is no set rule. Same goes for the Adirondacks since the boundaries have changed a few times.

I live in Otsego County that is most commonly called part of "Central NY" but also the "Leatherstocking Region." Then there's the "Mohawk Valley", "Southern Tier", "Central/Eastern", "Capital Region", etc.

The New York State Department of Transportation defines the Central/Eastern region as including the counties of Albany, Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, and Washington, but does not commit itself to a definition of "Central New York."

Kind of like the term "upsstate New York." People "downstate" near NYC call anything 20 miles north of the city as "upstate." People along the Canadian border call my area "down state" even though I'm 200 miles north of NYC.

Much is relative. My reference to "central NY" is basically a reference to the Mohawk Valley, Leatherstocking area, and the Capital Region.

 

[ET]

I remember hearing of a dealer in the Weedsport, Port Byron area that closed it's doors when the new generation came out and had a 530 in the show room untill the estate was settled sometime in the early 80's.

 

[Bob Collins]

Yes, you are right about the term 'Upstate New York' I lived in Madison County and was about 2 miles from the place considered the geographical center of the state util the early 60s when someone figured it to be about 10 miles farther south, still close enough to the "center" so that I felt comfortable with the term 'central.'

 

[fred goodrich]

In Whitney Point NY there was Manwaring Equip. which put out a lot of JD product. That is just north of Binghamton.

 

[Farmer12306]

This is the last contact info I have for ken canary. It's worth a shot
Canary Classic Corp is located at 1719 State Highway 29 Gloversville, NY. Phone: 518-773-7421.
Show map of 1719 New York 29, Gloversville, NY or you may call Hudson river tractor in foultonville ny 518-853-3405. That dealership bought ken out and some of the people who worked for ken in gloversville work there now. Good luck