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	Needle in a Haystack DurableToys.com

Why toys like these?

'Paint your wagon!' Girl brush painting a wheel rim of her Valley Road wagon, semi-concious dog

Needle in a Haystack DurableToys.com is operated by David and Debra McCusker. Click on the logo above for our welcome page. Many parents and grandparents are knowingly proud to advantage their children with no-nonsense experiences. The early learning windows for motor and social skills are enhanced by investments in wholesome and durable play toys- brain development hardware.

A long series of experiences has shaped our attitudes and ideas on the raising of the next generation and the building of their values. A similarly extensive background in tinkering with electrical and mechanical things from an early age has provided us with rewarding careers in electrical engineering and computer programming. Teaching at levels from fourth grade to college sophomore has also shaped our perceptions of the way information is transferred, and the value of play even for older students. Plus, we have really never let go of toys completely, they just get bigger and more expensive and a lot of fun to share. We have enjoyed hobbies such as boating, ham radio and autocross in recent years, and have also boarded horses on our pastures. This combination of technical and personal interests has converged on toys that are decent, lasting and an introduction to interesting ideas.

Besides the value of long lifetime, toys presented here are also an aid to physical development. Children have a need for active play to complement their high metabolism (understatement). Discharging energy through motive play releases tension and provides mind-body learning experiences. Keeping usual schedules is easier when some of that boundless energy is gone by bedtime. Pretend play is also essential for development. The child gets to be the center of activity when the playthings provide an unscripted basis for imaginative play. It has been shown that earlier generation toys have longer periods of sustained play than "TV toys" - where the characters and scenerios have been presented to the child (Gilkerson). Educators also know that attention spans in the classroom have been declining to our collective loss.

Sharing is another way children build a cooperative spirit and shape long term social behaviors. Big toys like wheeled toys are lots of fun when shared with friends or siblings and dollhouse play is never really alone. It is amazing how much my children love to ride their wagon as a group, rotating the tasks of driving and motivating. The toys that we want our kids to want are all non-violent. Most of us will go our entire lifetimes without seeing a gun fired in anger- it's just not a slice of real life. War toys and character figures are the ones advertised on TV and thus are popular with the young viewer. They have to keep selling more and more toys to the same customers, thus the ever increasing depth of roughness. Hollywood markets the characters through the major toymakers who know that "gross is in". Anti-social behavior is obviously entertaining to a young person but we're not sure we want to live with someone raised on it.

Read the book Buy Me Buy Me by Joanne Opperheim published by Pantheon to understand this topic more deeply.

Durable Toys Are Friendlier to the Environment

Do something positive to reduce the amount of plastic landfill fodder. When you purchase durable goods you save us all from having to deal with the frequent turnover of plastic into garbage.

A toy's lifetime should be long, meaning the useable lifetime, not the lingering time spent taking up space in a landfill. Why buy metal and wooden toys? When the eventuality of a toy's end comes, it will be worth something as recyclable metals. Even better yet, the best wheel toys have resale value that offsets some of the initial cost. Simply having the toughness to be ready to hand down to another child adds value. Steel and aluminum are readily melted down to be used again. We do it now with food and drink cans, and with larger appliances and automobiles. Wooden parts will naturally decompose but also can be made into other objects or burnt in the wood stove. A good sendoff is better than none at all in our lifetimes!

pedal tractor kid

Plastic is particularly bad when it is molded into faddish temporary toys that then fade or break, then become a disposal problem. They are designed to sell with little regard for lifetime, as evidenced by primitive bearings and hollow plastic "tires". Oil is the primary organic root of modern thermoplastics used in toys and other products. Even steel is more degradable over time than plastic. When you do buy plastic items or containers, look for the triangular recycle code on the item so that it can be identified for reuse. We have saved some platic from the landfill and it is now available as a tough Amish-made wagon. Designed just like the wooden models, the recycled plastic wagon (see link at left) is weatherproof, and actually somewhat heavier than its God-made material siblings. It is really refreshing to offer a countermeasure with some value and utility.

Powder coating is the premium surface treatment for steel and aluminum on many of the durable toys we sell. They last longer since damage is deflected better than paint. The process of poweder coating itself does away with the need for paint thinner solvents, read more about the powder coating process. Your spending power is a big vote for responsible products that are more durable in use than just consuming of materials and landfill space.

Premium Toys Are of Lasting Quality

You have found premium quality toys that your child can be proud to have and enjoy. When you invest in durable goods, you have something of real and lasting value. You've learned your lesson about buying "low-end" and having to replace it at ever higher cost. Quality toys have definite characteristics that make them more fun because they wagon steering view

are tough and last for a long time. The materials and the designs are both time-tested and we are ready to prove to you that premium toys are a smart buy.

Take the materials. Die cast "pot" metal, largely aluminum alloyed with other low cost metals like tin and zinc is used in Scale Model Toys pedal tractors. It is dent resistant, physically strong and can be painted again for handling lots of sun exposure. Intricate shapes cast permanently into the toy add realism and provoke questions from inquisitive minds.

Wood is the essence of the Valley Road Speeder, Berlin Flyer and other Amish made wagons. Hardwoods are tough but have a warm glow when used to make playthings that become longtime friends. They even sound better, without the drumbeat of hollow plastic as they roll around. Varnished wagon bodies show the natural grain with a glossy protective coat while racks are painted red or green - your favorite tractor colors. There is no better way to make a wagon for the long haul. Even fiberglass makes for a long lasting weather resistant wagon body.

Welded tubular steel make up the substantial backbone of the Valley Road large air tire tricycles and the Kettcar pedal car. The best protection from the elements for steel is a tough surface called powder coating. These are not the noisy throwaway toys you are used to seeing and hearing. The Kettcars and Kettrikes use low friction or ball bearings inside strong plastic wheels with treaded rubber like or air tires mounted on them. On paved surfaces a tire surface of hard plastic is too slippery for wheeled vehicles of any size or power.

The Scale Model Toys tractors have rubber tires front and rear, with large diameter steel disk wheels in the rear. The Valley Road trikes have air-filled rubber tires that roll over uneven edges and unpaved terrain better than a hollow plastic wheel ever could. Larger wagons are available with either solid rubber tires on steel ball-bearing wheels or tube and air-tire with steel and bearings. The solid rubber tires are fine over pavement or lawns while the air filled tires are great for gravel or rural settings, or where higher weights will be carried. All of these toys roll easily and quietly with plenty of grip on or off the sidewalk.

Design is what sets apart quality toys from their mass molded counterparts. Tie rod and kingpin steering is used on wagons, pedal cars and tractors for realism and stability. This puts the steerable wheels out at the front corners, and keeps them there during turns. Many model have the correct "Ackerman" steering geometry so that the inside wheel turns more sharply than the outside one. The tractors and Kettcars have fully enclosed chain drive from the pedals to the axle designed in from the start. A tubular steel frame is the solid basis of a Kettcar pedal car. Wagons have a steel frame artfully connecting the wooden deck to the solid rear axle and front kingpin mounting. Scale Models Toys die-cast pedal tractors have a high level of detail that make them fun while stimulating a curious link to the real world of work and family.

Argricultural Toys Are Wholesome and Fun

Our selection includes agricultural theme items that promote interest in the noble arts of farming and ranching. Both sandbox toys and rideable pedal tractors come in company colors and often with manufacturer licensed logos. A major music label was recently criticized for its placement of violent lyrics in rap songs, marketed at children. Can you imagine living with someone that Hollywood has raised? A person's perception of the world comes from every input ever witnessed by that person up to that point. Exert some control over that world-view shaping process with wholesome themes instead of violent character emulation.

pedal tractor kid plow

Toy tractors with the related attachments educate as well as stimulate. The urban environment is especially devoid of mind-expanding country settings that promote thoughtful playtime. Exposure to plant and animal life through play opens a channel of insight into how others may live and support themselves as they feed the rest of us.

Agriculture transcends gender and generations. Girls and boys can grow to love gardening and caring for pets. A fascinating hobby can start with early exposure to farm implements and the vivid imagination of what farm life might be. Maybe a future jack-O-lantern, scarecrow or birdhouse will be a joy rooted in the love and respect for the land and nature. Later in life the high pressure world of business and industry might well be tempered by weekend farming or horseback riding. We are justly proud to eat food at our table that was planted and harvested entirely by our youngest child or to see him beside a nine foot sunflower.

Remember that famous pair of three year old farmers? One asks the other "Been farming long?" Everybody can be "out standing in his field".

Durable Toys Are of Lasting Value

Give a lasting gift that can be shared or handed down to the next generation. When you give durable goods, you share your influence and the toy itself creates a lasting memory of the giver. Durable toys last longer than one child's age range, and can be maintained with parts while holding potential for resale. Things of substance can teach young minds about the virtue of value.

Kettcar kid

Think about the failure modes of toys that lead to the scrap heap for them. For metal, it's rust, or just ugly paint from outdoor exposure. For plastic, it is the eventual leeching of petrochemicals that leaves them brittle and cracked, or sun faded of all the original colors. Plastic wear items like thin molded one piece tire-wheel-bearing combinations can't last and don't. Take a close look at the lower level department store toys and ask yourself "Imagine how long this will last with live kids?" Our profound counterexample to weak plastic toys is the Amish made wagon made from recycled plastic, it is formed into thick boards just like a wooden wagon. The thickness makes UV ray penatration only affect the outer skin, and the integrety is maintained in sun and rain for a long time.

Specifically, here are a few things about our product and their durable nature. Our Kettler items are superior- bought from Kettler International directly, not containers of contract manufactured cost-reduced exclusive products of the huge infamous mega-retailer. The Kettcars and Kettrikes offered here have the highest quality synthetic powder coat finish that is really tough and lasting, not the lower cost alternative in less durable outcome. The steering and drive hardware also have high quality plating that the others lack.

Look under a Valley Road Speeder wagon and see how the difference between them and the mass-marketed wagons really stands out. First, there is a structural member from front to rear even on the #175 and #280 36 inch long models. It is thick walled tube, and the angle braces are thick, flat steel welded into place, not stamped sheet steel with bolts that need some assembly. Then there is the wood craftsmanship; the bed is solid plywood - not slat reinforcing under thinner plywood, and it has a very fine glossy finish. The configuration of the side racks of a Valley Road wagon have better resistance to outward pressure than that of the lighter-duty wagons. The heavier side racks on the Valley Road wagons bottom out onto the protruding edges of the bed's surface rather than have the bottom horizontal rail rest on the top edge of the wagon's side. Note also that the Valley Road Speeder #175 with the 10 inch hard tires has ball bearing wheels, but other wagons of similar appearence use lubricated sleeve bearings.

Wheeled rideable toys like wagons and pedal vehicles are especially timeless and worth having. Large scale metal models fit better into smaller hands and grow to be appreciated for their realistic detail as a child grows. When the turtles and the ninjas are gone, what kind of creature will replace them?

Durable Toys Start Fun and Stay Fun

Non-violent toys mean happy faces and fun playtime. You know that toys are meant to be fun, and they should be. Play is more than fun, it is essential mind and body development. A child's task is to have fun exploring each and every input that Metal pedal tractor pulling wagon with three kids.

Metal pedal tractor pulling wagon with three kids.

comes his or her way. Speech, social skills, and mind-body control benefit from interactive imaginative play more than simple sitcoms or war games could provide. Putting a child's eyes in front of the computer screen or TV can be highly educational, but it is not enough.

A few, solid toys can expand into limitless experiences in your child's mind over time. There's no script or value system being promoted by Hollywood or by big corporations selling punk rock. Real life interactions thread their way into creative play with big toys that mirror your idea of what life is.

Three children grown pedal tractor and wagon, two Buicks and a Jeep.

Three children grown pedal tractor and wagon, two Buicks and a Jeep.

During the eleven years these two wheel toys have gracefully aged, the three children have matured to command powered vehicles - including agricultural, combination vehicles and aircraft with passengers. More. Two of them now have driver's licences with Dan driving his "hand-me-up" Buick to college and to work. Kate drives her supercharged Buick to classes and to work at a medical office. To her credit, Dr. K-J asked her to become an employee rather than the other way around. The youngest, David, drives our four wheel drive Jeep farm truck to move material or to pull a trailer. He can set the 4WD for low range and back up a cargo trailer into any position requested, and that was long before Driver's Ed. Non-violent sharing and role playing are a big departure from the doom and gloom violence seen on TV and video games. You won't add to the deluge of offensive material when you provide physical materials, and the child fills in with imagination. Beat those electronic warfare games into plowshares!

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