[captw]

Stuart, the driver that you saw operating it in Coe Hill(Art Swain of Bergenfield, New Jersey)had purchased this very mule out of a former storage building on Long Island, NY....at that time it was just a rolling chassis that someone had removed the rear steer axle from and installed the later A5 non steer axle...there was no engine, engine guard or clutch ass'y, no driveshaft, no steering column or steering gear box...Art already had a M74A5, saw this one for sale and thought he'd get this one and "fix it up"...one time while visiting Art at his residence I saw a tire peeking out under a tarp, and enquired what it was...I asked him about possibly selling it, but he didn't seem interested in selling at that time...time went by and he acquired a rebuilt engine that had not been out of it's burlap covering since it was rebuilt in 1986...more parts were acquired...3 yrs. ago Art came up to Coe Hill for the Parade and struck up a conversation with Greg Anderson who was interested in the mule...at the time Art was resistant to sell to Greg because he felt it would be just too much of a project(Art didn't know Greg that well then and how he likes difficult restorations that would make some cringe , or he would've sold!!)...then last year, I asked Art to sell, and I bought it and brought it home, having purchased a new steering wheel, steering box, and a driveshaft...it sat at my place in the shop for a couple of months and it got moved back and forth...Greg heard that I had bought it and wondered of I'd sell...I stressed that it was a multi box and basket project and he said that was what he wanted, that if it was anywhere near complete, he had no interest in it...Greg purchased and I delivered it to him last Sept. ...you see the end result...it was only fitting that Art drive it in the parade this year...he says it starts, drives and shifts better than his M274A5....I drove it after the parade from the infield back to our encampment, and now I want one again!!...Wilf