Really cool unit. The power plant apparently is a John Deere LUC. This was a two cylinder power plant usually used on the 12A combine manufactured between mid 30s to about mid 50s. The 12A was pulled by a tractor. The C part of LUC means it was manufactured for combines. However, the only one I ever saw was attached to a lumber saw. The thing had a hand clutch to engage the flywheel. There was a belt that drove the large circular saw. Of course, the one I saw could have been an LA or some similar unit.
Since cotton was king when I was a kid, there were very few combines until the 60s when wheat and later beans began to be planted. That was just after an elevator was built in the parish. No elevator, no way to get grain to market. Shortly after the elevator came, the railroad shut down and we were back to limited access to market. Darn those rich Yankee robber barons!
Wish I had paid more attention when I was a kid. Sure missed a lot of stuff that are pretty cool now.
