Fastrac Antique Tractor World

Wow...What a Truck!

2012-01-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last fall I had the pleasure of attending the Bonneville Mill Fall Festival in Bristol, Indiana whereas there were quite a few old tractors, antiques, old time farming demonstrations and the like. One of the first things that I came upon while walking down to view the old tractors was a sawmill demonstration. I had been to this festival several times in past years and this sawmill demonstration was always powered by old steam engines.

This year was much different in that the power source for the saw equipment was an old home built power truck being operated by Todd Bush. The truck is a 1934 Ford which was originally a dump truck. It was amazing to me that this old truck had enough power to run the portable sawmill. The power obviously didn't come from the engine under the hood, it came from two 85 HP Ford flathead V-8 engines and transmissions attached to two Ford truck rear axles. All of this was mounted on the flatbed of the truck. the photo above right shows a close-up of the setup on the back of the truck.

When the unit is hooked up to the pulleys on the sawmill, it all looks like that in this photo here on the left.... the truck serving power to the mill (this photo not really a good one....sorry about the quality)

From talking to Todd, I was able to obtain a little more history on the truck. Here is some of what I was given........

It seems that in the old days of threshing, steam engine power was the only power strong enough to run the separators (threshing machines) but they were huge pieces of equipment that had to move from one farm to another. When farm tractors were eventually developed they took they place of the steam engines as a power source. In both cases however, moving from one farm to another was a long process at 2 - 3 miles per hour. Getting the proper amount of power to machines in a much quicker time frame was the primary reasoning for this truck's existance!

The original developer of the 34 Ford power truck shown here was developed by Lamoin Bush and his son Max back in 1940 or so and they began using it for threshing in 1941. The truck was purchased from the Indiana State highway department and, as mentioned above, was originally a dump truck. Lamoin had been using it to haul gravel, ice and other things until deciding to convert it to be used as a power unit for threshing.

The right hand engine has a Pierce governor belted to the crankshaft, which controls the speed on both of the engines. The gear train on this unit is two ring and pinion units for power input and a belt pulley on one of the wheels. Each engine has its own starter, clutch and cooling system (although only one generator is actively working at a time). The belt pulley was made from a Ford truck wheel and blocks of hardwood which eventually drives the belt.

After lining up the belt with the saw equipment, the right engine, which has the governor attached, is started up first. Once it is running, then the other engine is started. With both transmissions in high gear, the clutches are engaged (both clutches are engaged at the same time via a single clutch lever). The throttle operates this way as well.....that being a single control which was made from an emergency brake lever. A 55 gallon oil drum is used to hold the fuel needed.

There is a lot more history and detail about this old truck in an article written by Pat Ertel that appeared in "This Old Truck Magazine" (which is now called "Vintage Truck Magazine") back in November, 2001. You might try to find that article on their website for those of you who might be interested.

It sure was a pleasure to meet Todd, a grandson to Lamoin (who passed away in 1976) and to watch this old truck in action. This family exhibits the truck at many shows around the Midwest and if you ever get to see it operating, it will most likely amaze you..... as it did me.

Enjoy!

Swamp Sisters

2011-08-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

One of the neatest little places I've found this year!

While visiting my brother at his summer home in northern Minnesota, he suggested that we go to breakfast at a quaint little place near his home near Brookston, MN. About ten miles from his home, deep in the north woods, a group of sisters (I think there are about 5 of them) opened up a restaurant that is only open on the weekends.

Their family operates a farm carved out of the woods where they raise buffalos and process the meat. They serve the meat at the restaurant (as well as selling it individually to customers) and boy was it good! If you didn't know where this place was you would have a hard time finding it.

They don't do any advertising (as far as I know) and the customers hear about it by word of mouth. As we arrived, you can see an old Minneapolis Moline tractor sitting in the front of the restuarant and being used as an attraction for the customers. I don't know for sure what model of MM tractor it is....but it don't really matter! You can see a picture of it here above and to the right (The restaurant is in the background in the photo).

I must say, this was a real treat to an old tractor buff! I just had to share this with you all. The breakfast was delicious........especially the buffalo sausages that I had with my eggs. Northern Minnesota is beautiful any time of the year..... particularly in the summer. For those of you who have never been in this part of the country, the area is famous for its mining of iron ore and is very rocky terrain in most spots. The entire north shore of Lake Superior near this area which is close to Duluth is extremely beautiful to see.

The area is a world famous area to find and collect "Lake Superior Agates" which we have found ourselves obsessed with. If fact, my nephew who also lives in Duluth, is a professional photographer specializing in north country landscape and gemstone photos. If you want to see some of these beautiful specimens of agates and other gemstones, you can see them on his website here.

This area is an awesome area of our country to behold. I would suggest that if you ever want to visit a place that is as beautiful as any place in the U.S. then plan yourself a trip to this western end of Lake Superior. The area is full of history of the mining and shipping industries in America.

Enjoy!

Preserving The Past!

2011-01-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last fall a friend of mine traveled to Kansas for a short vacation to visit his wife's cousin whom they had not seen for a long time. As you probably know all too well, Kansas has a rich history in prairie farming. Aahhh.....those were the days! That's what a lot of the antique tractor collecting hobby is all about. Remembering the old days on the farm!

Soon after the turn of the 20th century, farmers were transitioning from horse drawn equipment into motorized power usage. There were many companies forming to manufacture replacement power for these pieces of equipment and one of the most prominent companies was the John Deere Plow Company. After developing the steel plow through many years of changes (and improvements to their plows) they began buying noncompeting farm equipment companies and started moving toward becoming a major player in farm equipment.

One of the companies that was purchased was the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company located in Waterloo, Iowa. They had introduced the "Waterloo Boy" tractor to farmers and out of this grew the development of a more powerful tractor with a lower center of gravity that was to become one of the most popular tractors available in the early part of the 20th century. That tractor was the John Deere Model "D".

This is where I get back to the story of my friend's trip to Kansas. Little did he know that his wife's cousin had restored one of these early John Deere D's! He sent me a picture of that old tractor that was taken at a fall festival that they all had attended on that trip. The tractor was mounted on full steel wheels. Here is the picture...........

You can see in the background a much newer John Deere four wheel drive tractor that is the result of the John Deere company's continued development of farm equipment. This old "D" restoration is very typical of what is taking place around the country in the last three or four decades within our hobby...... preserving some of these old beasts for the younger ones to see in the future!

I think this is a great photo of an extremely well restored piece of history and for all to see in generations to come......Don't you think?

Birthplace of Harry Ferguson

2010-11-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll......

We received an e-mail a few weeks back from Trevor Mitchell who lives in Northern Ireland, the birthplace of Harry Ferguson. Trevor sent us a few pictures of the birthplace site which you can see here in this post. I thought that this was very interesting, especially if you are interested in the history of old tractors and in particular the Ferguson tractor.

As you may or may not know, Harry Ferguson was very instrumental in the development of the early tractor and some of the innovations that made these early tractors more efficient and useful.

Trevor lives in Bangor, in Co Down along the shores of Belfast Lough about 30 miles away from Harry's birthplace. You can see a cool looking flower popping Ferguson in the memorial garden directly across the road from Harry's birthplace in the townland of Growell outside Hillsborough in County Down. (South West of Belfast just south of the M1 motorway). Here's a picture of it!

The garden was opened on 21st Aug 2008 and that day his granddaughter Sally Flemming, who had traveled from London, unveiled the life size bronze statue of Harry seen in the picture below.

Note he is carrying in his hand the Ferguson spanner. When the statue and gate were brought together it was discovered the top bar of the gate was the same height as his eyes, so to avoid this, they had him stand on a stone so you could see his face over the top gate bar.

Each year they have a big celebration at the field beside the house when tractors from all around attend. Here are some of the old Fergusons (among others) that were line up at a recent event in the field.

Harry was known not only for tractors and their development, but for a racing car as well. And, he was also the very first person in Ireland to build and pilot his own plane. The house where Harry was born can be see in the photo here below.

We want to give thanks to Trevor for sharing this all with us and to Ulster-Scot.com for allowing us to use the pictures that Trevor sent to us and provided provided by them.

Enjoy the photos!

A Great Time For Antique Tractoring!

2010-10-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Up here in the Indiana north with the leaves turning to their beautiful reds, yellow and orange colors, it gets your personal motor running fast if you're an antique tractor fanatic like me! The cooler air, not as much humidity and the crackling of leaves as you drive your pride and joy over them. Geez, what more could you want? You may or may not get to see these color changes in the south (depending on where you live) but it still gets cooler in the south, doesn't it?

I don't live in the south and don't get much of a chance to be down there in the fall, but I regularly hear from folks who do. They welcome the changes in seasons just the same.

Fall is one of my favorite times to go tractoring. Shows and events are saved for this special time of the year for a lot of clubs and organizations and it just seems right! The air gets a little heavier and the smoke from the tractors and old hit & miss engines just hangs in the air at these events. A great time to enjoy the sights, activities and food that you find there.

Even without the fall festivals, fall is an absolute great time to take an extended drive into the country if you're so blessed to be still able to do that. It's harvest time on most farms and seeing this in real time is good therapy for the soul! Just looking out over the fields, ripe with their bounty, makes you reflect upon the good ol' USA and the freedom to even do this. Even so, you sometimes get a glimpse of an older tractor or piece of equipment still being used in today's world!

Fall leads to winter though, so if you find yourself anywhere near the snow belt, enjoy these milder, cooler days while you still can. Preferably on or around an old tractor somewhere.

The Farmall Dynasty

2010-08-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Last fall, I received and e-mail from Lee Klancher, a friend whom I had met through my regular Antique Tractor Website called "Fastrac." He invited me to review one of his most recently released books entitled "The Farmall Dynasty." Lee mailed me a signed copy of the book (for which I am deeply thankful) so that I could review it. Since I am an avid Antique Tractor enthusiast, I began reading the book. I immediately recognized that, if you were a collector, restorer of International Harvester or Farmall tractors and/or equipment, that this book could be an invaluable addition to your library.

I completed the read shortly after receiving the book but had never actually reported on the experience of what I had found in those pages. My thoughts today are that I had never lived up to my side of the promise I had made to Lee. I had never written a review! My entry today in the blog is a belated attempt to fulfill that promise to him.

The book is loaded with photographs of IH and Farmall tractors and equipment covering the history of the International Harvester company from it's beginning to the present day. While reading though the pages, it became readily apparent to me that there had to have been an extraordinary amount of research conducted putting this book together. "The Farmall Dynasty" is loaded with Farmall information.

In the book, Lee details the sequences in which different IH tractor models were produced, including dates and production numbers. He also reveals to the reader most of the "whys" behind the introduction of most of these models. I found that there were many things that I did not know and I am a fairly well read antique tractor fanatic!

The book is an absolute "must have" if you are a Farmall nut! You can find out more about the book by visiting Lee's website here. Lee..........thanks for your books (the one that you gave to me and the ones that all Farmall fans should own!)

Dave

Lookin' For Old Iron

2010-08-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

If you're an avid fan of antique tractoring, you have probably at one time or another in your old tractor admiring days, scouted the fence rows or other places for potential restoration projects. I know I have many, many times. My brother and I had even adopted a hunting scheme for doing this. You can read about that story, complete with a description of that scheme, on my regular old tractor website here.

It just so happens that some of this old equipment is getting more scarce by the day. Here's a picture of an old hand crank Case on full lugged steel that is just begging for someone's attention.

No one knows for sure whether this old beast has enough of it left to salvage, but it sure would be an awesome sight if it could get someone to restore it back to its original condition.

There are still enough of these old carcasses around to be found! In fact, just about 10 miles south and west from where I live is an old tractor boneyard that covers over 60 acres of this old stuff. I'm not going to reveal the exact name and location of this place in this article because the last known owner of the place is kind of protective of it, but if anyone is near Northern Indiana, let me know and I'll clue you in privately!

It just breaks my heart that a tremendous amout of this old stuff is getting cut up for scrap iron on all too frequent of an occasion. Bottom line is, if you ever get a chance to find an old piece of iron like that in this picture and you have the desire and resources to acquire something like it.......Just Do It! It'll make you extremely happy and you'll have saved a piece of history

Summer Tractor Show Bonanzas

2010-08-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Antique tractor fans are everywhere! There are literally hundreds of antique tractor shows and events all across the country and in Canada at all times of the year. But especially in the summer time. For the most part, summer is the best time in the Northern part of North America because it can get pretty chilly in the fall and in some parts of the north country, nearly impossible for outside events in the winter.

A good friend of mine sent me some photos of an event (Georgian Bay Steam Show ) that was held in Cookstown, Ontario, Canada on July 30 through August 2, 2010. The show featured Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment. The show grounds covers 20 acres and there were daily demonstrations of a sawmill, shingle mill, horse drawn wagon rides and a parade of equipment. You can see in the attached photo, some of the machines that were lined up at this particular event.

These kinds of activities are almost always present at any of a number of shows of this type. People attending these shows are simply having great fun and sharing stories, collecting new information and just generally diving in to the realm of antique tractoring. Some of the neatest people I have met over the years have come from acquaintences I have made at these shows.

If you have never been around one of these shows, you should try to find one in your area this summer and take the plunge! It's a great way to learn more about the history of farming and agriculture from days gone by. Don't know where to find a show near you? Go to my regular Antique Tractor website called FASTRAC and click on "Events" from the main menu and you should be able to find one!

It's great summertime fun to say the least.

Rare Tractor, Indeed!

2010-07-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of old tractors that are considered rare for various reasons. Some of the reasons are quite apparent and others are not! A lot goes into that determination such as low production numbers, early year of manufacture, how tractors might have been set up during production, experimental models, etc.

I found one of these rare tractors at the 2010 Red Power Roundup event a few weeks ago that is actually quite rare but you wouldn't immediately know it. It's a 1954 Farmall Super M-TA Hi-Clearance tractor with a single front wheel and set up to use propane fuel. (See photo below).

Any one of the above features in and of themselves would not necessarily make a tractor rare. So then, what makes this particular tractor rare besides the obvious fact that it is a Hi-Clearance tractor with a single front wheel running on propane?

One thing is that the Super M-TA, (regardless of how they might have been set up from the factory), were only produced in any configuration for one year......1954. These tractors were built as transition model tractors and had some innovative additions that led to the hundred series...... tractors that were ultimately more prevalent.

The Super M-TA was the first Farmall tractor built with torque Amplification (TA) which was a high - low range transmission equipped to allow shifting "on the fly". Engaging the TA feature reduced the speed of the tractor by about 1/3 giving the driver more pulling power to work with. An operator could more closely match the power output to the load. This was quite an innovation during this time period.

These tractors also had an independent PTO (Power Take-Off). Without going into detail, which was fairly complexed to achieve, power was transferred directly to the rear of the tractor bypassing the clutch. The rear of the tractor of course is the most convenient place to find power to operate other equipment.

There were only 23,523 Super M-TA's or Super MD-TA's (Diesel models) made in all configurations and one set up like this particular tractor are hard to find! Quite a nice restoration don't you think?

Pink Getting Popular!

2010-06-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

Last fall I made a post on this blog about a courageous lady who was fighting breast cancer and as a result, her husband painted his 1957 John Deere Pink during its restoration to help in the cause for cancer awareness.

Well.........Its catching on! This past Saturday I attended the 2010 Red Power Roundup Antique tractor event in LaPorte, Indiana. I never have seen so many red tractors in one place in my life. My brother and I walked around the many acres of red IH tractors viewing them and admiring their owners pride in displaying them. There were tons of different models and variations of models being displayed throughout the event.

There was a huge amount of IH Cub cadets at the show too, displaying mostly yellow, white and blue paint schemes on them. We could also see an abundance of the later model red cub cadet lawn & garden tractors on display at the show.

And, of course, there were quite a few of the earlier model IH's such as the popular Farmall F-12's. F-14's, 10-20's and Farmall Regulars.....all sporting their typical dark gray paint schemes.

And then, continuing our exploration around the exhibit grounds, we ran into this.............

A pink IH Farmall Super M!

Unusual...........You bet! (The paint, not the cause!)

It brought my thoughts back to the lady and her husband's pink John Deere last fall (posted on this blog back on 9/14/09). Not only was this Super M tractor in very excellent shape, the paint was applied flawlessly! What struck me most was the willingness of an antique tractor owner to deviate from the authentic paint scheme of the original model of his Farmall Super M, but the possible forfeit of the tractor's value from having done so. But folks, it's NOT about the tractor, it's about the fight for a cure of one the most dreadful and feared diseases on our planet! That's what I admired most.....the sacrifice of this owner for a great cause!

I never did get to meet the owner of this tractor however, after standing around it for quite some time at the show. But I am reasonably sure that the pink paint symbolizing the cause for a cure touched a whole lot more people than just me!

I just wanted to share this with you all.........I thought it was cool!

Tractors or Antique Tractors?

2010-04-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Which is it? You know, this question always depends upon who you are and what you have. My dad used to tell me that anything over 25 years old is an antique. I don't know if I ever believed that or I would have to consider that even I am an antique.

On the other hand, some believe that when an item (such as an old tractor) has served its current day usefulness that the item would be considered old enough to be considered an antique. When a tractor fits in to this category, just a literal ton of people like to bring them back to life by restoring them. I love that! I believe however, that an old tractor is more closely considered an antique when it is nearing the 50 year old mark. Whether people restore these old pieces of machinery at 25 years old or nearer 50 years old, the love of doing it is where the rubber meets the road so to speak.

Clifford Ernst is just a perfect example of one of those folks. He has a fairly rare old tractor that he has restored back to life. It's a 1919 Moline Universal Tractor and not only is it very old, it is unusual in it's design (see photo).

Could you imagine finding parts for an old beast like this? Most likely there would be parts that would have to be specially made by hand or under contract to someone who could remanufacture the needed part. I don't know if that was the case for any part on Clifford's tractor or not, but you must agreee, he has done a beautiful job on this restoration.

In my book, this is a perfect example of an antique tractor.......... Old, unusual and beautifully restored to original condition. Well done!

Time To Get 'Em Winterized!

2009-11-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

I know...... you all don't really like to think about getting ready for winter (at least those of you that live in the cold parts of our nation). But, if you don't want busted radiators or engine blocks in your restored tractor, this is a must do! You need to make sure that the old tractor radiator and engine is full of good ol' antifreeze! I know it's not entirely the same, but I forgot to drain the main trunk of my in-ground sprinkling system last winter and paid the price in the spring with a broken main feed line to the system. Not quite the same as a radiator or engine block but busted just the same!

It's easy to forget or even procrastinate to the point of forgetting to invoke the proper maintenance going into winter and it'll cost you plenty if you do. There are a tremendous amount of old antique tractor collectors that do not have the luxury of a heated storage building and they need to take the necessary precautions.

Having said that, I envy those of you who have the warmer climates in some of the southern states and can still get out and run your equipment. Up here in northern Indiana, it is very hard have fun outside on your old tractor. I mean you still can, but it for sure is not as comfortable!

If you are one of the lucky ones that does live in the south and you have an event that you can go to, I'd like to know some more details about that event. I'll get in posted on Fastrac, my antique tractor information support group website. Just leave a comment with the info here on the blog and I'll get it put on the events pages of the site. You can also e-mail me the details at: dave@adeptr.com

I'm getting ready to settle in for the winter and I'll get my fill of antique tractoring this winter by working with the website and this blog. When spring rolls around, I'll be tired of writing and be more than ready to start heading out to the shows again up here in the north.

Good thing I have developed patience over the years......the older I get, the longer the winters seem to be getting. The winter will be tolerable however, if I can end up in the spring with no holes in the block.

Hummmm .... We'll see!

Pink John Deere?

2009-09-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

After retrieving the local newspaper from the mail box this morning, the first thing I noticed on the bottom of the front page was an article headline: "Pink tractor pulls hope for a cure." Number one, being an avid antique tractor fan, the word "tractor" in the headline caught my eye. And number two, I noticed the picture that accompanied the article was not a modern day tractor!

Turns out that a local antique tractor collector was in the process of restoring his 1957 John Deere 520 when he and his wife discovered that she had been told by her doctors the breast cancer she had been fighting since 2005 had advanced into her liver. After receiving this news, this tractor collector decided to paint the tractor pink to help in the awareness of this dreadful disease and finding a cure.

I thought this was awesome!

The couple plans to show the tractor at several of the local (northern Indiana) tractor shows and/or festivals. One of these events is near the couple's home. The event: The Nappannee Apple Festival in Nappannee Indiana to be held next weekend, September 17 - 20, 2009.

The finished tractor will also be on display at the "American Countryside Farmers Market" on the last weekend of September.

I was impressed by the humor still maintained by this couragious lady while fighting this battle. She said of the tractor, despite the one-of-a-kind paint job it pocesses, "It doesn't sound pink!"

If your are in or around Elkhart County, Indiana this weekend or throughout the end of the month, you might want to try to get an on-sight look at the tractor in person. And, if you can't, try to do everything that you can to help support those who are trying to find a cure for breast cancer..... just as this couple are doing!

Think Fall!

2009-07-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

You usually get a good feeling, when you are dead in the middle of the summer, about what lies ahead with your interests in antique tractors. Why is that? For me, it's the anticipation of the fall events. Shows and stuff are fun to attend while it's hot but are especially exciting for me with the cooler weather in the fall.

What I like about the fall events is that the air is heavier and when you wake up at one of these events (assuming you are camping out at the show) is the smoke from the tractors and old engines. It seems to just hang in the air over the show grounds and creates a haze for almost as far as you can see. This is special! Maybe not too good on the old lungs but the smell and the sight is wonderful for the tractor enthusiast's soul.

You ever wonder what it would be like to have been a farmer back in the day when you had to get up early to do the chores and all you had for power was that team of Belgians? Not much smoke from them! (Not much power either in comparison to your beloved tractors). They got the job done however, but it took a lot longer too. Thank God for progress.

Most of the days for a one or two small tractor farm is pretty much gone now too. But that's why we have these shows in the first place....... to remember what was! I sure do and I'm not really that old. There is a place at these shows for the younger ones too. Even though they may not be old enough to have seen any of the old machinery in action, at these events they get a chance to see it all and most importantly, learn about what it was and how it was used.

Guess what? You have six or seven weeks to get your old piece of iron all fixed up and shiny. Why don't you plan to take it to one of the fall events in your area......you'll be glad you did!

Spring Once Again!

2009-05-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, Well. Here it is ..... spring once again! It really feels good here in Northern Indiana to finally be getting some decent warm weather. This past winter was a grueling one in this part of the country. I personally have not had too much activity centered around the old tractor thing since the shows that were present (and that I attended) last fall.

The winter months found a lot of collectors and enthusiasts getting time to work on their collections or to begin a restoration process that summer months did not afford a lot of extra time to do. I'm sure there was a lot that got accomplished over the winter. But now, there will be a host of other thing to do with the coming months being warmer (at least that is the case up here in the North).

I know that around here,there are more than just a few of the clubs that are having swap meets and plow day events to keep the juices flowing. One such event just passed at Doud's Orchard Plowday on May 2, 2009 in Denver, Indiana. My understanding is that they had a really good turnout.

If you know of a good event that is going to be occuring in your neighborhood this spring, let me know and I'll get it posted on Fastrac (my antique tractor website). We have a really good listing of events there. Until then, have a really good spring and most of all, have fun with them old tractors!

Dave

Well….. How's this for news?

2009-04-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a post yet in '09 but I really am NOT dead yet! I have had a lot to do since the first of the year. I just recently retired from the day job and have been extremely busy training the new guy that took over my position during the first part of the year.

Finally done! My last day was March 27th and I have finally seen some daylight to the odds and end jobs that I had been putting off. Now I can spend more time with this blog and my two websites: http://www.adeptr.com (the antique tractor site) and http://www.oldaveswoodshop.com (the woodworking website).

Old tractors have been a passion of mine since childhood and Fastrac, the antique tractor site, is an endeavor that I undertook back in 1996 to share some old tractor stuff with other people. It has reached a pretty good audience since that initial launch back in '96 and the plans are to move forward with more stuff related to the hobby.

The other website (Ol' Dave's Woodshop) is a relative new site launched at the end of the summer last year (2008) and is a result of a newly found interest in woodworking. I have been assembling quite a few pieces of equipment in my shop over the last six years in anticipation of my retirement. I didn't want to head into retirement without something to take up some of my time. This new hobby and my continuing fascination with the old tractors should prevent any kind of stagnation of my time.

If you want to see what I have been up to with either of these two websites, feel free to click the links and I would be interested in any comments that you may have related to them.

Until the next time…… Keep on tractoring!!

Dave

So What Now?

2008-12-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Shows are mostly over for this year....So What Now?

Sit back and enjoy the snow, ice and sleet? Not hardly! These are the times to get on the 'net and find those parts that you need for that restoration that you've been putting off all summer. There are a literal ton of web sites out there that sells or locates parts for antique tractor entusiasts.

Some of you are restoring old tractors and have an abundant list of resources for obtaining used or NOS parts. Others of you however, are restoring tractors or old pieces of equipment that are not so popular and have difficulty locating parts for them.

Many of these web sites cater specifically to antique tractor restorers and collectors needing parts. Lots of them are parts dealers and many are salvage yards. You can find sources for some of these organizations on the Fastrac Web Site in the parts resources pages that are broken down by state and/or country.

Winter is a good time to work on your restorations when generally you will have more free time to do it. Summer and fall seems to keep one busy attending shows or events rather than working on the restoration. I know this is not true for many of you but it is usually the way it works out for me! I tend to put off what could wait till later rather than miss a chance to get to an event somewhere during the summer months (this is better known as procrastination).

At any rate, if you're like me, you'll find more time to search the 'net for parts and get things fixed up in the winter so you can play more in the summer. To each his own!

All Brand Collectors

2008-09-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Almost all tractor collectors will eventually zero in on a particular brand to collect or restore. Notice that I said "almost"? That's because there are still those out there who will collect anything that comes with wheels or looks good to them. A few of years back, I lost a good 'ol buddy of mine who had more than a dozen old tractors and they were all over the place as far as brand of manufacture.

Charlie was 89 when he passed but from the time he quit farming and right up until the time he died, he kept on collecting and restoring them tractors. He had a 1929 Rumely 25-40, an old IH Titan, an SC Case, two John Deere A's and a G model, too. There was a completely restore of a Farmall F-20 and several others in the fold as well.

Here is a picture of Charlie's 1929 Rumely. You can read the entire story and see more picture of this old tractor on the Fastrac Website here. Check it out, it's one of the cleanest and finest restorations that I have ever seen that gets fired up regularly.

I'll never get tired of getting myself around this old stuff and people like him that actually lived in the days when they used this stuff. Oh well. who knows - maybe someday!

Fall is Coming......Be Ready!

2008-08-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Fall show time is just around the corner. If you are in to old tractors, farm equipment, parts swap meets, flea markets, old hit 'n miss engines or just plain collecting, then this is the time of year for you. I know.......its not the only time of the year that you can find tractor shows, etc., but it is the favorite time for them for most of us.

Why? It is usually cooler at night and milder in the daytime and this makes for the best time to demonstrate your equipment without everything sticking to you because of the sweat! Sitting around at night talking tractors around a campfire somehow seems better than without one....and fall is the time of the year to really enjoy that. I see this almost every year in Matthews, Indiana at its Covered Bridge Festival which is centered around antique tractors and engines.

The site for this tractor show sits in a small valley along a river bank and literally at the foot of one of Indiana's oldest covered bridges (See photo above). In a lot of the past shows at this site, you can get up early in the morning and see a mist coming up over this small little setting. Some of it is coming from the cool air around the site with it's close proximity to the river, but most of it is coming from the hit 'n miss engines being started up in the cool fall morning air. Wow, what a site to see! If ever you get a chance to visit this show, you won't be disapointed.

Obviously this is not the only show on the road in the fall. There must be hundreds if not thousands of them around the country and the World. Most will have their own uniqueness. I would suggest that you try to find one and attend the festivities if you have never done that before. And.......if you have, then why not try to find a different one to attend than one that you have attended before. They are all different in lots of ways but are very much the same in what to expect.......If that makes any sense!

Collecting By The Seat Of Your Pants!

2008-07-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Collecting old antique farm equipment and related stuff can really be fun but whoever thought of just collecting the seats from some of this old stuff? Many collectors do however and it can be very interesting just to know the history behind these old cast iron implement seats.

One of the most interesting things that I found out about cast iron implement seats is that prior to the Civil War in the United States, farm implements were all walk behind, horse-drawn pieces of equipment. After the war was over, the munitions factories that were in place at that time were converted over into making seats for these horse-drawn implements. Some said that this was one of the most improved things that had ever happened in agriculture up to that time.

After this innovation occured, implements could be made so that the farmer could then have his feet free to operate levers at the same time he was driving the team of horses. This fact alone allowed equipment manufactures to add features incorporating these new levers. Extra tasks could be performed with all the
new functionality in the machines.

The seat patterns, in the beginning, were made from wood and then cast into iron. There were many designs among the seats, some being very plain in appearance and others very ornate including lettering, etc. Almost all had some sort of holes in them whether it be simple round holes or gaps between any lettering that might have been present. This was done to allow water to drain through the seat thereby preserving the life of the seat against rusting while sitting idle.

There are well over 2000 different styles and types of cast iron seats known to have been made and collectors have preserved a tremendous amount of these seats from being destroyed. Some collect them and simply leave them as found and others will clean them up, paint them and display them. But, any way you look at it, this is a favorite attraction at some of the antique tractor shows that I have attended and will probably not disappear anytime soon.

It's kind of a neat thing.....preserving some of the history of farming and the pieces of equipment that have come and gone during the process.

Are Old Pedal Tractors "Real" Antique Tractors?

2008-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well..........what do you think? If they're old (antiques) and they're tractors, why wouldn't they be? I think they are and I won't exclude them from the Fastrac Website. My brother-in-law has a tremendous collection of these old pedal tractors similar to the one shown in this photo. He has collected them for years. He still owns and operates a small farm in central Indiana where he uses mostly Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment, but since he has gotten older and has less energy than he used to, he got interested in the "Little Guys" so to speak.

It might surprise you how much some of these little old tractors are worth. Besides, if you are a person who is interested in the Antique Tractor hobby and didn't have the money to spare for the bigger tractors or you don't have the space to work on the larger ones, this might just be your connection to the hobby.

I'll bet more than a few of you have see these little old "play" tractors somewhere in your past as you were growing up. In fact, you can still see them pop up in garage and rummage sales occasionally. I have seen several of them being used as decorations in some of the Cracker Barrel Restaurants around the county. The last time I "Googled Up" the key words "Antique Pedal Tractor", the results were 64,100 pages with those words in the content. A lot of those results were for some of these units for sale on E-Bay.

Almost every Tractor Show or event that I see advertised will elude to a kiddie's pedal tractor pull event at the show. It's more than popular.....it's sometimes crazy! Lots of these old pedal tractors are being restored to original condition today and I think they have a real place in our hobby. My thinkin' is.......why not? If it's old and has a tractor attached to its name, it should get some ink!

To each his own is my motto. Whatever happens that gets our hobby more attention, the more it will serve us all. Think about it!

Hey....just getting a little concerned here!

2008-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Most of us are dealing with old antique tractors as a hobby and are hoping to just get a little fun out of the deal. But, knowing that the price of fuel is so high and looking like its going to continue to go up, can you imagine what's in store for the farmers of today? Pretty scary if you ask me.

That is not to say that the farmers are going to be the only ones that are going to have trouble surviving....we all will share additional costs across the board , too! But, if I can't go to work tomorrow in the plastics industry that I work in, I doubt whether that is going to effect too many people down the road. But with the
farmers getting crops ruined or fields becoming inoperable because of flooding and bearing the rising fuel costs, etc, these problems will all translate to higher food costs at the market because of a tighter supply of everything coming off the farms......... Not to mention the increased costs of getting what products that do get harvested sent to the markets.

Our hobby isn't going to suffer too much because most of us are going to continue going to the shows and demonstratiing our old iron, etc. But, if things gets too tight on the fuel situation, we'll just stay closer to home and not fire up the 'ol girl so often. Right? Farmer's can't do that....they have to fire up the equipment or nothing else happens.

How in the world did we get into this mess? Have we been too complacent or content with the way things are? Could we have done something different? Who knows. I'm not trying to say anything in particular but it does bother me how the modern day farmer is going to survive.

I have heard comments lately about folks thinking of putting out a small garden. I have heard this from people who have never farmed or grown anything ever before in their lives. Hearing comments like that lets me know that people are truly getting concerned over the rising costs as well. I hope they succeed!

Maybe it'll get worse before it gets better. Maybe not. The only thing I know for sure, I'm not nearly so worried about our little old hobby as I am our little old country!

A Good Old Tractor Hunting Mystery Solved

2008-07-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I received an e-mail from a seemingly fairly desperate fellow named Pat through the Fastrac Web Site asking for help in locating his grandpa's Farmall F-20 tractor. He asked me if I could help him find his father's F-20 that his grandfather bought new in 1939 (he thought).

In the e-mail, he goes on to say that the tractor was sold by his dad to Jimmy Belach of Walker, Iowa in the mid 80's and then at a later date, the tractor was sold to a Vince Gaffney of Fairfax, Iowa around 1993 or so. Pat said that he had no phone number or any other information on Mr. Gaffney but that he was extremely
interested in locating the tractor which had become very important to him as of late.

I responded to him that I would make a post to try and get the word out to Fastrac's viewers and that we might just get lucky enough to get a response from someone.

Before I could get the post made that I promised Pat, he e-mailed me back to say that his family had farmed in Garrison, Iowa where his grandpa had purchased the F-20 and that his dad & grandpa had farmed the land there until they had a disagreement about expanding the farm operation. At that time (around 1965) the farm property was sold because of the disagreement and the tractor was given to a friend of the Belach family (Mr. Belack, the friend, died in 1990).

While all of that was happening, Pat found himself working in both Colorado and Kentucky but had that old tractor on his mind by entertaining the idea of locating the tractor and restoring it to its original condition. Pat said that he started looking for the old tractor about two years ago and was finally able to track down the Belach family. After he contacted me for help in locating the tractor and, as I said previously, before I could respond to him......he e-mailed me over the weekend to say that Mr Belach's widow called him last week. This was after about 18 months since he had contacted her and she told him that she had found the tractor and got the Gaffney fellow's location and number for him.

He said that when he went to see the tractor that it had the original rubber with a "closed" steering box and a "from the factory" hydraulic kit along with a live PTO. I personally didn't really get to help Pat find this tractor but was really pleased that he decided to share the news with me. I e-mailed Pat again to ask him if he was going to go get the tractor then and he responded by saying "Yep.... That's the plan!"

It just goes to show that if you want something bad enough and you put some action to it, sometimes you'll get what you want. I enjoyed the story! Thanks Pat, Good luck with the restore!

Old Iron Lawn Ornaments

2008-06-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

One thing I have found across the years from placing myself in and around old tractors and equipment, is that it makes you completely aware of things around you as you travel. For instance, if you are on your way to play golf at a rural golf course, are you looking at the sides of the roads for turf that will be similar to what you will face on the course once you arrive? Of course not. Your subconscious mind is forcing you to see if there are any old cast iron implement seats tossed in the side ditch, or rusting tractor carcasses in the fence rows.

I find myself constantly scouring the lateral sights along the road while I'm driving and very specifically for these types of "finds." (not the golf course stuff.... the old tractor stuff). I must admit though, that I rarely stop at most of the discoveries. Most of them I have seen before. Some of them will make you stop though. I found one of these spots today that I thought that I would share with you. It just happens to be and old International F20 Tractor that is being used as a beauty spot decoration at a local landscape nursery.

If old antique tracotrs or implements are not being restored or being taken to scrap iron dealers, you can bet that a lot of this old stuff is being used as landscape decorations. You've probalbly all seen the old horse drawn sickle bar mower or two row corn planter with all new paint adorning the front yard of more than one country farm house. I know I have!

One thing is for sure, I am more in favor of the lawn ornament usage than I am of the scrap iron pile because once the piece is gone to the scrap iron pile, it's gone forever! I thought this was a pretty cool use of and old tractor in a setting where it will always be on the job.

A Great Old Cat!

2008-06-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier about the relationships that are built when you get involved within the hobby of antique tractor collecting or restoring. One of my favorite buddies that I had acquired a fairly close relationship with a few years back, (Maris Hall) got me very interested in an old caterpillar 15 tractor that he has. I had never driven a Caterpillar tractor of any kind before meeting him but because of the friendship that grew out of that meeting, I finally got the chance.

Maris brought his 1929 Cat 15 to the Matthews (Indiana) Covered Bridge Festival about 6 years ago and I was able to snap some photographs of that old tractor. You can view them and some of the history behind his acquiring of the old tractor and what he had to do to get it up and running on the regular Fastrac web site. This story is quite interesting to read if you like old cats.

Maris asked me that day during the festival if I would like to "take the old girl" for a spin and I, not being one to turn down too many chances at doing that kind of stuff, naturally obliged him. That "spin" " turned out to be most of the rest of that afternoon. The caterpillar was a very different experience for me in that I had never driven any old tractor (and that has been quite a few) that had no steering wheel. It was very cool the way you could make that old machine turn on a dime so to speak!

Strike up conversations with folks when you go to these types of events..... you never know what kinds of friendships can be made and what can happen within the resulting relationships.

Any Old Iron Will Do - Or Will It?

2008-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

For some collectors, "any old iron will do" is a statement that would be the only statement to make. To these people, If you find anything related to the bygone days of farming, its made out of iron and you can haul it home, its worth collecting. I don't know of a ton of people that would just haul any old piece of farming equipment or apparatus home automatically. I can tell you though, that I would bet that almost anyone who is an old iron collector would at least take a serious look at the piece.

This is part of the fun of collecting! Finding a piece of old iron whether it be a broken down F20 Farmall in a wood-lined fence row with trees growing up through its frame rails or an old cast iron water pump that got its supply from an old windmill aeromotor, the discovery is what it's all about. Do you think for a moment that a true collector of old iron wouldn't at least take a look?

It never ceases to amaze me what shows up at the swap meets and tractor shows. I have never been to one yet that I didn't see something that I could not identify, and upon asking the owner what it was, to be not confronted with a smile or smirk as the identification was made for me.

Most of what you see at these events of course, centers around the old tractors and that is totally another story. Most collectors do eventually zero in on a paticular tractor brand to collect if tractors are the only things being collected........ note I said most! However, I know several (and you probably do too) that don't
even care what the brand is, they just know its old, its a tractor and it needs a home so therefore they collect them.

So what am I saying? Only that if everyone collected the same stuff, the same brand, the same age and lined them all up in a row, this hobby wouldn't even exist! The diversity is what makes it all tick and is the exact reason that I love it so much. As long as I can still get to the shows and swap meets, that probably
won't change very soon.

Have Fun Working Your Old Tractor!

2008-06-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

One of the times that I had the most fun fooling around with old tractors was when my brother Gary and I began restoring an old 1941 hand crank, styled John Deere A. We had driven the old A from my house to his which ended up being about 6 miles (the way we went about it). We both live on the outskirts of the city and had to take some lesser driven streets as well as some county roads to get from my house to his on the tractor.

Once arriving at Gary's house though, that's when the fun began. He had an old stand mounted buzz saw that was belt driven and a pile of logs that needed to be sawed into shorter lengths. You know what happened next..... but only after about an hour getting the belt lined up properly to the belt pulley on that old "A".

That was the first time I ever experienced cutting wood on a buzz saw and just happens to be, as I said before, the most fun time I ever spend "Tractoring". It was also one of the more potentially dangerous times playing with old tractors. I had heard many stories of severe belt burns, wood kicking out from the saw table, pinched or cut fingers, etc. But that particular time, we lucked out...... or maybe it was just that we were more aware of the dangers and watched more closely than we might have done if we had many times under our belts.

Working an old tractor is truly one of the pleasures of collecting and restoring them. If simply looking at them was all there was to the hobby, I'm not too sure I would have remained as active as I have been up to this point. Anyway, having fun is what it is all about, so have fun working your old tractor and equipment!

What Sparks The Interest In Old Antique Tractors?

2008-06-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

One of the fastest growing hobbies in the nation in the last few years is collecting and/or restoring old tractors. Why is that? In the spring, summer, fall and even winter you can find all kinds of events associated with this hobby.

What sparks the interest in old antique tractors? I don't really know. I only know that I get e-mails all the time from the Fastrac web site about new entrants to the hobby. Got one last week from Robert Johnson. Look at this picture of Robert on his old DC Case. Does he look old enough to know what that old Case was capable of doing when it was new? I doubt it, but there he is sitting on the seat and what is that on his face? Is that a smile? Click on the image to get a larger picture of that smile!

I don't know for sure but I think that it could very well be the serenity you get from being able to do just what Robert seems to be doing....... riding on his old Case in a tree-lined pasture with none of the World's pressures on him at that exact moment.

There is too much of that Worldly pressure and stress on most of us today. Back in the day, farming was hard work (still is today) but there was a lot less hustle bustle than there is today. I think folks are just looking for that pastime where one can just relax and enjoy something that gets them and their minds away from all the stress.

Why not spend that time "messing around" with old tractors? If you ever try it, you just might get hooked! I did and it looks like Robert did, too.

Why Restore Old Tractors?

2008-05-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

There are countless reasons why people collect or restore old tractors. Some merely see this process as an investment opportunity, restored or unrestored. Since old iron is becoming scarcer with every passing year, investors see acquiring old tractors as an opportunity to cash in on this commodity.

Others involve themselves in collecting or restoration of old tractors and equipment simply to have something to do after retirement and to hold them close to their memories. Yet still others will claim that the only reason they are involved is that they simply enjoy tinkering with old stuff.

I think the real underlying reason for all of these people is the relationships that are developed during the process. Relationships such as a father and son who restores an old tractor together with no ensuing arguments when they continually argue about everything else! How about an old man showing a middle aged man a few old farmer tricks when it comes to the mechanics of restoration? What about the guy who finds an old hunk of iron along a fence row, offers to buy it, gets agreement and then is quizzed almost daily by the seller about the progress?

Relationships is why! Relationships are developed through the hobby of collecting or restoring old stuff! I have gotten to know many, many people in and around this hobby that I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet, simply because I had questions and they had answers.

You can't set out for the day with the sole purpose of finding a person to have a relationship with. You might but you probably won't have much success. You would be better off however, to start out your day on another field trip to find the next tractor to restore and run into your next good relationship whether you recognize it or not. I have found that if you get around something that you like to do, you will suddenly get surrounded by those who like you...... Does this make any sense?

Dave

Original or Beautified

2008-05-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's hard to say what is the proper way to restore an old antique tractor. Some say that you need to keep everything all original down to and including the old original paint and decals........ so long as everything works and is as it was delivered from the factory.

Others will say "Spice it up some!" Repaint it, add chrome, make new mounting step plates on the hitch assembly or just a host of other stuff to make your tractor unique. I kind of belong to this latter approach... just so long as you don't take it too far!

On my regular antique tractor website I have a page showing an old 1934 Farmall F20 that my brother restored a few years back. It kind of belongs in the "Spice it up some" category. He added special hand made step plates inside the drawbar made out of a couple of pieces of old oak boards that he got from work and that formerly supported a piece of heavy equipment for shipment. I think it looks pretty good. Other than the step plates however, the tractor is all original but just renewed with paint, new tires, decals and all. Could this be a compromise restoration between the two approaches?

Any way you cut it, either way is better than no way at all. Too much of this old stuff is getting cut up for scrap............ especially these days when scrap metal is increasing in value. Let's keep both these styles going!

Dave

What Farming Used To Be

2008-05-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

50 years ago, most farming operations were more laid back than they are today. That's not to say things were easy by any means, only that there were certain things that were done in certain ways and farmers didn't "bust butt" so that they could get into the next 600 acre field. Life was generally peaceful on the farm in the 40's and 50's.

The antique tractors and implements of yesteryear was adequate for the typical farmer from this time period. Could you start up a new farming operation today with this type of equipment? Only if your beginning farming operation was on a scale with the size of the farms in those years (almost always less than 200 acres).

I have been reading the posts from a blog that I ran across the other day that has a literal ton of good wholesome reading about a family that has started up a new farming operation of the old time scale and way of doing it. If you never personally lived on or near a farm during that time frame you might want to visit this blog called "The Beginning Farmer". The blog has posts about everything from what types of equipment and tractors that was used to how things were planted, what problems arose and how they were addressed, etc.

I found myself captivated by this family's experiences and was surprised at some of the memories in my own life that were revived. Reading about his farming family and their experiences really has reminded me of what farming used to be like.

First Tractor Experience

2008-05-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

Not my first experience.....the grandson's. Well, sort of! Newer tractor, younger boy, lawn tractor category at that. Not exactly an antique tractor or old tractor story but to me, I had fun yesterday just watching a small boy playing the "Big Time" role.

My grandson was born prematurely with what is known as Noonan's syndrome and was only around 3 pounds when he was born. The Noonan's Syndrome was not diagnosed immediately but when it was, treatment suggestions began. In short, Noonan's Syndrome typically results in individuals with slow growth rates and without growth hormone injections, there is little chance that male patients would grow beyond 5 feet tall.

This was the case for my grandson. He was way underdeveloped for a long period of time until he was diagnosed and began the hormone injections. There are other traits that are typically present in Noonan's Syndrome patients but smallness in size is the predominant feature. If you want to learn more about Noonans, Syndrome, you can visit: The Noonan Syndrome Support Group, Inc.

At any rate, back to the tractor ride. My grandson had been begging me to let him drive the tractor for a couple or three years now but with the safety feaures built in to my John Deere lawn tractor, if you don't sit firm in the seat, the tractor will shut off. Up until this year, my grandson didn't have long enough legs to reach the pedals and still be able to sit firm enough in the seat to keep the tractor running. This year was different. With the hormone injections in the past, the results allowed him to grow tall enough that he could now reach the pedals this year......and he knew it!

So, yesterday he got to get in his first real tractor experience. He is a 14 year old with a body of a ten year old but with the heart of a lion. I have never been so proud of his perserverance. For him, that lawn tractor ride made his day and soon after the picture was taken, he was on his way to the next conquest.

Old Tractor Find

2008-05-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I found something yesterday that is really challenging me.

I was returning back to the shop from picking up some tooling for the day job, and drove by an old rundown mobile home that I had driven by many, many times before. The driveway at this mobile home location had always had several huge rows of cordwood stacked up all the way from the unit out to the end of the driveway. I had never before paid much attention to anything else at that location.

But yesterday, when I drove by this place, I noticed that the rows of wood was nearly gone and I could see a very complete old tractor sitting between where the wood was formerly stacked and a small out building adjacent to the mobile home. What struck me the most was that I had never seen an old tractor quite like that one. It appeared to look a great deal like an old Theilman tractor but I know that it wasn't. It had a peculiar shaped grill on the front and I could not tell from a distance what brand of tractor that I was looking at.

Some would say...... Get a little closer and check it out, Dave! That's where the challenge comes in. There were several signs posted all over and around the out building such as: Beware of dog! No Trespassing! Keep out! My thought was, knowing that I always keep a camera in my truck, to get a picture and try to get a photo of this old machine. I suppose I could have gotten a shot from the road but what could it have possibly helped anyone from that distance?

I thought of getting out of the truck and knocking on the door to ask more about the old tractor and hopefully, get permission to take some photos but the vision of a mad 100 pound Rottweiler didn't do too much for me! Someday soon, I'll get up enough guts to knock on that door and if or when that happens, I'll get some photos of the tractor on a future post and see if any of you can help identify it. If I get lucky, it may be for sale!

I promise to keep you in the loop.

Dave

How old do you need to be?

2008-05-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

How old do you think you need to be to be considered an Antique Tractor nut?

I can remember when I was a little kid, I used to watch my dad drive tractors in the barnlots and fields and I couldn't wait 'til I "growed up!" When I was about 7 years old, we lived for a short time in a small central Indiana town by the name of Gaston. This little town had an International Harvester dealership and my brothers and I used to walk up there (it was only two blocks away) and watch them work on the tractors from across the street.

My dad worked as a hired hand on a neighboring farm that used all John Deere tractors, so we heard about them from dad all the time. We could tell the distinctive "Pop-putt-putt-putt-Pop" sound and what it stood for in a childhood heartbeat!

Anyway, one day we went back to the IH dealer up the street because we heard that familiar sound again. It must have been near the county fair time because when we got up to the dealership, they were just beginning to back someone's Johnny Popper up to the back end of an IH Super M.

That's when I officially saw my first tractor pull! Right there on the steet. Been a fan of tractor pulls and tractors in general ever since then. I guess that I was an antique tractor nut way back then except what I witnessed that day wasn't antiques, they were brand new tractors.

What I'm saying is that you don't have to be old to get tractors in your blood. Everywhere you look when you go to the shows, you'll see youngsters driving old tractors or old lawntractors around the grounds.

Point is, you can be an antique tractor nut right out of the chute!

Springtime Antique Tractor Shows

2008-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Spring time is a wonderful time to take in an antique tractor show around the country. These shows are taking place all over the country at this time of year and are a perfect opportunity to "shake off" the winter dust and boredom for collectors and restorers.

Most of these events will have swap meets running in conjunction with the shows. This usually works out real well for the restorers since they have had all winter (at least in the northern climates) to think about the next move on their projects. If you have ever attended one of these events and looked over the stuff that shows up in the swap meets, you can find anything from a sparkplug to whole units or anywhere between.

I remember attending one of these events a few years back in Jones, Michigan where I had no intention of buying anything while attending the show. As I walked down the isles of parts in the swap meet section, I noticed a pile of old iron farm wagon wheels. Having made several trips down those isles during the course of the day, it was like this pile of old wheels kept "jumping out" at me! I kept thinking to myself, "Carolyn (that's my wife) has been on my case to find something to use as a beauty spot in her rock garden". I thought, "that's it.....this just might fill the bill" so to speak. Needless to say, a vacated twenty dollar bill from my pocket found two of the smaller wheels from that pile in the back of my pickup truck!

You need to know that as it turned out, these two wheels do indeed look pretty nice in her rock garden, buried about a third of the overall height in the ground and her wisteria vines crawling all over the spokes.

There is a tremendous amount of things to look at during any of these shows that you would choose to attend and I have never seen two of them alike. I find something that I have never seen before at almost every one of them that I have attended and in the 15 years that I have been attending these shows, that is a lot of stuff!

You might never have had the opportunity to go to one of these shows......... Cripes! You may not even realize that they exist if you're not an antique tractor or farm equipment hobbyist, but I can tell you for sure that most folks would have to be hard pressed to be bored at one of them.

If the idea of finding one of these shows in your area in any way kind of sparks your interest, go to one of the search engines and type in "Spring Tractor Show" and see what you can find. You may be surprised what shows up in your area. If you are already a collector or restorer you probably already know what’s happening in your area, but if you're not you might want to find one and try it....... You just might like it!

Antique tractor collecting has become one of the fastest growing pastimes in recent years. It might not be your thing but if you do end up checking out one of these shows, don't be surprised if you end up getting hooked!

Dave

A brand new Antique Tractor Blog

2008-05-08T18:25:00.001-07:00

If you are into old farm equipment and antique tractor restoration, my new weblog about this hobby should be on your agenda down the road. The intention is to be proactive with a lot of the "happenings" in the Antique Tractor collecting world!

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The launch - First Post

2008-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm just an average guy who has had an extreme interest outside the regular working world with a couple of hobbies, some of which happens to be old farm equipment and antique tractors. I started an Antique tractor BBS way back in 1994 and tried to get it to have readership when folks had to call up on their dime to make posts and the like. Didn't work too well!

Along came the advancement of many things within the internet world and I converted most of what I was trying to do with the BBS into an Antique tractor website called "Fastrac" and launched it in October of 1996. Since that time the web site has gradually developed into a fairly large non-commercial web site catering to antique tractor hobbyists and collectors and supplying them with informational resources that supports the hobby. Fastrac has become one of the larger web sites of its type of which I am very proud.

Back to me....I grew up as a small boy on the farm where my dad was a "hired hand" working for the other guy. Having been exposed to a lot of the old ways that farmers used to plant, care for and harvest their crops, I naturally was found around the barn lot and in the fields watching big boys "do their thing" with that stuff. Memories of those times is was sparked my interest in some of this old equipment and when I became an adult, I found out that there was a seemingly large increase of interest in some of that old machinery.

By the time I started the antique tractor web site, my younger brother had already been involved for several years with restoring some of the old tractors that he and I both found ourselves around in our earlier years. I didn't have the place or the means to actively participate in restoring tractors and ultimately put all my efforts into the web site. That’s how I fed my desire to keep the past alive.

At any rate, besides writing articles into the web pages of the Fastrac web site, I feel that I have a lot more to say about the crazy old tractor thing! That's why I'm here. I want to write more about this hobby and more importantly, about the people I have met while doing it. That's why I'm here and I encourage you to make comments when you can and I promise you, this will all get very interesting!

Dave