We had the Ford dealership prior to Capitol, Alpine Ford Tractor & Equipment. We owned it outright, was a large commercial building and existing business for 30 years prior, 3 full time mechanics, 2 parts guys, 1 service guy + other part timers, 1 sales guy, 1 clerk etc., was about 6 miles east of Troy on Rt 2. We also sold Mobil Gas, which was the first business there in Clums Corners, originally called Brown's Garage, whom got into Ford somewhere when 2N's 9N's were new, not sure if he was in it prior. I have a photo from the history book on our town, showing 11 new 8Ns in front of the shop, I believe all with side sickle mowers and I think 1 with a power broom, which I've never seen on one of those. I don't believe we have any photos of when the lot was full, we had em all, thousands all the way up to the 8000, industrials, LCG's, 4500-6500 hoes + Ford Hay Equipment, I still have the plaque from '72, Ford Motor Company awarded our merchandising of same. We used to drive up the tractors and haul the hay equipment up to the Schatighcoke fair for display, I still have the canvas banner we hung and all kinds of odds and ends from that business. I still hope to find a photo from the fair back then, have yet to see if anyone has photos from those days. My father had bitter dealings with corporate Ford at times, over selling industrial vs ag, he went and sold 29 backhoes to Niagara Mohawk Power Company and they tried to impose all kinds of harsh financing after he worked hard to sell that deal, they tried one, would leave it unplugged, checked out our service etc. but he sold em eventually only to be told to sell ag when ag was not doing well, when was it ever doing well LOL ? This in turn became advarsarial and eventually resulted in Ford being asked to remove their stock off the property, I thought it a shame, because it was a viable business, just hardheaded at times, those tractors were a good line, especially highway mowing LCG's, the backhoes etc. they were quite profitable. We never sold any tillage or other ag equipment. Capitol was a rival JD dealer then, strange how they had 2 fires, last one lost them the JD dealership. Our town had 2 5500 hoes which we painted orange from new, until the mid 90's, and a good buddy has a nice 640 with a 711 one arm loader, has our sticker on it, boy I'd love to have that one, was hardly used, we had a pair in on trade, called em 1 arm bandits like many did. We had one heck of a parts inventory, I helped load that out, what a task that was, 2 floors of bins going back a lot of years, lot of spare tin for hundred series and older, cast parts and just all kinds of things from all the years, would have been a parts haven for a Ford enthusiast today, place was never closed for us, need something on the farm, was great to have a place like that.
Theres a nice 6600 on auger duty at the grain elevator nearby, since new from Capitol, same sticker on it, nice shape, well built tractors, will always be a fan of them, but in turn like em all just the same, still see quite a few good IH's around here still, was JD IH & Ford mostly.
