Have You Ever Seen an International Harvester 826 Gold Demonstrator Before?

In 1970, if you were an interested customer looking at purchasing the International Harvester Farmall 826, the dealer had a demonstrator tractor just for you. Painted gold on the hood of the engine, the purpose of the IH demonstration program was to familiarize farmers with the 826’s hydrostatic drive, a brand new technology at the time. Potential clients would checkout a tractor from the local dealer and try them out in the field before deciding to buy one.

At the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo’s Agricultural Mechanics show, a Gonzales High School student displayed an IH 826 “Gold Demonstrator” that he completely restored.

Luke Tinsley was given his grandfather’s Farmall 826 in August of last year for a restoration project to compete in area agricultural mechanics contests. When lifting the rusty hood of his new project, he noticed gold paint. After some research, Luke said he learned about the old gold demonstrator program and that his grandfather’s old tractor was once part of that program. Luke decided to restore the tractor to its former glory as a gold demonstrator.

The tractor was purchased in 1970 at Boecker Equipment Company in Yoakum by Ernest Kapavik, Luke’s grandfather. The tractor was traded-in in 1980 for a newer tractor. In 1990, however, Kapavik bought it back and gave it to Tinsley’s father.

Robert Washington, an educator who teaches the Agricultural Power classes at Gonzales High built a reputation in the area for helping students restore old Farmalls. The tractor was taken to the high school’s shop and became Tinley’s project.

Tinsley said that the project inspired him to pursue a vocational career as a diesel engine mechanic and he plans to attend a tech training school in Houston upon high school graduation.

As for the tractor, Tinsley said that although it is fully functional, it would probably not ever again see the fields. The primary crop this tractor has worked has been harvesting hay and pulling a hay bailer. Gonzales sits in fertile pastureland for livestock, particularly beef.

Tinsley’s tractor was awarded a blue ribbon at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Ag Mechanics contest.

Tinsley’s classmate, Keaton Glass, a freshman, lives on a farm near Gonzales too. He restored an older tractor, a 1947 IH Farmall H. Keaton’s project tractor was also originally owned by his grandfather who owned a farm near Cost, the site of the Battle of Gonzales, and where the slogan (and flag with a silhouette of a cannon) “Come and Take It” originated.

The Farmall H was a popular, and highly reliable post-war workhorse for American agriculture. Keaton explained that it was “the Model T” of tractors at that time. “There’s not a lot that can go wrong with them,” he said.

Keaton said that the engine’s design is so simple that he could take it apart and reassemble it in about 30 minutes to an hour if he had all of the parts. The transmission is a bit more complex, however, he said.

The hardest task in restoring the old Farmall H was painting it. “I learned to be patient, to take my time, and don’t lose my head,” Keaton said.

Keaton’s restoration project has a special sentimental meaning for him. His grandfather recently passed away. He and his father Glenn Glass restored the tractor in Keaton’s grandfather’s shop, using his grandfather’s tools. Together, father and son rebuilt the engine and the transmission because the gears were stripped, Keaton said.

Keaton said that he will compete his Farmall in a few more shows and a tractor pull or two, but it will never be put back into service.

Keaton too is interested in a career in engine mechanics.

Keaton’s Farmall H received a blue ribbon award by the Ag Mechanics show judges.