08/02/2026
The antique grader at the Haylmore Heritage Site is a favourite feature among young and old alike. Made at the Galion Iron Works in Galion, Ohio, circa 1929, the Leaning Wheel EZ Lift No. 10 pull grader was designed to be drawn behind a tractor. From 1911, Galion built pull graders, the early ones designed to be drawn behind a horse team: light enough for two horses, strong enough for four, they advertised. In the 1920s, the company made both motorized and pull graders concurrently, and developed hydraulic controls, found on both types of machine. The blades on early Galion graders had all the range of motion found on modern equipment. This grader belonged to the Bralorne Mine. Long time valley resident Tom Illidge remembers seeing Percy Johnson and "Pop" Waddell in Bradian working as a team, towing it with a Caterpillar D6. The mine also owned the property at Grey Rock, where this grader was taken--and where it eventually stayed, deteriorating over time. Tom thought its fate a pity, and with the help of Harry Nielson, towed it out of the bush behind a skidder, placing it in front of the Gold Bridge Hotel as a conversation piece. Kids loved to play on it. Tom later brought it down to the Haylmore Heritage Site. And guess what? Kids still love to play on it! Bring your kids or your inner child, and imagine yourself working the controls of this remarkable machine. Credit for the photos showing a restored No. 10 in action goes to classicdozers.wordpress.com for the first one, and to Historic Construction Equipment Association for the second one.
