Ray, those are a couple of amazing photos. The "comparison" photo is one of the largest hitches I have ever seen with a mixture of mules and horses.
Still cant get over all the hills that get farmed. We are used to everything being as flat as a pancake here in western Kansas.

That looks like it might be the Pence place, out east of Paso Robles and San Miguel about 20 miles or so. I farmed that while working on the George Work ranch out on Hog Canyon Road in 1966! My first job out of collage, ranch hand on 10,000 acres, Barley and Beef.

I know where the D 35 picture was taken. It is the Adelaida area on the west side of Paso Robles, very near the intersection of Cypress Mountain and Chimney Rock Road. I would give a name but I never know how the wind is blowing for current own.

I farmed that field for four years in the late 80's.

The picture with the horses was probably on Union Road east of Paso just about where the Steinbeck Winery is today. If you look at horse drawn combine, no engine on it. All the power for thrashing is provided by the horses via the the big wheel on the right side of the combine. This is not the best picture to get a count on horses. But 40 head or more without a engine, after engines where on the combine 32 was very common.

My grandfather was noted for his skill with horses and the large jerk line teams. He had not had any interest in tractors until they got big enough to pull the big sidehill combine. But jumped in with both feet by buying a untried diesel. The Ernst family talked of in the combine thread put a order in for the new Caterpillar Diesel 35, the dealer requested a 2nd D35 to use in demonstrations. I assume the 1934 grain crop must have been good as my grandpa was ready to buy a tractor. Provisions where made to let the dealer bring prospective buyers to drive it.  Since the D 35 did not need to rest like a horse grandpa was on the hunt to find disc plowing and chisel plowing jobs and running the tractor 24 hours a day. As I have talked of in other posts it was still a learning time for Cat on break in and oil consumption issues. But in the end a good purchase.

CASE Model W. My in-laws ran a model W from 37 or 38 till 48 in the Montpellier ca. area they went from Mules and a Harris hillside to a AC model KO ,they said compared to the Harris the Case was a BIG letdown, canvas was too narrow and they had to stand on the header with a stick to keep it moving, I just scrapped the last of it 17afarmer

One neighbor that did not have a grain crop every year used a Case when I was kid. But I never got close to it, But trade up to a JD 36 b. But I do know a Case header that got pushed down into the canyon behind a barn, maybe it is even 2 headers.

Ran across some photos -   As I am not certain it is within copyright laws to post the photos, here are a couple of links -
Does this steamer not remind you of Don Hunter's Replica 111?

calisphere.org/item/d2226e5b0858171cd1e75dc62d41b147/
calisphere.org/item/24ea98a4e9171bfd2a9e6f98bd4972f6/

calisphere.org/collections/  

"keep 'em crawlin"
Cts

  on     Not good pictures but here’s 34 Best 60s and 30s leveling 10,000 acres in Merced Ca. 1924 

 
1937 California
Bert Adado is in the cab of the 1935 Ford truck, Howard Mouren is on the 60 cat tractor. They would have to tow the Ford truck 
at times because of how sandy the field was.