“I didn’t want to have to leave it to somebody else to clean up all this stuff, because it’s a lot bigger than what I realized it was going to be.” Gilliam’s confidence in his decision to sell doesn’t mean it was an easy one; he noted there’s one in particular he’s still struggling to let go: his 1961 Oliver 1800 Diesel. Sold new by his father in 1963 to one of the neighbors, Gilliam said he saw the tractor over the years, but the neighbors were never interested in selling it—at least not to him. Eventually, another neighbor purchased the tractor after the clutch was out, and Gilliam said he was fortunate to be able to buy it from that neighbor. “I’ve got it, but all the sentimental stuff, I think someone can enjoy it just as well as me,” he said. Gilliam’s collection is unquestionably Oliver heav y, but that ’s not all it includes. With nearly 50 tractors, The Gilliam Farms Collection runs the gamut with offerings from throughout the 20th century, ranging from the makes of John Deere, McCormick-Deering and Farmall, to a Massey-Harris 101 Jr., a 1947 Minneapolis-Moline ZTU, a 1947 International T-6 and unique, rubber-tracked U.S. Army Cletrac M-1, to name just a few. Gilliam’s collection features numerous farm implements and engines as well. For example, there’s his rare Oliver plow, which Gilliam said is one of the finer pieces he has, and then there’s the No. 8 John Deere silage chopper with the haylage at tachment and corn chopper, which his neighbor had purchased in 1951. “The corn header is still on the skids it came from the factory,” he said. “He never started this chopper whatsoever. He bought it—that year was really dry—thinking he was going to chop some corn that fall; the corn was so bad, he never pulled it out of the barn. I’ve got the owner manuals and the actual brochure in an envelope.” From Fairbanks Morse No. 2, Jager, IHC and International Hit-N-Miss engines, to various planters, plows and more, the non-tractor segment of Gilliam’s collection is sure to offer enthusiasts plenty of options for something to supplement their own collections. F or Sammy Gilliam, i t was the passion for these pieces of marvelous machinery that drove his collecting habi t — no t uncommon w i t h t he collectors who have come before him and those who will follow in his footsteps. While Gilliam is now ready to part with his tractors—offering his collection at no reserve at the 2023 Gone Farmin’ Spring Classic— it ’s that love for these machines that also means he’s not done in the vintage and antique tractor world. “I’m not saying that I won’t buy me one or two tractors,” he said. “If the right one comes by, and I’m in the right state of mind, I will probably buy it; I’ll say that right now, because I do love them.” OFFERED AT NO RESERVE MARCH 24-25 AT THE 2023 GONE FARMIN’ SPRING CLASSIC
