Post by JasonB on Jan 2, 2017 20:18:32 GMT
Back in November, I attended the National Farm Toy Show in Dyersville Iowa. While walking around and looking through an Outdoor vendors tent who was selling brochures and other memorabilia, we got to talking about what we collected, I mentioned I was after anything with Gleaner or Allis Chalmers. This vendor was from Oklahoma, who turned out to have a few old brochures on the old Gleaner pull type combines, in which I did not hesitate to buy. He then told me, about his home town growing up, where the local FORD Automobile dealer sold Gleaner-Baldwin combines alongside the cars, I am not 100%, but would imagine this dealer also handled Ford son tractors as well, Anyway the local Allis Chalmers dealership was right across the road, so when Allis Chalmers bought Gleaner in 1955, the Gleaner combine line moved across the road. It's got me thinking about how many Auto dealers back then also handled the Gleaner combine line, and or other Farm equipment brands. Given this was a Ford dealer, I wonder if Gleaner-Baldwin used the Ford dealers to sell the Fordson- Mounted Gleaner combine? Makes perfect sense to me, given they used the Fordson tractor as a base for the combine. I wish I had asked the dealer more about that Ford auto dealer selling Gleaner's, and should have asked about the Fordson Mounted Gleaner. Again, Id love to know more about Gleaner-Baldwin's dealer network prior to being sold to Allis Chalmers? Wonder what made the Baldwin Brothers sell out to AC? Was Gleaner in trouble prior to the AC buyout? Also interested to know if another Farm Equipment company tried to acquire Gleaner before Allis Chalmers? I have heard from a few different people that Allis Chalmers almost bought DEERE in the early 30's. Imagine if that happened?