Fixer upper

[Darwindo]

Every time I see an old tractor, no mater where it is I always imagine what it would like when I got done working on it. Except this time. I think this one is exactly where it belongs and looks exactly right. For my job I drive up and down highway 169 in Iowa on a regular basis. I have seen this old Farmall for years sinking into the dirt about a mile north of Harcourt on the west side of the road. Today for the first time I stopped and rang the doorbell and got permission to click off a couple of pictures. This is a 3rd generation farm, and the tractor is sitting where grandpa parked it many years ago. Thanks to the young man who answered the door and took just a little time to tell me about how tractor came to be in that spot for such a very long time. I hope my YTMAG friends enjoy the pictures too.

 

[gene bender]

I bought a B that had sat under a tree for 40yrs and restored it was a lot of fun sold it to a retired farmer who had sold his at the sale but regretted that fact thats why he bought mine as it was original like when it left the factory just want to drive in parades and remember the enjoyment he had using on the farm

 

[Bill VA]

What I think about is - what was it like when the tractor was bought/sold new. Beautiful paint, nice dealer show room, sales and service? Excitement on the part of the buyer when the tractor rolled onto their property. The (hopefully) satisfaction of owning a state of the art/most modern machine (of the day) and using it for the first time and over the years - growing old with the tractor; making memories for the owner's kids and grand-kids.

One thing that struck me when I bought a new JD tractor a few years ago and working it in a hay field, our farm was built by my Great Grandfather. At least with respect to JD, he could have bought a horse drawn plow, rake, etc., from the same company (not yet bought/sold, liquidated or bankrupt) as I bought, i.e. JD. It is very likely, many times, he was looking down the same field with his horse drawn equipment, feeling pretty good about his investment as I did.

YMMV.

Bill

 

[Darwindo]

I like your take on things Bill. It is also possible that the cast iron steering wheel sprained his thumb crossing a spring plowed field, or the hand crank snapped his arm just above the wrist after a loud backfire and left him aching in pain, at which he decided to park that SOB and never touch it again.

 

[Hayfarmer]

quite a few years ago now I was discing up some ground on the old home place where may grandfather and dad had a dairy farm. I stopped to fix something on the disc and while stopped found an old horseshoe from a draft horse. I was driving my dad's old 1938 JD G, pulling an old IH disc that had been my uncle's and with finding the horseshoe made the circle complete. My grandfather always farmed with horses, so I had my dad's tractor, my uncle's disc and now my grandfather's horseshoe, Made me feel like I wasn't out there working alone.

 

[fastfarmall]

But the exhaust pipe looks like it's much newer than the tractor.

 

[Badger bob]

I driven by that thing for the last 40 years/. that place had a real pile of goodes. I know guys that stoped when the old foks were still alive. and thay got runoff real fast. after thay passed on all the good thing got sent to the junk/. only thing left is the barn and the f20. Bob

 

[Gary Mitchell]

That is cool hayfarmer. gm

 

[wolfman]

The tractor outlived the tree.

 

[wolfman]

May be galvanized drain pipe.

 

[fixerupper]

Next time I go that way I'll have to watch for it. Been through there multiple times over the years but I can't remember seeing it.