Edward Gross sees plenty of puzzled looks when he transports his Unadilla silo to tractor and auto shows. Besides obvious ties to agriculture history, the 10-ft. model draws interest at auto shows because it was built as a trailer by Lynn Truck and licensed as a 1940 Lynn.

     Growing up on a farm in New York State, Gross, 68, has collected enough old machinery to fill three barns. He’s also interested in the history of local manufacturers and agriculture businesses. He purchased the Unadilla silo trailer about 14 years ago for his collection and started showing it recently.

     Five other similar models were made by Unadilla Silo to advertise the wooden silos that were durable, competitively priced, and inexpensive to set up. Three models burned in a fire, and he doesn’t know much about the other two.

     “It was a creosoted silo,” Gross explains, noting the creosote made the staves last longer but was also the reason they had to quit manufacturing. His silo trailer was licensed for 24 years until it was put in storage in 1964. Other than putting on new tires, the model is in good condition, though the creosote has worn off. Gross protects it by keeping it out of the weather.

     “Farmers remember the names Unadilla Silo and Lynn Truck. It starts conversations, especially with the generation I’m from. I remember chopping corn and blowing it into a wooden silo like this,” Gross says. Next to it, he has a Papec model R Size 10 belt-driven ensilage cutter.

     As part of his interest in sharing history, he plans to take the silo and ensilage cutter to The Farmers’ Museum Tractor Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., Oct. 12-13, 2024. He’ll demonstrate how corn was cut and blown into the silos.

     He welcomes calls from people who have information about Unadilla and the silo models and Papec cutters.

     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edward Gross, 305 County Highway 3A, Wells Bridge, N.Y. 13859 (ph 607-988-7963).