Hey there folks, I can only give my dad decent answers to all the questions he's began asking regarding a tractor I've mentioned here before- that being a Tailseat, wide gauge Thirty on swamp pads. Just recently my Great Aunt discovered a photograph of her and my grandfather along with the family dog sitting on a Tailseat Thirty with what I'm 99% sure are swamp pads. Methinks you couldn't fit swamp pads on a narrow gauge thirty, so we could say the tractor in the family photo is of an identical configuration to the 1928 Thirty I know and enjoy today.  

 
 

So, since this discovery, my dad now has questions I can generalize into one, of which I could not provide an in-depth enough answer. 
- How rare is a Wide gauge tailseat Thirty with swamp pads?
They are rare, as Caterpillar made more topseats than tailseats, even harder to find a wide gauge. However perhaps if somebody has the serial number range that would/could be helpful. Additionally, swamp pads were an optional package a customer could have ordered from the dealer (please correct me if I'm wrong) - anyone else ever come across a thirty in the same configuration as ours? 

In summary, we have a most peculiar Thirty here, and a photo of one similar if not identical to the one in question. Both of these tractors were in very close proximity to each other in California...if not by some crazy coincidence a family friend bought the family's tractor after it had been sold once or more times over. My dad wishes to know the scarcity of a Thirty of this configuration..even for back in the day. My personal idea is that the wide gauge and tailseat are serial number specific, and the swamp pads were a matter of preference for the individual farmer. I do not possess any parts manuals, serial number books or whatever else that may have given us the answers already. I like to think my pre-existing knowledge is correct and that I'm not blinded by the 18 year old's young and aggressive passion for early Gas crawlers, haha.

I look forward to any/all replies that come our way, many thanks.
 

Hard to tell what grousers are there since there's mud stuck on them but I'm thinking they are the: S-1920 13" High grouser integral drop forged shoe.
Man, that picture is priceless! It reminds me of a similar picture I have not related to tractors, of my Great-Great Grand father and Great Grandfather with his team of horses and workers at the family sawmill taken back around 1900. Family business was logging in the 1800's but they never had any tractors. Only a steam sawmill and horses.

That is a priceless photograph! Happy faces! JM

I have only casual observation from things like the Paso Robles California Pioneer Day Parade and the Tulare Antique Tractor show and Best of the West show in Santa Margarita. I would guess that wide gauge and narrow are close to equal. No real knowledge of track pads, but again observation. The more open pad your newer pictures shows lost popularity. So if tracks were replaced and new shoes were used, that was not what was put back on.

I never thought of the open shoes as a swamp pad, just what a lot of the earlier tractors used. Never thought of why they were that way. From my understanding the covering of the whole track keeps some of the abrasive soil away from the chain slowing the wear a bit. Which I assumed was the reason they went away, but again just a guess.

As for the tail seat. After the propensity of the seat to sending you flying into the hood and exhaust pipe was discovered, I don't think many were sold that were not going into orchards. But the Thirty was well out of production before my time. So hopefully a better historian comes with more and better information.

Thank you for sharing a very good piece of your family history with that picture.

Wonderful Photo

Top Seat (cruiser) vs Tail-seat (orchard) versions, are the same tractor chasis, be it standard or wide gauge. The gauge is determined by the final drive gear housings and equalizer bar in basic terms, of course the track frame from the dead shaft to the roller frame was also different.
To convert from Cruiser to orchard, you basically pull the transmission cover and change it over. I know of many that have had that done to them. Most often going from Cruiser to orchard configuration. Some went to the extremes and converted the "sidewinder" friction levers to veritical levers as in a cruiser configuration.

If my memory serves correctly - serial number of the tractor was on the transmission cover. Thus serial number does not really reflect a lot about the original tractor.
There have been many "conversions" of one form or another to Thirty's.
Many of the wide guage were canabalized here in the Northern Sacramento Valley for their running gear, used for building self propelled combines.

Thirty's were still in use in the 60's and early 70's in many operations. I was always told - a Thirty with high compression pistons would out work a RD4.
I do not recall many Wide Gauge Thirty's as I was growing up, a neighbor had one and it was the rarity here. it was a cruiser (top seat).

Track plates or pads as well as the rails were not always original Thirty parts. Caterpillar Thirty-Five track and rails will work. That beign said, there is no easy answer to your question.

Ray54 --- nothing I have ever been in the seat of will "launch" the unwary or uninformed operator like a Tailseat Thirty! That seat sits so far beyond the rear sprocket it does not take much to send one onto the fuel tank and headed directly for that exposed and HOT manifold. (been there, don't need to re-play the fear that put in me!) Later models, the D2, D4 tailseats were not exactly reliner comfortable but they did not throw you as violently as a Thirty! Many of the D2, D4's were fitted with "check busters" for that reason especially those used putting up "checks" with a disc ridger.
CTS

 
 Many thanks to everyone’s replies and input. So far you’ve all made my dad’s morning. 

I can also add that the Family’s ranch was 400+ acres in Paso Robles. There they farmed Wheat, Alfalfa and Almonds every kind of livestock etc. According to my late Great Uncles account, our Thirty was used for the Almonds, his sister (great aunt in the photo) can also recall it having the standard Grey/red trim color scheme. The Thirty we acquired from our friend was, at the time of him purchasing it, used in Delano by a sheep herder pulling water wagons for his animals. That family photo was taken in 1932-34. Our friend bought his Thirty from the Sheep herder in the 80s where it had been in continued use. 
 


My 6 and 17 year old self with our Family Friend and the Thirty. He passed away shortly after we took it off his old, indestructible hands. 

I love the pictures Marcellus

For those of you that can remember "Willy", he swore that his 30 would out pull an early D4. I suspect he was correct.

Grant,
I would not want to bet on the RD4, especially if the Thirty was in good shape!
( I have mentioned in some threads here - Dad had a friend bore the wrist pin ends of the Thirty rods to fit Cummins Diesel Pistons he had available. The barrels were also bored to accept the pistons, they were pretty close so no harm to the barrels. Those pistons were longer from the wrist pin to the top of the dome, therefore raising the compression. The Thirty spoke with authority, it did need a better radiator, the one on it was not great and it tended to get warm fast without the good cooling. I would bet it would outpull a D4 if it had the grip on the ground, standard gauge tractor)

RE: photo of this wide tread thirty --- I noticed something that could be a problem if you do run it much. I see the "auxillary fuel tank" too, great idea, we have used that many times in the past when we had the tractors and Model T's. We had a 5 gallon "jerry" can with an outlet and valve near the bottom. a barbed hose connector to the brass ball valve and we were in business for any of them. Saves a lot of wasted fuel. Heidrick family had a mueseum besides the widley known one in Woodland. They had many "freon" tanks fitted with valves on tractors as they were easliy converted and held enough for short operations.

Issue I saw --- The Water Pump is fed from the bottom of the rediator through a solid steel line. Yours appers to have two sections of rubber hose and one of them makes a 90 degree turn. That is the suction side, collapse that hose and you starve the waterjackets, those cylinders make a lot of heat very fast!

On the bottom radiator tank, a valve hanging down, presumeably to drain the tank and radiator. I would go back to a 1/2" pipe plug, not chance breaking the bottom tank.
Also on the line from the lower right radiator support, it is held by two bolts. Loosen them and put a small wedge in between line and tank if you do drain the system. That lower support will hold enough water to break that casting if it freezes. (experience is a great teacher)

CTS

I appreciate those pointers, CT. Currently the tractor is not in my direct possession and it has only moved twice (loaded and offloaded) in many many years, it was started twice a year but never tracked anywhere. We hope one day to restore it/have it restored and certainly get it in good running order. The engine and mag themselves are in great if not perfect condition, she runs very smooth.