T-200 Vermeer

[joelmartin]

The only info I have is the label on the shield.
I attach photos. It's been parked for several years. I bought it non running. Is it for trenching or cutting stumps or either? I think it's a Wisconsin engine.
Is this sort of an antique?
Located in Hemet California if there's interest in buying as is.. but I'll try to get it running.

 

[joelmartin]

 

[crane operator]

Its a trencher and you are missing the trenching boom. Here's some pictures. Its old, but I wouldn't consider it rare or collectable.

Grew up 20 minutes from where it was built. My uncle was a parts guy for years for them. My mom's stepdad got royalties from them for a stump grinder patent. Early trenchers were tractor pulled and had junkyard drive axles from model T fords for a drive gearbox.

Shop class toured the factory in high school. It was during the tour, that I saw two guys making tree spade plates by stacking steel in the press, every day, all day in a 8' square box. I decided that I didn't want that for my future.

Anyways, they were made in Pella Iowa.

Here's what it looks like put together.

 

[joelmartin]

So it has this cutter wheel. Has it been modified? I bet it's for grinding stumps?
BTW I really appreciate your time to report back to me.
Any idea what it might be worth, running? Hard to find any comparables online for sale.

 

[crane operator]

More likely for cutting a narrow trench in harder dirt types. They were likely cutting a narrow trench for communication cable or similar. Its such a small machine, unless you're in good black dirt, you can't run a big chain.

For stump cutting, you need a sweep or horizontal movement to cut back and forth. The cylinder on your trencher, just raises and lowers the cutting wheel, I don't think there's any pivot side to side.

Could they have been using it as a stump cutter? Sure, anything is possible where farmers might be involved. But its not really built for that.

 

[crane operator]

Any idea what it might be worth, running?

Realistically? Unfortunately not really anything. Scrap value. No one is using them commercially anymore, and there's no "antique" groups for such things. They aren't repainting them and going for farm tractor group rides with them.

There might be a old retired contractor, that a vermeer t-200 was his first big purchase, launching his global enterprise that has been looking for one like he owned years ago, but I doubt it.