Online Catalogue last updated 17th of September 2023
In 1853 a German immigrant named Meinrad Rumely emigrated to the United States and set up a blacksmith shop in the small Indiana town of LaPorte. Within a few years he began the manufacture of threshing machines and steam engines, and the company grew into one of the largest agricultural machinery concerns in the world.
With the introduction of the famous OilPull tractor, the Rumely name became famous around the world as it helped to open the vast prairies of North America. In an ironic twist, the Rumely company collapsed at the seeming height of its success, rose phoenix-like to greatness in the teens and 1920's, only to collapse once more in the grips of the Great Depression.
This then is the story of the men and machines which built an empire that reached around the globe, that man might never again know famine. Rumely machines, especially the OilPull tractor, were so reliable and beloved that many owners considered them members of the family, a trait shared by collectors to this very day.
The author, Scott L. Thompson was bitten by the Rumely bug when he purchased a 20-40 Rumely OilPull and the threshing machine it worked with in the 1930's and 40's. He has spent many years researching the Rumely company and publishing Rumely Collector's News magazine.
This self published book is well illustrated with mostly black and white photos of photocopy quality, but there is a small number of colour illustrations.
Code No. 010232