Why does farm equipment often resemble creatures?



Old Case Wheat Harvester - Photo by Heidi Hoffer

At the Payne County Exposition Center, there's a museum of vintage and antique cars, vacuum cleaners, and farm equipment. This Case Wheat Harvester's "head" looked like so many different animals to me. I could see a floppy eared dog, a chameleon, a happy fish face, and more.


http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/forum/62391.html
Above is the link to the website where I found a picture of what I think this creature looked like unfolded and out in the field.


 If you go to the website for the full image of the old harvestor, you'll be in for a treat of old seed lore and growing food. Their pictures are particularly nice!  In the above image of the old harvester, submitted by  DavidInAmityOr,UsdaZ8 on January 31, 2009 at 10:58 am PST, I can really see a resemblance to a dashound, or a lizard, or a long-tailed duck.

The John Deere tractors also caught my eye. It was night time, and the tractor arena was lit by Mercury-Vapor lights. The tractor collectors had just finished a parade around the expo center. This imposing John Deere was my introduction to the beauty of tractors. This fellow looked stout and ready, like a prize-fighter.

Photo by Heidi Hoffer.

The John Deere group of tractors shows they came in all sizes. Huge tires and strong looking steel horizontals made it clear these tractors were designed to pull anything and featured strong power take offs to make any attached piece of equipment work. In the background of this photo you can see the revolving metal basket ride with its star shaped lights.

Photo by Heidi Hoffer.

Photo by Heidi Hoffer.

The red International Haverster tractor had exceptionally well-designed lines. The design of the grille is of course meant to allow fresh cool air into the engine. It's creators actually took the time to round the ends of the grilles and line up interior screw holes through rounded openings as well. The fronts of both the John Deere and the IH were impressive.

I looked hard to find an Oliver tractor. It seems this part of the country favored Deere. However, my search was rewarded with an Oliver that looked like the Oliver I rode back in my dairy summer in Pennsylvania.

Photo by Heidi Hoffer.

Massive strong machines meant for hard work were also designed to look nice: rounded corners, good-looking grilles, useful headlights, and powerful reassuring structures. It's no wonder people collect them and refurbish them.