"NOS" E14 with the Elec-Trak Snow Cab (AG55)
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I picked this "NOS" E14 up from an ex-dealer who had stored it in a barn since his dealership ended. The front axle
was removed for some warranty work and had never been put back on till I picked it up so it truly had never ever been used! It was in really
good shape and I had to work hard to convince him to sell it to me. He had an old E12 that he was using to mow his yard with and had
intended to fix this one up to replace it with. In the end I was able to have
Harold Zimmerman start restoring the original
E14 I had in my collection to trade with him for the "NOS" machine- a real win-win for both of us.
My original E14 was the very first Elec-Trak I had owned and cut my teeth on. On its “Apollo Era" electronics I learned the ropes of these machines. I was fortunate that my good friend Cecil Clancy, a retired G.E. engineer, had the patience to spend hours and hours working with me to tighten all the systems up and revive a very tired old machine. I cannot thank him enough for helping me get some understanding of how these machines work. Virtually every sub-system on the tractor had to be replaced or repaired. When I picked it up one of the batteries had actually exploded and the top had been blown off it! Still it was hooked up in the string and the original owner of the tractor got on and drove it up into my trailer. Amazing! The thing just would not die! It was bitter sweet in a lot of ways seeing the old girl go but I know it went to a good home and I got a great piece of history in return. I have this machine dedicated to one of my snow cabs- the steel sided one (AG55) made by the Curtis Tractor Cab Company (now known as Curtis Industries) for General Electric. They still feature a historical cab similar to the (AG55) on their web site. My neighbor back in Fort Wayne called it the "Pope Mobile" due to the big white cab over the top. He never complained too much when it plowed his driveway of snow every day; all winter long however and never woke him up once! I did have Harold Zimmerman rebuild the mower motors and deck for me however. Getting inside the guts of an electric motor and changing out bearings and brushes is still a bit beyond me at this point. Someday I'll get brave enough to start doing this on my own! Associated Publications: |
