Actually the plant is in East Moline, just across the city line from Moline right on the Mississippi River..... just about 3-4 blocks from JOHN DEERE HARVESTER where They build Their combines. There never was a foundry at the E.Moline plant. Strictly sheet metal fabrication equip., welders, presses, shears, etc. and some machining. Yes, They bent up some thick steel bar from time to time. And the assembly lines to make the AXIAL FLOW Combines IH unveiled in 1978. They DID make a LOT of parts for the FARMALL tractor plant just over the west edge of Moline in ROCK ISLAND about four miles away. They made almost all the sheetmetal, cabs, did a little machining. Lot of the work IH/EM did got farmed out (dumped on them really) to IHC Canton, IL. plant in about 1980. Actually the last combine was built towards the end of August, 8-20-04 if I remember right. I worked there for about 6 weeks in 1977, and for the FARMALL tractor plant for just over 5 years from 1976 to 1981. The only other ag. tractor plants IH/Case/IH had were in Louisville, KY, and Racine, WI. Case Construction made tractor loader backhoes in Burlington, IA right north of downtown right on the banks of the Miss River also.
NO BODY on This planet wishes any more than I do that IHC or C/IH was still in business..... I'd be retiring in about TWO more years! I was born and lived about 35 years in that area.....and I bet there was 100 people I knew who worked at that plant, friends, neighbors, etc. The plant was old.... ceilings less than 20 feet off the floor, no room for hoists, or cranes, all the combines had to be built on run-off small dia. tires because they were too tall for the buildings.
Engines when IH owned that plant all came from either Melrose Park, IL IH plant or IHC Nuess Germany Engine plant. After Case/IH took over they used CUMMINS engines. Only foundries IH ran were in Waukesha, WI., Louisville, KY, Memphis, Indy, and maybe one in Canada at the Hamilton Plt. FARMALL had one also until the late 50's or early 60's
