1946 Super Six Jr Hydra Lift Tractor In Original Box
Fantastic heavy gauge pressed steel, mechanical Super Six Jr. Hydra-Lift Tractor manufactured by Super Six Mfg. Minneapolis, MN. Originally available only through a licensed Super Six dealership. Wind-up toy features all of the controls of the full scale tractor. Includes "red barn" original box, operating instructions, and in-box photo leaflet. Toy is in spectacular near mint+ to mint condition! Dealer promotional toys, especially farm implements and tractors, were built to emulate the sturdiness and durability of the full scale product. In fact this is one of the heaviest, well built tractors I've seen. Weighing over two pounds this toy was meant to last. It's all thick, pressed steel, with baked on painted enamel. Grommets are all riveted in place. Metal tabs were designed to protrude from the underside. In other words it looks less like a toy and more like a tractor. It has a brilliant lemon yellow body, chassis, and rear wheel hubs with red bucket and lift. The four tires are thick solid black rubber and cannot be turned. I love the chrome plated disk on the front hood! The toy is actually a mechanical wind-up device which uses its right rear tire as a "hidden" winding key. Turning the wheel counter-clockwise winds up the spring release mechanism. The chrome plated pull-out lever adjacent to the right rear tire controls a ratcheting device which functions as a three speed clutch. Pushing down the seat raises the lift bucket up to 8" high. The lever near the left tire tilts the bucket forward for dumping and returns it to the loading position. This same lever also works as the braking mechanism by moving it side to side. The stick located to the right of the seat will lower and level the bucket support arms. It also has a heavy duty chrome plated hitch for additional implements. The large chrome plated embossed steering wheel surprisingly does nada! The box was built was as much quality in mind, as the toy itself. It was made from thick, single wall cardboard with exterior lithographed print. The print design duplicates a red farm barn complete with tiled green roof. When you lift up the exterior endflaps it reveals that the interior flaps were lithoed to look like barn doors (see second set of box photos). Now that's what you call "quality". One of the main box panels shows an accurate illustration of the actual Super Six Hydra-Lift Tractor. One of the endflaps shows a similar smaller illustration along with the manufacturer name and address. The original operating instructions are also included. It fits over the rod shaped lever to the left of the driver's seat. It's a fairly complicated toy and the instructions come in very handy. An in-box leaflet promotes the toy as similar to the "big loaders on the farm". It includes a terrific photo of an actual Super Six at work with bucket loader in operation. Selling for $3.95 in 1946 this was an expensive toy. I doubt if many were sold, or produced. Size: 13" x 5½" x 6" Date Sold: Apr. 2008
Price Sold: $ 923
