RFD TV Show Direct TV, Ch 379, about the Rock Island Farmall plant which is being torn down. Max Armstrong interviewed people like Spike O'Dell (radio personality) and former workers and buyers of Farmall tractors. They had a parade of the restored old tractors run through the assembly line area (50 acres where they made up to 350 tractors a day) for one last time. Great Program! Kind of sad, but brings back a lot of good memories about a time of American workers sense of pride, prosperity, and "better times for middle class". Articles and comments of possible interest: http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/01/07/news/local/doc45a09cf9b8098594036223.txt? Story Pictures http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/01/07/news/local/doc45a09cf9b8098594036223.txt?showComments=true Comments http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007/02/04/opinion/opinion/doc45c3a0f61cef8087611672.txt Follow up story http://www.ytmag.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=farmall&th=591269 - Yesterday's Tractors Forum
Comments
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all that equipment is probably in China now.
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Got 1948 M love my old FARMALL
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Its said
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I have a international cub cadet 122 and I like the history of the place
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so sad its all gone. its important to remember that losing our manufacturing isn't just an economic issue, but as in WW2 it can be a matter of national security.
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my uncle worked there in 1952 he used to stock parts. he said he lied and said he was 18 when he was 17
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Grew up In the 70s. with the 560s. A real work horse on the farms. The sound of the six cylinder was music to the ears. Have a 460 a 656 n a M. Trying to find a nice 1963 560 diesel. To buy. Long sleek red beauty. To here the six sing again. Them 560 s n 460s. Where. A sign of the times. A real gem
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sad
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sad
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Tragedy to lose this iconic giant of manufacturing .
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I know how this is our factory was hart-parr, oliver, and white now it is a slab of concrete. My wife work there for a short time and that made her third generation to work there. And now the kicker my dad has a very nice farmall M and I have a farmall 706 and a 560 with a McCormick manure spreader, not very popular around here when I say go BIG RED
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i wonder what it would of been like if they were still in business????
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i am the very proud owner of a 1948 farmall cub. i love that little tractor. who needs a modern sub compact when you can buy an awesome vintage compact farmall cub. while i only have a 2 acres of lawn, and even though the cub is a small AG tractor the cub scales itself well to mowing, snow removal and small chores. i am proud to own one of the best small tractors in history and the one of the best overall tractor brands in history. besides it does a wonderful job mowing with that large 60 inch deck. all for the price of a brand new peice of plastic lawn tractor. i will choose tired iron every time, i wouldn't have it anyway.
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Farmall is my all time favorite tractor!
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Is that tractor boy?
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I would take THIS more seriously if Mr Armstrong did nt own all red out of business tractors.TALKING ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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My dad was the one of the plant managers. He used to work in the Milwaukee plant and was transferred to Rock Island.
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part of America died the day that this plant closed it's doors :'(
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i just bought a farmall cub, im going to use it in my yard mowing and snow plowing maybe even a garden. i love this little tractor and i appreciate the history
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Being a member of Rock Island, and also having a grandfather that worked in that very plant, the very worker who shut the lights off for the last time in the historic plant, it very greatly saddens me that my city couldn't preserve its history better. Funny how just one city over in Moline, there's a huge John-Deere pavillion.