The same grain drill end next to another one often seen.

That is the first "Massey-Harris Harvesters Co" grain drill end I have seen, do you know which model drill it came off? it looks to be almost the same size as the Y155 which we do have here in UK.

Malcolm.

Malcolm,
I have no idea what model drill it came from. It appears to be the same size and shape as the Y155.
Mike

I went to the Llanarmon-yn-Ial club's threshing day and had the most incredible bit of luck.  I found this piece of HARRIS cast iron on a stall.  Harris traded his mowers and binders under the Bratford name, Brantford being the location of the Harris factor in Ontario.  Later of course it all came into the new Massey-Harris company after the 1891 merger of the two companies.

 It's a gear box cover from the Brantford No 3 Front Mower.  This mower had the cutter bar mounted to the front of the wheels.  A picture of it is shown on P 90 of my book Massey Legacy Volume 2.

Harris memorabila of ANY type is extremely hard to come by and I have only seen two of these mowers in my many trips to N America.

John

It was certainly your lucky day yesterday John, someone was looking down on you  and helped you locate that very early and rare piece of Harris cast iron.

I have checked my photographs this morning and the ones we have seen are all different.

1. Front Cut No 3 (part number M101)
2. Big 5
3. One Horse (part numbert M55)

Here are the photo's of  2 and 3.

Well done on your find, are there any other different examples amongst other Massey Collections around the world?

Malcolm.

John 
What a lovely thing to find.

Does anyone have any information on Harris wrenches (spanners)

Al;an

I was so pleased with my find of that rare Harris - Brantford - gearbox cover that I took the rare decision (for me!) to paint it.  Here it is in its new glory for all to see.  I also painted up my Z 82 seat in the same colours as this is thought to be a Harris seat - but I have to await definitive proof on this.    Anyone out ther know anything more to enlighten me??? Keith??? Craig????  All suggestions welcome.

John

Good to see you have had the paint brush out John and look forward to anyone confirming the Z82 seat being of Harris origin.

I have been digging in my literature and found a picture of the No 3 Front Cut mower in  the only Harris catalogue I have, you can see the gearbox cover quite clearly in one of the photo's. The cast iron seat is not the Z82 in these pictures, but a heavier duty seat with vertical slots can be seen.

Harris literature is certainly very scarce, this piece of mine was found in Yorkshire, England several years ago, it covers mowers, grain binders and sail reapers. I would be interested to see any other Harris literature anyone has in their collections.

Malcolm.

Malcolm,

I had a check in the only piece of Harris literature that I have - an 1891 A. Harris Pocket Compendium and the Brantford No 3 mower is shown in that.  This was the year that Harris and Massey merged.

I then looked in some Massey-Harris compendiums and saw that the Brantford No. 3 mower continues until 1898.   So this gearbox lid could be either of the Harris era or the very early Massey-Harris era.

John

Very interesting research John, a period we have not deeply explored yet and amazing a piece of "cast iron memorabilia" ignites the enthusiasm for more in depth investigation. I have several of the late 1800 and early 1900's Pocket Compendium's so another cold dark evening's job to look through them all again, it's amazing what detail is in there.

Malcolm.