1917-1985
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Ray Stueckle, founder of R&H Machine, was better known throughout the United States and Canada
for his books, magazine columns, and seminars on the subject of setting combines for better
performance and greater capacity.
At the time he was acquiring the knowledge that enabled him to help so many thousands of farmers
with their harvesting problems, he was also developing a line of chrome alloy wear parts for
tillage tools and potato diggers. These parts are sold nation wide and have
set the standard for wear in the industry.
R&H Machine, Inc.
R&H Machine, Inc. grew from a machine shop originally operated by Ray Stueckle and his
brother, Harvey, on Ray’s Eastern Washington wheat farm. Harvey left the business to go into
farming on his own, and Ray continued to experiment with ways to improve and maintain the
equipment then in use in that area.
After hardfacing hundreds of fertilizer shanks for the local fertilizer dealer, he determined
there had to be a better way to lengthen the life of the shanks. He designed and had cast of
chrome alloy a replaceable point for these shanks that proved to wear far longer than the best
hardfacing and to be far more cost-effective. The enthusiastic acceptance of these points by
dealers in the Northwest resulted in exploration of other ways to use this extremely
wear-resistant alloy. Rod weeder parts, then rollers, shakers and sprockets for potato diggers,
were added to the line, and Ray was forced to give up farming and establish his business in
Colfax, Washington. Next came a wide variety of points for tillage tools, all carefully designed
and tested to be sure that they could do the job and would wear up to twenty times as long as
standard parts.
In order to better serve the Idaho potato industry, Ray opened a branch in Idaho Falls,
Idaho, in 1975, and one in Caldwell, Idaho, in 1977. The Caldwell location offered advantages
in shipping, so it was made the main office in 1978, and the Stueckles moved to Caldwell. The
move proved to be very timely when Ray discovered that, in order to meet the growing demand for
his product, he would have to build his own foundry.
Gem State Alloys, Inc. was built next door to the R&H property in 1979, and is turning out
high-quality castings under the management of David Organ, Ray’s son-in-law. This makes it possible to fill special orders with minimum delay. The foundry is dedicated to making only small castings of high chrome alloy, and welcomes OEM orders.
During the years Ray was building his business, he was also achieving a reputation as a
"combine expert", and was in constant demand for speaking engagements throughout the United
States and Canada. His frequent absences caused his wife to take an active part in managing the
business from the beginning. This experience proved to be invaluable in May 1985 when Ray
suffered a fatal heart attack, since it enabled both businesses to continue without interruption.
The current management of R&H Machine is determined to maintain the same uncompromising
standards of quality and service that Ray Stueckle set years ago. In these days of generally
unfavorable economic conditions, Farmers need to make every dollar count and agree that - "it
doesn’t cost, it pays, to use genuine R&H chrome alloy parts."
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