Young People with Old Farmall Tractors

[SadFarmall]

I would like to point out that there are young people who are interested in old Farmall tractors and other IH machines (no doubt other makes and models too). A forum where help and advice can be obtained is helpful to them. Continual denigration of young people as uninterested, lazy, stupid, uneducated or all four hardly encourages new generations to look after these old machines. To be blunt, grandstanding is unhelpful and unless we all plan to live forever, ongoing maintenance and repair will be done by new generations. It's hard to keep a young man like my fourteen year old nephew to stay interested, when he reads about how young men aren't up to proper tractor maintenance and repair. Apologies if this upsets anyone, but it needed to be said.
SadFarmall

 

[Rich'sToys]

Well put! I remember reading a story one time in one of the publications (not sure which brand--doesn't matter) about a young man who had fixed up his first tractor. He was very proud of it and took it to a show. The first thing that happened was some guy showed up and started ripping it apart, pointing out everything that was "wrong" with it, or "not correct", blah, blah, blah. The kid was totally discouraged, and basically lost interest in the hobby after that. We don't need that. Need to encourage these people, not drive them away!

This should almost be up in Tractor talk, as it applies to all brands, not just Farmalls.

 

[SadFarmall]

Thank you! I remember getting a Farmall M running and cleaned up and painted when I was thirteen or fourteen. Drove it to a local steam and tractor show. I didn't have access to correct decals or precisely correct colour paint, but everyone was pleased to see it at the show and encouraged me. Someone gave me a Parts Catalogue to help with further repairs. I still have that tractor.
SadFarmall

 

[kshansen]

Not sure but thought this thread was about me, I believe my BN is a couple years older than me! I'm a 1950 model!

 

[NormanSavesTractors]

I agree with your sentiment. Young people are the future of antique tractors and the future of everything. Cultivation of them is needed vs grandstanding like you said.

Some videos I made of younger people being interested in Farmalls:

 

[SadFarmall]

Good videos!

 

[560Dennis]

Impressive video

 

[SadFarmall]

Very nice! That's a success - dragged out of the forest and rescued!
SadFarmall

 

[joeysmith]

There are plenty of younger guys an gals into tractors
They just dont use this older type of platform much

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Here's some ladies that are bringing up their girls right.

Mike

Steam Power!!

 

[560Dennis]

There are many episodes that follow this introduction of restoring red .

 

[flying belgian]

Pa bought a 1936 "B" John Deere when he started farming in 1940. Over the years the tractor became weathered. When I was a young teen I wanted to repaint it. Pa bought a paint sprayer and told me to have at it. He would buy the decal set. My paint job was poor at best but Pa showed it off to anybody that came on the place. I pity the poor b-astard that would have told Pa ... your kid did a lousy job of painting.

 

[jeepguy03]

I had a 1951 H I went through mechanically in high school. I knew very little about Farmalls or really tractors mechanically back then compared to now. That was 20 years ago, and granted I never brought it to any tractor shows, but the feedback I received was always positive. Mine was not restored, but I learned a TON from online forums, youtube, and fellow tractor owners back then. I'm 36, and feel that the old school thinking of "your tractor isn't 100% original so it's not correct" has faded quite a bit. The younger generations at least seem more interested in the fact that the tractor is still around and running compared to being scrapped or left in a field to rot. Original tractors are also very hard to find, and so are parts. Some things have become unobtainable across some brands, especially brands that are no longer around. I'm always happy to see someone keeping a vintage tractor/car/truck running, even if that means adding parts that make it not 100% correct.

I just bought a Farmall 200 (will post another thread about it) and there will be some modifications I will do to it that will make it not original (12 volt conversion, LED replacement headlight bulbs, 3-point adapter, etc) that will deviate from it being original, but will make it more reliable and more user friendly so I can operate it more often and enjoy it more.

 

[T@G]

Ill second the above writer. Here in shows, really a minority are restored. ~90% of tractors are " run what you brung" quality. And personally, i like to look more those that are used to work and fixed/ modified by whatever means to get the job done. After all- they are work machines.

Letting youngsters make their own mistakes and such, its just a part of growing up. Let them make their own mistakes. They learn.