I bought this old Hardy hay and train elevator off C-list for $100. After working on it some I decided it needed some paint, not a restoration quality job, but I looked up an old brochure on one, and they looked to be red and grey so I went with that, and did more of a user type brush on paint job. A trip to the electric motor shop for a checkover and repair, two new belts, a new idler gear, piece of pipe for frame repair, and a couple used tires, some odds and ends bolts and I have a working elevator.
-- Edited by Adam on Monday 13th of November 2017 08:38:34 PM
You all have me curios now, I'll have to check the tag tomorrow. All the other elevators I've seen are the double chain type, so I wasn't sure about this one when I bought it. After the repairs, I was really impressed with the amount of corn it would move. A buddy of mine that was helping me and also picks corn, borrows a double chain type from a neighbor, he said he was going to start looking for a single chain one to buy because he liked it so well. I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm really happy with the job it did, and it fits into my crib good.
That looks exactly like the CASE elevators that were very popular around here dating back to the 40's/50's. They were convertible, sides up for corn, fold out flat for hay. By the time I was a teen and working hay baling crews, most of them were just used as hay elevators. I'd never seen one being used for corn. I'm pretty sure the CASE elevators were manufactured at the Burlington, IA plant where they build backhoes now. They used to build pull type combines there back in that era. A lot of farmers also worked at the CASE factory and I think were allowed to buy the elevators at a discount and evidently not limited to a single purchase as a lot of them were bought for neighbors and relatives, which is why there were so many in the area. (Not documented, just folklore passed down) I'm wondering if Harvey/Hardy obtained rights to the elevator after CASE dropped them from the lineup? Since I don't know the accuracy of information handed down to me, I suppose another possibility is that they never were Case originally, but outsourced from Hardy/Harvey and rebranded CASE.
-- Edited by greenswede on Monday 13th of November 2017 09:46:46 AM
-- Edited by greenswede on Monday 13th of November 2017 09:47:15 AM
-- Edited by greenswede on Monday 13th of November 2017 09:47:43 AM
Good job reviving another unusual implement! It was mostly Kewanee and John Deere elevators around me. I have never seen a single-chain except for bale elevators. Pretty neat!
It is a Harvey elevator made by Farmtools Inc. Mansfield Ohio. I had looked up the information when I started working on it, then I guess I forgot, and the kids that were helping me paint, painted over the tag. Anyway here's the slightly less painted tag, and the brochure that I used to come up with how to paint it.
That's funny you mentioned Case, because the only other single chain elevator for corn and hay I've ever seen was a Case. And it looked identical to the I have except that it had old lettering that you could definitely see said Case.
Harvey-Farm Tools and Case sold elevators like that during the same time period. I had wondered myself if Case outsourced them but we had an E3 (I think) that looked like the Harvey but had a very different jackshaft drive setup for an electric motor, as well as a somewhat different undercarriage.
I delivered semi-truck loads of tires to the Case Burlington plant. Also about 5-6 years later interviewed with the Purchasing Manager there for a purchasing opening he had. Interesting interview! Didn't get the job but interesting.
I think Mayrath made elevators. But growing up 20 miles from Kewanee, Illinois, everybody had a Kewanee, nothing else.
Dad did have a little electric 16 foot long aluminum single chain Harvest Handler elevator to elevate corn from the ends of the crib into the Knoedler burr mill grinder so the grinder could elevate the ground earcorn to the auger that moved the ground feed out to the cattle feeder.
