FUNDING FOR THIS
PROGRAM WAS PROVIDED BY: THE IOWA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, WHICH CELEBRATES 85 YEARS OF
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL IOWA AND SALUTES IOWA PUBLIC
TELEVISION'S STRONG COMMITMENT AND YEARS OF SERVICE TO
THE CITIZENS OF IOWA; BY THE RC2 CORPORATION, PROVIDING THE
DIE-CAST TOY COLLECTOR WITH A VARIETY OF MODELS INCLUDING CASE, INTERNATIONAL,
JOHN DEERE, AND NEW HOLLAND; BYSUCCESSFUL FARMING MAGAZINE, SERVING THE AMERICAN FARMER
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY; AND PUBLISHERS OF THE
AGELESS IRON ALMANAC, THE RESTORERS NEWSLETTER... ONCE RUSTED AND
FORGOTTEN, NOW RESTORED, THAT'S AGELESS IRON; AND BY YOUR LOCAL
NAPA AUTO PARTS STORE, SUPPLYING YOUR PARTS NEEDS SINCE
1925. HELLO, I'M MARK PEARSON AND THIS IS MY MODEL 70 JOHN
DEERE TRACTOR. THIS IS THE SAME MODEL OF JOHN
DEERE TRACTOR THAT MY FATHER STARTED FARMING
WITH BACK IN THE 1950S. TRACTORS REVOLUTIONIZED FOOD
PRODUCTION IN AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. THEY REPLACED THE HORSE AND NOW THE HOBBY OF COLLECTING
AND RESTORING OLD TRACTORS HAS TAKEN THE WORLD BY STORM. OLD TRACTORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO
LOVE THEM COMING UP. THERE'S A LIFE STORY TO EVERY
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. A LARGE PART OF THE HOBBY IS
LEGACY. THERE'S SOMETHING ROMANTIC ABOUT
A TRACTOR. I LIKE MY TRACTOR. I LIKE THE SOUND, THE FEEL, THE
TORQUE. THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT AN
OLD TRACTOR. WHETHER IT'S THE FIRST
REPLACEMENT TO YOUR GRANDFATHER'S ADORED TEAM
OF HORSES, THE TRACTOR YOU GREW UP DRIVING
ON THE FARM, OR YOU SIMPLY APPRECIATE THESE
MAJESTIC MACHINES, TIMELESS TRACTORS BRING BACK
MEMORIES. FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME, AGRICULTURE HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED
WITH BACKBREAKING LABOR FOR BOTH MAN
AND BEAST. THEN AT THE DAWN OF THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY, WHEN CIVILIZATION WAS ENJOYING AN EXPLOSION OF TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES, THE ARRIVAL OF THE MECHANICAL
MULE TRANSFORMED AGRICULTURE FOREVER. THE FARM TRACTOR LIFTED THE
BURDEN FROM THE BACKS OF THE FARMER AND THE HORSE AND
REVOLUTIONIZED AGRICULTURE. FARMERS, WHO HAD REVERED THEIR
WORKHORSES AND CARED FOR THEM WITH
AFFECTION, NOW TRANSFERRED THAT FONDNESS TO
THEIR FIRST TRACTOR. FARMERS WERE GRATEFUL THESE NEW
MACHINES NEEDED NEITHER FEED NOR REST AND WERE AN EXPENSE ONLY WHEN IN
USE. THEY TOOK TO POWER FARMING WITH
THE SAME ENTHUSIASM PEOPLE WERE TAKING TO THE
AUTOMOBILE. MY DAD DIED AT AN EARLY AGE; OTHERWISE HE COULD EASILY BE
ALIVE TODAY. I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT WHAT HE
TAUGHT ME ABOUT FARMING AND HIS STORIES OF PICKING CORN
TWO ROWS AT A TIME WITH A WAGON AND THE HORSES, A
HUNDRED BUSHEL A DAY. FOURTEEN YEARS OLD, HE WORKED FOR THE NEIGHBORS AND
GOT A DOLLAR A DAY DOING THAT. WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN YEARS OLD, WE PICKED CORN WITH A TWO-ROW
PICKER MOUNTED ON AN M FARMALL HAULED IN WITH A COUPLE OF H'S,
AND WE COULD DO A THOUSAND, FIFTEEN HUNDRED BUSHEL ON A
SATURDAY REAL EASILY. WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS FOURTEEN
YEARS OLD, SHE SAT IN THE BUDDY SEAT OF MY
COMBINE. IT WAS A 12-ROW HEAD, WE WERE FOLLOWING ALONGSIDE WITH
A THOUSAND-BUSHEL WAGON AND SHE WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY
BUSHEL A WAGON HELD, AND WHAT I RELATED BACK TO HER
WAS THE 100-BUSHEL-A-DAY STORY, THE 1,400-BUSHEL-A-DAY, AND NOW WE'RE FILLING THIS WAGON
IN 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR WITH A 12-ROW HEAD. THEN I ASKED HER THE QUESTION, "WHICH TWO ROWS WOULD YOU LIKE
TO WALK BETWEEN AND PICK BY HAND
AND HOLLER AT THE HORSES?" LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES WE'VE
MULTIPLIED OUR EFFICIENCY WITH WHAT ONE PERSON DID TWO
GENERATIONS AGO TO TODAY WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH
ONE PERSON. IT'S JUST PHENOMENAL WHAT WE'VE
CHANGED. BEFORE THE ADVENT OF THE
TRACTOR, FARMERS GENERALLY OWNED LESS
THAN 40 ACRES OF LAND, MOST OF WHICH WAS PASTURE TO FEED A TEAM OF HORSES AND A
FEW COWS. AS FARM SIZES BEGAN TO EXPAND, EXTRA BURDEN WAS PUT ON THE
HORSES. THEN, IN 1937, MANY HORSES DIED
BECAUSE OF AN EPIDEMIC CALLED EQUESTRIAN
SLEEPING SICKNESS. THIS INFLUENCED FARMERS EVEN
MORE TO UTILIZE TRACTORS IN THE FIELD. SOME FARMERS HAD A HARD TIME
LETTING GO OF THEIR HORSES. THEY DIDN'T LIKE THESE
NEW-FANGLED MACHINES. AND A BATTLE RAGED BETWEEN HORSE
ASSOCIATIONS AND TRACTOR MANUFACTURERS AS TO
WHICH WAS BEST FOR THE FARMER. THE AMERICAN HORSE ASSOCIATION
PROCLAIMED, "THE HORSE AND MAN-MADE
CIVILIZATION; THEY SHOULD FOREVER STAND
INSEPARABLE." MEANWHILE, TRACTOR SALESMEN LIKED TO TELL THEIR POTENTIAL
CUSTOMERS WHO WERE DEBATING ABOUT WHICH
WAY TO GO, "REMEMBER, THE IRON HORSE EATS
ONLY WHEN IT'S WORKING." I HAVE A 1020 TITAN, WHICH IS AN
INTERNATIONAL. IT WAS PROBABLY, AS EVERYBODY
HAS SAID, IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST REALLY
SUCCESSFUL SMALL TRACTORS, WHICH AT THAT TIME MOST THE
FARMS WERE. WHEN I GOT IT FIXED UP AND DROVE
IT AROUND, I WONDERED WHAT THE HECK A
FARMER WOULD WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THEN IT DAWNED ON ME: IT WAS BETTER THAN LOOKING AT
THE REAR END OF A MULE. HORSES HAD DONE ALL THEY COULD
DO AND THEY GOT TIRED, JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT WALKED
BEHIND THEM. ON A TRACTOR, YOU COULD GET ON
IT AND THERE WAS NO END AS TO HOW
LONG IT WOULD RUN. THE HISTORY OF FARM TRACTORS IN
AMERICA IS ONE OF CYCLES REPEATED: DROUGHTS AND CROP FAILURES
GIVING WAY TO BOOMS AND OVERPRODUCTION GIVING WAY TO WARS AND
RECESSIONS. ITS EVOLUTION HAS BEEN A LONG
PROCESS, BEGINNING BEFORE THE AMERICAN
CIVIL WAR WITH STEAM ENGINES, THROUGH THE BEGINNINGS OF THE
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ERA, THROUGH TWO WORLD WARS AND THE
GREAT DEPRESSION, AND ON INTO THE DIESEL ENGINE
ERA. THROUGH THE YEARS THERE HAVE
BEEN MILESTONES, MEDIOCRITY, AND THOSE TRACTORS THAT PEOPLE
COULDN'T PAY A FARMER ENOUGH TO GET OFF THEIR HANDS. ONE SUCH A TRACTOR WAS SOLD TO A NEBRASKA FARMER AND
LEGISLATOR, WILMOT CROZIER. WHEN THE MACHINE BROKE DOWN ON
THE WAY BACK TO HIS FARM, HE SAW TO IT THAT A LAW WAS
PASSED IN NEBRASKA IN 1919 REQUIRING EXTENSIVE TESTING OF
TRACTORS BEFORE THEY COULD BE SOLD. THE SAME YEAR A FACILITY TO TEST
TRACTORS WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF NEBRASKA IN LINCOLN. THE FIRST TEST WAS IN 1920, AND THE FIRST TRACTOR TO MEET
ITS OWN ADVERTISED CLAIMS IS THE WATERLOO BOY, WHICH IS RIGHT
BEHIND ME. IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN WATERLOO,
IOWA. THE COMPANY WAS PURCHASED BY
JOHN DEERE. SO THIS TRACTOR IS THE
PREDECESSOR OF ALL JOHN DEERE TRACTORS. WE'VE TESTED EVERY TRACTOR
COMMERCIALLY VIABLE IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE THAT
TIME AND CONTINUE TO TEST THOSE
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES, PLUS SOME
FOREIGN TRACTORS. SINCE 1920 THE NEBRASKA TRACTOR
TEST LABORATORY HAS EVALUATED MORE THAN 1,750
MODELS OF TRACTORS, AND THE TESTING CONTINUES TODAY. THE LAB IS KNOWN AROUND THE
WORLD AS A LEADER IN TRACTOR TESTING AND IS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND
IN THE UNITED STATES. HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL NEBRASKA
TRACTOR TEST FACILITY IS THE LESTER F. LARSEN TRACTOR
TEST & POWER MUSEUM, HONORING THE CHIEF ENGINEER FOR
THE LAB FROM 1946 TO 1975. LARSEN WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN
INITIATING THE COLLECTION OF HISTORIC TRACTOR TEST EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS TRACTORS THAT
ILLUSTRATE KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY OVER
THE DECADES... IMPROVEMENTS LIKE: REPLACING THE OLD STEEL WHEELS
WITH RUBBER TIRES, ADDRESSING NOISE LEVELS, AND CREATING FEATURES THAT MADE
TRACTORS SAFER FOR FARMERS. WE'VE DONE MORE THAN JUST TEST A
TRACTOR, AS SUCH. WE'VE BEEN PROACTIVE IN BRINGING
IN NEW AREAS OF CONCERN FOR THE
FARMER, AND SO I THINK WE'VE BEEN QUITE
CRITICAL IN THE FACT THAT THE TRACTOR EVOLVED VERY
RAPIDLY. IT EVOLVED TO A SAFE MACHINE, AND THE UNITED STATES LED THE
EVOLUTION OF THE TRACTOR AND STILL CONTINUES TO LEAD, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE LOST A LOT OF
MANUFACTURING CAPACITY TO EUROPE AND JAPAN AND SO ON. STILL WE ARE THE LEADER IN NEW
INNOVATIONS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF GASOLINE
ENGINE TRACTORS WAS PRECEDED BY FORTY YEARS OF STEAM ENGINES IN
AGRICULTURE. DESPITE THE FORMIDABLE SIZE OF
STEAM ENGINES, THERE ARE SOME WHO SEEK THE IRON
BEASTS. ONE UNEXPECTED COLLECTOR IS
MELINDA HUISINGA, A CITY GIRL WHO GREW UP TO LOVE
WATCHING THE MASSIVE STEAM ENGINES AT THE ANNUAL OLD
THRESHERS' REUNION IN HER HOMETOWN OF MT. PLEASANT,
IOWA. IT MUST BE HOW BIG THEY ARE, AND
I MARVEL AT THE TECHNOLOGY. TO THINK MINE IS A 1915, BUT THEY MADE THEM BEFORE THAT
TURN OF THE CENTURY. I JUST MARVEL THAT THEY'RE STILL
OPERATING. TODAY SHE, ALONG WITH HER
HUSBAND, OWNS AND OPERATES HER OWN STEAM
ENGINES: A 1915 J.I. CASE 65 HORSEPOWER, A HALF-SCALE REPLICA OF THE SAME
MODEL, AND A CASE WATER WAGON. HUISINGA RECALLS HOW SHE GOT
STARTED COLLECTING STEAM ENGINES. EVERY YEAR I'D TAKE MY SON AND
TAKE ALL THE NEIGHBOR KIDS AND LATER OUR DAUGHTER AFTER SHE
WAS BORN. WE'D GO DOWN EVERY YEAR AND BE
IN THE TICKET BOOTH WITH MY DAD HELPING TO SELL TICKETS. WHEN THE BOYS REACHED JUNIOR
HIGH AGE, THEY WENT TO A STEAM SCHOOL AND
THEY BOTH LEARNED HOW TO OPERATE STEAM ENGINES AND LATER
TAUGHT ME. SO OUR SON AND HIS FRIEND RYAN
DID THIS EVERY YEAR DURING HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE
DAYS. AND THEN OUR SON DIED IN 1995,
AGE 21. HE HAD A RARE HEART CONDITION, ENLARGED HEART WE WEREN'T AWARE
OF, AND SO THAT'S WHAT PROMPTED ME
AT THAT POINT TO BUY MY OWN ENGINE DEDICATED
IN HIS MEMORY, AND CARRY ON THE TRADITION AT
OLD THRESHERS' WITH MY FAMILY. WHEN SHE DECIDED TO BUY HER OWN
STEAM ENGINE, THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF WHAT
KIND, AND SHE TRAVELED TO RACINE,
WISCONSIN, WHERE THE ENGINES WERE MADE TO
FIND IT. MY DAD AND OUR SON'S FRIEND
RYAN, WE PACKED UP THAT OCTOBER DAY ON
A MISSION. AND THE MINUTE I SAW IT, I KNEW
THAT WAS IT. IT WAS A 65 HORSEPOWER CASE. IT WAS RUNNING THAT DAY, SO WE
HAD A CHANCE TO OPERATE IT AND BECAME FRIENDS WITH THE
FAMILY WHO WONDERED WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GOING
TO BE DOING WITH THIS. WE EXPLAINED ABOUT OLD
THRESHERS' IN MT. PLEASANT. THEY CAME THE NEXT YEAR AND FELL
IN LOVE WITH IT. THEY COME BACK EVERY YEAR WITH
THEIR CAMPER AND FRIENDS, AND NOW THEY'RE A PART OF OUR
EXTENDED FAMILY. THE FIRST CASE STEAM ENGINE,
CALLED "OLD NO. 1," MADE ITS DEBUT IN 1869 IN
RACINE, WISCONSIN. IT WAS SELF-PROPELLED BUT PULLED TO THE JOB SITE BY A
TEAM OF HORSES. IN 1878 CASE ADDED PROPULSION TO
ITS ENGINES BUT RETAINED HORSE STEERING. OVER THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS, CASE WOULD BECOME THE DOMINANT
STEAM ENGINE MANUFACTURER, CONTINUALLY MAKING IMPROVEMENTS
IN ITS MACHINES. BY 1900 ITS ENGINES WERE
OUTSELLING ALL THE COMPETITION. BUT BY 1915, THE YEAR THAT
HUISINGA'S CASE WAS BUILT, PRODUCTION HAD DROPPED TO 950
ENGINES. PRODUCTION CEASED IN 1926, FIFTY-SEVEN YEARS AFTER "OLD NO.
1." THE PIONEER STEAM ENGINES WERE
MASSIVE AND MIGHTY MACHINES BUT STILL NEEDED TO BE PULLED
THROUGH THE FIELDS BY HORSES. THE ADVENT OF THE TRACTOR MEANT A NEW DAY WAS DAWNING ON
THE FARM AND A WAY OF LIFE WAS COMING TO
AN END. THE TRANSITION FROM HORSEPOWER
TO TRACTOR POWER USHERED IN THE MOST DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE
HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE. BY THE 1920S EFFORTS WERE BEING
MADE TO DESIGN SMALLER, MORE EFFICIENT TRACTORS. FARMERS, NOW CONVINCED OF THE
ADVANTAGES OVER HORSES, BEGAN BUYING THE FORDSONS, FARMALLS, JOHNNY POPPERS, AND
OLIVERS. THESE EARLY TRACTOR MODELS,
HOWEVER, DID HAVE THEIR SHORTCOMINGS, IN PARTICULAR, REFUSING TO START
IN COLD WEATHER. FOR THE MOST PART, THOUGH, MANY TRACTORS BUILT DURING THE
EARLY TO MID 1900S REPRESENTED QUANTUM LEAPS IN
TECHNOLOGY. FRANKLY, THE ADVANCES IN DESIGN AND ENGINEERING OF FARM
TRACTORS DURING THIS TIME HAVE NEVER BEEN DUPLICATED. THIS MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY MANY OF
THOSE EARLY TRACTORS ARE ANXIOUSLY SOUGHT AFTER BY
ANTIQUE COLLECTORS TODAY. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
TRACTOR COMPANY NAMES THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE HEARD OF: THE FRIDAY; THE LOVE; THE THIEMAN WAS MADE AT ALBERT
CITY, IOWA. THERE ARE PLACES, LITTLE TOWNS THAT HAD COMPANIES
THAT BUILT TRACTORS. SO THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING. OLD TRACTORS ARE LIKE OLD
FRIENDS, REMINDING US OF THE PAST. THEY BRING WITH THEM A
FAMILIARITY, A SENSE OF COMFORT. AND THEY AREN'T COMPLICATED LIKE
TRACTORS TODAY. THESE ANTIQUES TAKE COLLECTORS
BACK TO A TIME WHEN MEN COULD WORK ON THEIR OWN
MACHINERY AND ACTUALLY FIX IT. IT'S A MATTER OF TAKING
SOMETHING OLD AND WRECKED AND, WITH SOME LUCK AND SKILL, HAVING
IT RUNNING AGAIN. THERE'S A SATISFACTION TO THAT. THERE'S ALSO A CONNECTION TO THE
PAST. JUST AS THE HORSE HAD BEEN A
PARTNER WORKING THE LAND, THE FIRST TRACTORS WERE ALMOST A
PART OF THE FAMILY. FARMERS WORKED WITH THEIR
TRACTORS FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN, THROUGH THE BEST AND WORST OF
WEATHER. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO PUT IT AWAY
FOR THE NIGHT, A FARMER MIGHT FIND HIMSELF
PATTING HIS TRACTOR FOR A JOB WELL DONE, JUST AS HE HAD FOR HIS FAVORITE
TEAM OF HORSES. GRANDFATHERS USED TO LOVE THEIR
HORSES. THAT SAME PRIDE WAS CONNOTATED
IN THE TRACTOR. THE TRACTOR WAS LIKE THE FAMILY
CAR. IT WAS A SYMBOL OF YOUR
PROSPERITY TO HAVE A TRACTOR AND A GOOD-LOOKING TRACTOR. IT MEANT THAT YOU WERE SOMEBODY
THAT YOU HAD THIS TRACTOR, YOU WERE MODERN, AND WERE KIND OF WEALTHY ENOUGH
TO AFFORD ONE. SO IT BECAME THIS STRONG SYMBOL
OF PROSPERITY IN AGRICULTURE TO
HAVE THE HORSEPOWER. DAVE MOWITZ, SENIOR EDITOR OF
"SUCCESSFUL FARMING" MAGAZINE, A NATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED
AGRICULTURE MAGAZINE PRODUCED IN DES MOINES, IOWA, GREW UP ON A FARM IN CENTRAL
NEBRASKA. IN 1989, WHILE COVERING A STORY
FOR THE MAGAZINE, HE STUMBLED ONTO A TRACTOR
COLLECTOR STORY. HE CAME ACROSS A FARMER WHO HAD
DOZENS OF RESTORED TRACTORS, AND AS MOWITZ DROVE AWAY FROM
THE FARMSTEAD, HE REMEMBERS THINKING THIS GUY
REALLY NEEDS TO GET A LIFE. MONTHS LATER THAT ARTICLE ABOUT
THE TRACTOR COLLECTOR GOT MORE RESPONSE FROM READERS
THAN ANY OTHER STORY IN THE MAGAZINE'S HISTORY. THE STORY GARNERED SO MUCH
ATTENTION THAT A RUNNING SERIES CALLED "AGELESS
IRON" WAS CREATED AND CONTINUES TODAY. WHILE MOWITZ WAS INITIALLY
MYSTIFIED BY THE TRACTOR-COLLECTING CRAZE, HE SOON UNDERSTOOD WHAT ALL THE
FUSS WAS ABOUT. HE REALIZED THAT HE TOO HAD A
FONDNESS FOR OLD IRON; AND LIKE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE,
HAD VIVID MEMORIES OF DRIVING HIS GRANDFATHER'S
TRACTOR FOR THE FIRST TIME. I CAN DESCRIBE TO YOU THE DAY IT
HAPPENED TO ME, THE WEATHER AND EVEN THE SMELL
OF THE SOIL WHEN MY GRANDFATHER TOOK ME AND
I GOT TO RUN HIS JOHN DEERE B. AFTER WE'D MADE A ROUND OR TWO,
MY GRANDFATHER GOT OFF AND SAID, "WELL, SON, THERE'S THE FIELD," AND HE STARTED WALKING BACK
HOME. I REMEMBER THINKING: WHOA, I'VE
MADE IT NOW; I'M LIKE MY OLDER BROTHERS; I GET TO DRIVE THE TRACTOR. YOU COULDN'T HAVE PRIED ME OFF
THAT TRACTOR AT THAT POINT. I REMEMBER HOPING THAT A
NEIGHBOR WOULD DRIVE BY SO I COULD WAVE AT HIM AND HE'D
WAVE AT ME AND THINK THE MOWITZ BOY IS OUT ON THE
TRACTOR. IT WAS A BIG DEAL. FOR A FARM KID, DRIVING THE
TRACTOR FOR THE FIRST TIME IS AN UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT. BUT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GROW UP
ON A FARM TO LIKE OLD TRACTORS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN
THE COUNTRY TO COLLECT OLD
TRACTORS. THE SURPRISING THING IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST AN AGRICULTURAL
HOBBY. IN FACT, MOST PEOPLE WHO HUNT
FOR ANTIQUE TRACTORS AREN'T
FARMERS. PEOPLE WHO COLLECT THEM COME
FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES AND FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
WORLD. COLLECTORS ARE ALL AROUND US, DISGUISED AS DOCTORS, AIRLINE
PILOTS, MECHANICS, AND IN SOME CASES, EVEN
TEEN-AGERS. 13-YEAR-OLD JESSICA WAGNER IS
LIKE MOST TEEN-AGE GIRLS. SHE LIKES PLAYING SPORTS,
WATCHING MOVIES, AND HAVING HER FRIENDS OVER FOR
SLUMBER PARTIES. BUT SHE ALSO ENJOYS HELPING HER
DAD RESTORE OLD IRON, AND SHE IS FOND OF ONE TRACTOR
IN PARTICULAR. IT'S AN ALLIS-CHALMERS WC. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I LIKE
TRACTORS, PERIOD. THEY'RE KINDA FUN BECAUSE
THEY'RE EASY TO DRIVE. BUT I THINK PART OF THE REASON I
LIKE IT SO MUCH IS IT CAME FROM KANSAS FROM MY
UNCLE. HE'S JUST KIND OF SPECIAL. PAUL WAGNER OWNS AN AUTO
MECHANIC SHOP, SO HIS INTEREST IN THE
TECHNOLOGY OF TRACTORS IS
NATURAL. HE RESTORES THE MACHINES HE
COLLECTS IN HIS SHOP, WITH THE HELP OF COWORKERS,
FRIENDS, AND FAMILY. I ENJOY GETTING THEM RUNNING, TO
PULL THEM OUT OF THE FIELD, ON A TRACTOR THAT HASN'T RUN. SOME OF THESE TRACTORS HAVEN'T
RUN FOR THIRTY YEARS, AND IT WAS RUNNING WITHIN AN
HOUR. THAT IS AMAZING TO ME, THAT SOMETHING CAN SIT AROUND
FOR THIRTY YEARS AND WE CAN HAVE IT RUNNING IN AN
HOUR. IT WASN'T HARD FOR PAUL TO
CONVINCE THE REST OF HIS FAMILY TO LOVE OLD TRACTORS. ALL HE HAD TO DO TO GET HIS WIFE, SANDI, AND HIS SON,
GERRITT, ON BOARD WAS TO FIND A TRACTOR FOR EACH
OF THEM TO CALL THEIR OWN. SANDI HAS A MASSEY HARRIS 101
JR., AND GERRITT TOOK A LIKING TO A
FARMALL CUB. BUT EVEN BEFORE GERRITT WAS OLD
ENOUGH TO DRIVE HIS CUB, HIS PARENTS REMEMBER HIM ASKING
FOR "BIRTHDAY TRACTOR HAVE" ON HIS
SECOND BIRTHDAY. TODAY HIS ROOM IS FILLED WITH
TOYS AND A QUILT MADE BY HIS
GRANDMOTHER, COVERED IN, WHAT ELSE...
TRACTORS. IN ADDITION TO COLLECTING
TIMELESS TRACTORS, THE WAGNERS ENJOY REMINISCING
ABOUT THE FUN THEY'VE HAD WITH THEIR
MACHINES AND THE PEOPLE THEY'VE MET
THROUGH THE HOBBY. TRACTOR SHOWS, YOU KNOW, TULARE,
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN GO UP THERE AND SPEND
THE WEEKEND. YOU CAN GO TO A CHURCH SERVICE
ON THE TRACTOR SHOW GROUND, HAVE A TRACTOR PARADE AT 11:00. YOU CAN HAVE DINNER. EVERYBODY IS VERY FRIENDLY, VERY
HELPFUL. THEY ENJOY SEEING A KID ON A
TRACTOR, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
BEEN IN IT FOR A LONG TIME, TO SEE THAT NEXT GENERATION
MOVING UP AND ENJOYING SOMETHING THAT WE
ENJOY. FROM THE 1930S THROUGH THE
1950S, TRACTOR MAKERS BEGAN TO SETTLE
ON DISTINCTIVE COLORS TO SET THEIR MACHINES APART FROM
THE REST. THESE TRADEMARK COLORS WERE
ADOPTED BY THE INDUSTRY, AND THE DISTINCTIVE COLORS WERE
EASILY IDENTIFIED IN THE FIELD. MANY VINTAGE TRACTOR COLLECTORS,
LIKE THE WAGNERS, ARE NONDENOMINATIONAL WHEN IT
COMES TO THE MAKE OR COLOR OF THEIR OLD
IRON. THEN THERE ARE THOSE COLLECTORS
WHO ARE LOYAL TO ONE BRAND, AND ONE BRAND ONLY. HMMM, LET'S THINK. WELL, I'VE GOT LOADS OF
DIFFERENT VARIETIES. YOU ONLY HAVE JOHN DEERES. JOHN
DEERES ONLY, I'M AFRAID. I HAVE RESTORED SOME OTHER
BREEDS OF TRACTORS, SOME SOBs, AS THEY SAY IN THE
STATES. SOBs? SOBs, SOME OTHER BREEDS. I WAS BORN ABOUT SIX MONTHS
BEFORE MY DAD BOUGHT HIS FIRST NEW JOHN DEERE TRACTOR
IN 1929, AND I'VE BEEN WITH GREEN AND
YELLOW TRACTORS EVER SINCE. LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON... OFTEN THE LOVE FOR A SPECIFIC
KIND OF TRACTOR WAS PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE
GENERATIONS OF A FAMILY. IF GRANDPA SWORE BY A JOHN
DEERE, THEN JOHN DEERE IT WAS FOR
COMING GENERATIONS. IT WAS RARE THAT A FARM FAMILY
WOULD SWITCH COLOR, A HABIT IRRITATING TO TRACTOR
DEALERS TRYING TO CONVINCE STUBBORN FARMERS TO GIVE THEIR
PRODUCT A TRY. I'VE REDONE SOME RED ONES AND
ORANGE, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, BUT I LEAN TOWARDS THE GREEN AND
YELLOW. IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR MANY
ANTIQUE TRACTOR COLLECTORS TO BE PARTIAL TO THE GREEN AND
YELLOW. FRANK JONES OF WINTERSET, IOWA,
IS A RETIRED MECHANIC WHO RESTORES JOHN DEERES FOR
HIMSELF AND OTHERS. THERE'S NOT VERY MANY TWO-CYLINDER JOHN DEERE
MECHANICS LEFT. MOST OF THEM HAVE RETIRED. MANY, MANY OF THEM HAVE PASSED
ON. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I HAVE A
YOUNG FELLOW THAT'S INTERESTED IN THAT KIND
OF STUFF THAT COMES ALONG AND PICKS YOUR
BRAIN. I HAD A COUPLE OF OLD MECHANIC
FRIENDS WHEN I WAS A YOUNG FELLOW THAT
WERE AWFUL GOOD TO SHOW ME. SO NOW IT'S MY TURN TO PASS IT
ON. THE JOHN DEERE TRACTOR COMPANY
DID NOT MAKE TRACTORS UNTIL IT PURCHASED THE WATERLOO
TRACTOR ENGINE COMPANY IN 1918, MAKER OF THE WATERLOO BOY
TRACTORS. THE FIRST WATERLOO DESIGN AND
BUILT TRACTOR BEARING THE JOHN DEERE NAME ROLLED OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE
FIVE YEARS LATER. IN 1934, THE MODEL A, COMMONLY CALLED THE POPPIN'
JOHNNY, WAS INTRODUCED. ITS TWO-CYLINDER ENGINE HAD THE DISTINCT POP, POP, CHUG,
CHUG SOUND THAT TOLD FARMERS IT WAS GREEN
AND YELLOW COMING LONG BEFORE THEY COULD SEE IT. THE JOHN DEERE MODEL B, ANOTHER
TRACTOR MADE IN 1934, INTRODUCED MORE FARMERS TO POWER
FARMING THAN ANY OTHER TRACTOR. FROM ITS INTRODUCTION IN 1935
UNTIL ITS RETIREMENT IN 1952, WELL OVER 300,000 MODEL B
TRACTORS WERE DELIVERED. THE 2,800-POUND B WAS DESIGNED TO COMPETE WITH A TEAM OF HORSES AND NOT COST MUCH MORE. I STARTED OUT ON THIS B JOHN
DEERE, YOU KNOW, 20-30 HORSES. WHEN I LEFT THE FARM MY LAST
YEAR OF COLLEGE, WHEN I'D GO HOME AND WORK IN THE
SUMMERS, I LEFT PULLING A 32-FOOT DISC ON
A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE, THE LARGEST FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE
TRACTOR JOHN DEERE MADE. THAT CHANGE WAS PRETTY DRAMATIC
ON THE WAY OUT. YES, I CLING TO MY FARM
HERITAGE, NOT WITH THAT FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE BUT RATHER WITH THE LITTLE B
JOHN DEERE THAT IS NOW BEING RESTORED. ANOTHER ADMIRED JOHN DEERE WAS
THE MODEL D, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS FARM
TRACTORS EVER. IT HOLDS THE RECORD FOR THE
LONGEST PRODUCTION RUN OF ANY AMERICAN TRACTOR, FROM 1923 TO 1953, A 30-YEAR
RUN. THE D WAS THE FIRST TRACTOR ON
MANY AMERICAN FARMS, THE MECHANICAL MULE THAT
REPLACED HORSES, THE MACHINE THAT BROKE THE
PRAIRIE SOD, AND THE TRACTOR THAT HELPED
PROVIDE FOOD FOR A GROWING NATION. ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE DIVERSITY
AMONG VINTAGE COLLECTORS AND RESTORERS
IS PERSONIFIED IN NIGEL BURGESS AND PAM DAVIS OF
ENGLAND. ORIGINALLY FROM DES MOINES,
IOWA, PAM IS AN ADMINISTRATOR AT
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY. WHILE WRITING AN ARTICLE FOR
"SUCCESSFUL FARMING" MAGAZINE ABOUT COLLECTORS IN THE UK, SHE
MET NIGEL BURGESS, AN ENGLISH COUNTRYMAN WHO IS QUITE FOND OF JOHN DEERE
TRACTORS. HE LOVES OLD IRON SO MUCH THAT HE HAS 30 JOHN DEERES OF HIS OWN AND DOES RESTORATION WORK FOR
OTHER COLLECTORS AS WELL. I INTERVIEWED NIGEL AND WE
BECAME GOOD FRIENDS. WE RUBBED SHOULDERS AND PICKED
PUMPKINS AND GO TO TRACTORS SHOWS EVER
SINCE. HAUL ME AROUND IN YOUR MUCK
SPREADER. NOW I'M TRYING TO DUPE YOU INTO
BUYING ONE. THIS IS THE ONLY PROBLEM IS MY
HUSBAND NOW, WHO POO-POOED THE WHOLE IDEA OF
TRACTORS WHEN I SAID, "I'M GOING TO DO THIS TRACTOR
PIECE ABOUT NIGEL, THIS GUY I MET THERE," AND DA,
DA, DA. "TRACTOR, YOU TRAIN-SPOTTER, WHY
WOULD YOU DO THAT? BORING, BORING, BORING." NOW HE WANTS TO BUY A TRACTOR. I KEEP HAVING FIGHTS WITH THESE
TWO BOYS ABOUT NO, YOU'RE NOT BUYING A TRACTOR. THERE'S NO PLACE TO KEEP IT. YOU'VE GOT A FINER COLLECTION OF
TRACTOR BOOKS ON YOUR BOOKSHELF THAN I HAVE.
THAT'S RIGHT. HE SPENT EVERY LAST POUND WE
HAVE ON TRACTOR BOOKS. ONE WEEK HE WANTS ANA, THEN HE
WANTS AN UNSTYLEDB, AND THEN HE WANTS ANL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU TWO ARE
SCHEMING NOW, BUT IT'S QUITE SCARY. PRISTINE CHASSIS B. I DON'T WANT
TO KNOW. NIGEL BECAME INTERESTED IN JOHN
DEERES WHEN HE ATTENDED AN AGRICULTURAL SHOW IN THE
UNITED STATES AND WALKED AWAY WITH A BUNCH OF JOHN DEERE TRACTOR COLLECTING
BROCHURES. AT THE TIME HE HAD TWO LARGE
DEERES ON THE FARM WHERE HE LIVED. WHEN HE BEGAN COLLECTING AND
RESTORING, IT WAS WITH THE PURPOSE OF ACTUALLY USING THE MACHINES ON
HIS FARM. BECAUSE WE ARE FARMING STILL AND WE HAVE A LARGE ACREAGE, WE LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET THE
TRACTORS THAT WE RESTORE AND TRY OUT THE TRACTORS THAT WE
RESTORE FOR CUSTOMERS ON OUR OWN LAND. SO WE'RE PUTTING THEM TO USE
RATHER THAN LOOKING AT THEM AS IF THEY WERE AN OIL PAINTING. IT'S PROBABLY INFLUENCED MY
INTEREST IN TRACTORS BECAUSE NIGEL OFTEN INTRODUCES ME TO
PEOPLE WHO COLLECT TRACTORS. BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT MY
FAVORITE -- I'M NOT PUTTING ANYBODY DOWN
WHO COLLECTS THEM FOR COLLECTING
SAKE -- BUT I LIKE TO WATCH THEM WORK. I CAN'T SEE HAVING ONE OF THESE
GREAT OLD TRACTORS AND NOT RUNNING IT. THE MACHINES NEED TO BE RUN. ABSOLUTELY. AND I'D COME ON THE
ROAD RUNS. I SAW MY Ph.D SUPERVISOR, WHO
WAS CYCLING BY, I WAS SITTING ON THE BACK OF
THIS MUCK SPREADER, WHICH RAISES A FEW SMILES WHEN
WE GO DOWN THE STREET. NIGEL'S KIDDED IT OUT WITH OLD
CAR SEATS, SO IT'S A QUITE COMFORTABLE
RIDE. I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN THE
BACK OF THIS TRACTOR AND I LOOK OVER AND THERE WAS MY
Ph.D. SUPERVISOR WHO LOOKS AT ME COMPLETELY
STUNNED THINKING WHAT IS THAT WOMAN
DOING IN THERE. I JUST WAVED AND SMILED. WE
NEARLY WENT INTO THE DITCH. NIGEL AND PAM AREN'T ALONE IN
THEIR FONDNESS FOR TIMELESS TRACTORS. COLLECTORS CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER
THE WORLD, FROM RURAL IOWA, WHERE YOU'D
EXPECT TO FIND THEM, TO OF ALL PLACES, BEVERLY HILLS,
CALIFORNIA. YES, BEVERLY HILLS, HOME OF RODEO DRIVE AND THE
"SIGN ON THE HILL." BUT PARKED AMONG THE
ROLLS-ROYCES AND FERRARIS OF THIS POSH NEIGHBORHOOD ARE
ALSO ANTIQUE TRACTORS. IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHERE I LIVE TOTALLY AND THE
WAY I LIVE TOTALLY, IT'S ABSOLUTELY CUCKOO. WHAT'S A 67-YEAR-OLD GUY LIVING IN THIS KIND OF
ATMOSPHERE NEED EVEN ONE TRACTOR? JIMMY DUFFY III IS A MEMBER OF THE OLDEST FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA, BEING A NINTH-GENERATION
CALIFORNIAN, HIS MOTHER'S SIDE ARRIVING
DIRECTLY FROM SPAIN. RESIDING IN BEVERLY HILLS HIS
ENTIRE LIFE, HE HAS BEEN A COLLECTOR OF MANY
FINE THINGS, INCLUDING CLASSIC CARS, TOYS, AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, AMISH
BUGGIES. THE NEIGHBORS IN HIS ELITE
NEIGHBORHOOD ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN WHAT WILL APPEAR
AT DUFFY'S HOUSE NEXT. THEY REALLY TOOK NOTICE WHEN HE CAME HOME WITH HIS FIRST
ANTIQUE TRACTOR, A 1935 JOHN DEERE B. ONE DAY EVERYBODY WAS TEASING
ME. THEY SAID, "YOU CLOSE THE DOOR AND EVERY NIGHT THERE'S ANOTHER
TRACTOR IN THERE. THEY'RE HAVING BABIES OR
SOMETHING." WE ENDED UP WITH 11 OF THEM ALL
RESTORED. EVERYBODY CAME ON THE WEEKENDS
AFTER WORK AND EVERYTHING, AND WE WORKED ON THEM HERE AND
PAINTED THEM. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN. EVEN THOUGH DUFFY GREW UP IN
MUCH DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAN THE FARMERS WHO LONG AGO
USED THE TRACTORS HE COLLECTS, HE APPRECIATES AMERICAN
AGRICULTURE AND THE ROLE THESE MACHINES HAVE
PLAYED IN ITS HISTORY. I THINK ABOUT A MAN SITTING ON
THAT TRACTOR FOR TEN, FIFTEEN HOURS, TWELVE
HOURS A DAY, EATING HIS DUST THAT HE'S
CREATING, SMELLING THAT SMOKE FROM THE
EXHAUST, BEING PUSHED AROUND BY THE WIND
AND THE BREEZE, THE HOT, STICKY, HUMID CLIMATE. THIS WAS THE VERY BEGINNING OF
OUR ECONOMY. THE ECONOMY ON THE FARM IS
REALLY WHAT STARTED IT ALL. WE WENT FROM THE FARM TO THE
INDUSTRY BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY HAD TO GROW TO
SUPPORT THE FARM OUTPUT. IT'S REALLY, REALLY THE SOLID
BASIS OF OUR ECONOMY AND IT'S THE SOLID BASIS OF THE
AMERICAN DREAM. MANY ANTIQUE TRACTOR COLLECTORS
BELIEVE A LARGE PART OF THE HOBBY IS
TEACHING YOUNGER GENERATIONS THE IMPORTANCE OF TRACTORS AND THEIR ESSENTIAL ROLE IN THE
MECHANIZATION OF AGRICULTURE. ANOTHER THING THEY VALUE IS THE
CAMARADERIE THEY FEEL FOR OTHERS SEEKING UNIQUE RELICS
OF THE PAST. DUFFY ISN'T THE ONLY L.A.
RESIDENT WHO COLLECTS TRACTORS. SEVERAL OF HIS FRIENDS HAVE
BECOME AVID COLLECTORS. FORMER LOS ANGELES POLICE
OFFICER MIKE BOHLEN BROUGHT HIS JOHN DEERE "A" TO
BEVERLY HILLS TO SHARE STORIES OF "OLD IRON"
WITH DUFFY, AN OLD FRIEND OF HIS. ORIGINALLY FROM BURLINGTON,
IOWA, BOHLEN GREW UP ON A FARM AND REMEMBERS DRIVING HIS DAD'S
TRACTORS. I STARTED DRIVING TRACTOR WHEN I WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS
OLD. MY DAD NEEDED TO SHUCK CORN. SO HE WAS PICKING CORN BY HAND. WE WERE POOR; THIS WAS IN THE
'40S. HE HAD A 1942 VAC CASE. IT HAD A HAND CLUTCH AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS HIT THE
STARTER BUTTON AND PULL THE HAND CLUTCH AND WE
WERE MOVING. FOR YEARS BOHLEN WOULD DRIVE BY
A SMALL CALIFORNIA TOWN, EYEING JOHN DEERE TRACTORS SITTING ON THE LAWN OF A
FARMHOUSE. ONE DAY HE DECIDED TO KNOCK ON
THE DOOR TO SEE IF THE OWNER WOULD BE
WILLING TO SELL ONE OF THEM. HE WROTE A CHECK FOR THE JOHN
DEERE "A" THAT VERY DAY, AN INVESTMENT HE'S NEVER
REGRETTED. WHEN THEY WENT AWAY FROM
MANUFACTURING TWO-CYLINDERS, I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I LOVE THE SOUND, THE
FEEL, THE TORQUE. IT'S JUST FUN TO OPEN UP THE
PETCOCKS, TURN THE GAS ON, PUT THE CHOKE DOWN, AND CRANK
IT. THE RHYTHM THAT IT HAS, THERE'S SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT
IT. I LIKE TAKING SOMETHING THAT
LOOKS TERRIBLE AND MAKE IT LOOK GOOD. DON HACKER, ONE OF DUFFY'S
DEAREST FRIENDS, ALSO LOVES THESE ANTIQUE
MACHINES. IN FACT, HE DROVE A LOWBOY FILLED WITH A FEW OF HIS
FAVORITE TRACTORS ALL THE WAY FROM NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA TO VISIT HIS OLD PAL DUFFY. THEY'VE BEEN FELLOW COLLECTORS
FOR YEARS, HELPING EACH OTHER FIND UNIQUE
TRACTORS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. HACKER HAS BEEN IN THE TRACTOR
BUSINESS SINCE 1963 AND IS PART OWNER, ALONG WITH
HIS SON, IN HACKER EQUIPMENT COMPANY. I LOOK PAST THE JUNK, PAST THE RUST, PAST THE FLAT
TIRES. THIS ONE HAD ALL FOUR FLAT
TIRES. IT WAS RUSTING AND IT DIDN'T
RUN. I LIKE TO TEAR THEM DOWN TO
NOTHING AND THEN REASSEMBLE THEM UP LIKE
NEW ONES. THAT'S WHAT I'VE DONE WITH
THESE. FOR THE LAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, AMERICA HAS HAD A LOVE AFFAIR
WITH THE FARM TRACTOR. WHILE THESE HEAVY HORSES WERE MAKING THEIR WAY INTO THE
HISTORY BOOKS, FOR THE MOST PART, THE WORD
"TRACTOR" WAS NOT COMMONLY USED UNTIL THE
EARLY 1900S. IT WAS IN 1906, WHEN THE
HART-PARR COMPANY WANTED TO REPLACE THE LONGER
EXPRESSION "GASOLINE TRACTION ENGINE" IN
ITS ADVERTISEMENTS THAT THEY BEGAN TO USE THE WORD
"TRACTOR." TODAY THE WORD "TRACTOR" IS ON
NEARLY EVERYONE'S MINDS. HART-PARR OF CHARLES CITY, IOWA, BUILT A FULL LINE OF TRACTORS
BETWEEN 1901 AND 1918, BUT THE MOST FAMOUS WAS THE
30/60, CALLED "OLD RELIABLE." IN 1897 CHARLES HART AND CHARLES
PARR FOUNDED THE HART-PARR GASOLINE ENGINE
COMPANY WHILE THEY WERE BOTH ENGINEERING
STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IN
MADISON. IN 1900 THEY MOVED THEIR
OPERATION TO HART'S HOMETOWN, CHARLES CITY, IOWA, BECAUSE OF TROUBLE THEY WERE
HAVING RAISING CAPITAL. SINCE HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE
WELL KNOWN THERE, THE TWO YOUNGSTERS HAD ACCESS TO
THE CAPITAL THEY NEEDED TO VENTURE INTO THEIR OWN
BUSINESS. HUNDREDS OF HART-PARR "OLD
RELIABLE" TRACTORS WERE SOLD TO SETTLERS FOR PULLING THE HEAVY
SOD-BREAKER PLOWS OPENING UP THE GREAT PLAINS. OVER THE YEARS THE HART-PARR
COMPANY WOULD GO THROUGH SEVERAL MERGERS
AND NAME CHANGES INCLUDING HART-PARR TO OLIVER
AND FROM OLIVER TO WHITE. THE PLANT IN CHARLES CITY, IOWA, CLOSED FOR GOOD IN JULY OF 1993. THERE'S CERTAIN FEELINGS I HAVE
ABOUT ANTIQUE TRACTORS AND ANTIQUE THINGS IN GENERAL,
ESPECIALLY FARM THINGS. HERK BOURIS'S DAD CAME TO THE
UNITED STATES FROM GREECE IN 1904 WITH $5 IN
HIS POCKET AND WOULD EVENTUALLY MOVE TO CALIFORNIA'S MENIFEE VALLEY IN
1922 TO RUN AN ORCHARD AND VINEYARD
FARM. HERK WASN'T INTERESTED IN THIS
TYPE OF FARMING, SO IN 1951 HE BOUGHT THE HOME
PLACE, WHERE HE STARTED A WHEAT FARM. TODAY ANOTHER GENERATION OF
BOURIS' CONTINUES THE WHEAT FARMING OPERATION AND HELPS CONTINUE A LEGACY HERK
STARTED IN COLLECTING OLD IRON. WELL, WE STILL HAVE MY
GRANDFATHER'S CROSS MOTOR CASE. IT'S BEEN IN THE FAMILY THE
WHOLE TIME. MY DAD FIRST REBUILT THAT IN
ABOUT 1976. HE REBUILT IT ONCE. AND SINCE THEN, IN THE '90S IT'S
BEEN REBUILT AGAIN. THAT'S WHERE HE STARTED. HERK'S SON MIKE HELPS HIM FIND
THE OLD TRACTORS, WHILE HERK'S SECOND COUSIN PETE
DOES THE RESTORATION WORK AND GETS THEM READY FOR SHOWS. ALMOST EVERYTHING I'VE DONE HAS
CAUGHT MY EYE. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, IT'S LIKE LOOKING AT WOMEN,
BEAUTIFUL WOMEN; ONE WAS MORE ATTRACTIVE AND
THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. I PREFER STUFF BEFORE 1930 AND EVEN BEFORE 1920, IF
POSSIBLE, BUT THEY'RE GETTING RARER AND
RARER. THE BIGGEST JOY I GET IS NOT
AFTER IT'S FIXED; IT'S TO HAVE A NICE PICTURE WHEN
I GET SOMETHING OF HOW IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE
WHEN IT'S FINISHED. BY 1915 A FARM TRACTOR COST
ANYWHERE FROM $400 TO $4,000, WHICH WAS A LOT OF MONEY FOR A
SMALL FARMER. THEN IN 1917 HENRY FORD
DEVELOPED THE FORDSON TRACTOR. THE TIMING WAS RIGHT AND AT JUST $785, THE PRICE WAS
RIGHT TOO. THERE WERE MORE THAN 750,000
FORDSON TRACTORS BUILT IN THE UNITED STATES BETWEEN
1917 AND 1928. THE FORDSON BECAME THE MODEL T
OF FARM TRACTORS AND, BY 1920, ACCOUNTED FOR 70 PERCENT OF THE
WORLD TRACTOR MARKET. WHY CALL IT FORDSON AND NOT JUST
FORD? WHEN HENRY FORD CAME OUT WITH
THIS MODEL, THERE WAS ALREADY A TRACTOR
BEARING HIS NAME. IT HAPPENED TO BE THIS TRACTOR
I'M STANDING NEXT TO, A MODEL OF THIS TRACTOR, WHICH THEY CALLED A FORD. IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN
MINNEAPOLIS. THE COMPANY HAD HIRED A HARDWARE
STORE CLERK WHOSE LAST NAME WAS FORD AND MADE HIM THE VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE COMPANY, SO THEY COULD CALL THIS A FORD
TRACTOR. WHEN HENRY FORD CAME OUT WITH A
TRACTOR, THAT'S THE REASON HE HAD TO CALL
IT A FORDSON. HE COULDN'T CALL IT A FORD. THE FORD-FERGUSON 9N WAS ONE OF
THE GREATEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT TRACTORS OF
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. WEIGHING JUST 2,300 POUNDS, THE WORKHORSE COULD PLOW 12
ACRES IN A DAY WITH TWO 14-INCH PLOWS. AT THE PEAK OF ITS POPULARITY, 9,000 FORDN SERIES TRACTORS WERE
BEING DELIVERED PER MONTH. IRISHMAN HARRY FERGUSON HAD MADE
A DEAL WITH HENRY FORD TO COMBINE HIS ENGINEERING
PRINCIPLES OF THE DRAFT CONTROL, THE THREE-POINT HITCH, AND AN IMPLEMENT SYSTEM WITH THE
FORDSON MODEL. THEY INTRODUCED THEIR JOINT
CREATION IN 1939 AS THE FORD-FERGUSON 9N. THEIR DEAL WAS MADE ON A
HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT, BUT IN 1948 THE FAMOUS PACT WAS
BROKEN. AFTER A BITTER LAWSUIT, HENRY
FORD II SETTLED BY PAYING FERGUSON $12 MILLION. FERGUSON WENT ON TO PRODUCE HIS
OWN TRACTORS AND LATER SOLD OUT TO
MASSEY-HARRIS, WHICH THEN BECAME
MASSEY-FERGUSON. I WENT TO CALIFORNIA TO BUY
CRAWLERS BECAUSE I WAS INTO CONSTRUCTION
AND I LIKED THE CRAWLERS. AND I'D HAVE TO STOP IN AS HIGH
AS SIX, SEVEN YEARS AND VISIT WITH THEM, AND FINALLY THEY'D SAY YOU COULD
HAVE IT. THERE'S A LIFE STORY TO EVERY
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. COLLECTING OLD IRON STRIKES SOME
PEOPLE LIKE A BOLT OF LIGHTNING. ONE DAY THEY DON'T HAVE A
TRACTOR, AND THE NEXT DAY THEY ARE
ENTHUSIASTS. IT STARTS BY BUYING THEIR FIRST
TRACTOR. THEN THEY BUY A BACKUP ONE: "COULDN'T PASS THIS ONE UP; THIS
ONE WAS A GREAT DEAL." BEFORE THEY KNOW IT, THEY PRACTICALLY HAVE TRACTORS
GROWING OUT OF THEIR EARS. LARRY MAASDAM IS ONE SUCH
COLLECTOR. FOR YEARS MAASDAM ENJOYED
COLLECTING FARM TOYS, AND THEN HIS TOYS GREW A LITTLE
LARGER, WHEN HE STARTED HUNTING FOR
LIFE-SIZE MACHINES. MANAGING A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
BASED IN CLARION, IOWA, MAASDAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN
INTERESTED IN MACHINERY. THERE'S PEOPLE THAT THINK IT'S
JUNK. ONCE IN A WHILE I EVEN HAVE THE
CITY GIVE ME A BAD TIME. THEN THE LATTER PART OF AUGUST,
WE HAD 200 PEOPLE HERE ONE DAY JUST LOOKING THROUGH THIS STUFF. THEY WERE FROM ALL OVER THE
UNITED STATES. BENJAMIN HOLT'S STEAM
CATERPILLAR WAS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL AGRICULTURAL CRAWLER
DURING THE EARLY 1900S. LATER VERSIONS WERE FOUND TO BE
USEFUL IN LOGGING OPERATIONS, ON CONSTRUCTION SITES, AND ON
ROAD-GRADING JOBS. SINCE BUYING HIS FIRST CRAWLER
OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO, MAASDAM HAS BEEN OBSESSED WITH
THE MACHINES, COLLECTING AND RESTORING SO MANY
TRACTORS THAT EVENHE DOESN'T HAVE AN
OFFICIAL COUNT. TODAY HE HAS SEVERAL SHEDS
FILLED WITH OLD IRON WAITING TO BE RESTORED. MANY OF MAASDAM'S FINISHED
PROJECTS ARE ON DISPLAY IN A MUSEUM IN CLARION. NO MATTER WHERE HIS TRACTORS ARE
LOCATED, PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER LIKE TO
COME SHARE IN THE MEMORIES THESE IRON WORKHORSES EVOKE. WHEN I WAS A KID IN GRADE SCHOOL IN A COUNTRY SCHOOL, I HATED
HISTORY. AS I GET OLDER, I LOVE HISTORY. MAASDAM ALSO ENJOYS TAKING HIS
OLD IRON ON TRACTOR RIDES, AN ASPECT OF THE HOBBY THAT HAS
BECOME POPULAR ALL OVER THE WORLD. COLLECTORS LIKE GETTING TOGETHER
TO TALK ABOUT THEIR MACHINES AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GET THEM RUNNING AGAIN. LIKE MANY OLD TRACTOR LOVERS,
MAASDAM BROUGHT ONE OF HIS ANTIQUES ON MY GREAT
IOWA TRACTOR RIDE. I STARTED THE GREAT IOWA TRACTOR
RIDE IN 1997, AND IT'S HOSTED BY "WHO RADIO"
IN DES MOINES. THERE WERE 150 RIDERS THAT FIRST
YEAR, AND THE NUMBER HAS INCREASED
DRAMATICALLY EACH YEAR. IT'S VERY EXCITING. I TELL PEOPLE WHERE I'M GOING
FOR SUMMER AND WHAT I'M DOING. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT BUT WE
LIKE IT. MY DAD PURCHASED THIS BRAND NEW
IN 1954, SO IT'S BEEN ON THE FARM SINCE
THAT TIME. YOU'RE A CARDIAC SURGEON BUT YOU STILL SPEND TIME ON THE
TRACTOR. OH, I LOVE IT. IT'S A GREAT TIME. IT'S GREAT DOWNTIME AND A WAY TO
GET AWAY AND STILL HAVE A LOT OF FUN. COLLECTING OLD IRON OFTEN HAS TO DO WITH A PERSON'S
HERITAGE. FINDING THEIR FATHER OR
GRANDFATHER'S LONG LOST TRACTOR IS WHAT GETS MANY STARTED. THE HUNT IS EXCITING BUT
RESTORING THE ANTIQUE BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL LUSTER IS
SO REWARDING. IT REMINDS A COLLECTOR OF LIFE
ON THE FARM. THAT WAS WHAT GOT ME INTERESTED
IN TRACTORS, JUST BEING AROUND THEM. I RODE HOUR AFTER HOUR SITTING
ON THE SEAT WITH MY DAD. I SPENT A LOT OF HOURS STANDING
ON THE LEFT-HAND AXIL, HANGING ONTO THE LIGHT POST. AS I GOT TALLER, I SPENT A LOT
OF HOURS STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE
DRAWBAR AND HANGING ON AND EVENTUALLY DROVE THE TRACTOR
A LOT. BY THE TIME I WAS NINE YEARS
OLD, TEN YEARS OLD, I DID FARM CHORES, FIELDWORK. DAD WORKED A SECOND JOB SO I DID
A LOT OF WORK ON THE FARM WITH THIS PARTICULAR TRACTOR. JON KINZENBAW GREW UP AROUND
TRACTORS. TODAY HE IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS
COMPANY, KINZE MANUFACTURING, LOCATED IN
WILLIAMSBURG, IOWA, A COMPANY HE STARTED WHEN HE WAS
21 YEARS OLD WITH $3,500 OF BORROWED MONEY. EMPLOYING SOME 500 PEOPLE, THE COMPANY BUILDS AND
DISTRIBUTES PLANTERS AND GRAIN CARTS AROUND
THE WORLD. THE FIRST TRACTOR KINZE
REMEMBERS HIS DAD USING WAS A FARMALL H, A TRACTOR THAT WAS EVENTUALLY
TRADED FOR A FARMALL SUPER M. BUT HE NEVER FORGOT ABOUT THAT
H. EVERYH FARMALL I DROVE BY, I GLANCED AT IT TO SEE IF I
COULD RECOGNIZE ANY PART OF IT. IN 1992 MY SON AND I WORKED ON A
CUB CADET PROJECT. WE RESTORED IT FOR THE 4-H
PROJECT, AND WE ENTERED THAT IN THE
COUNTY FAIR. SO WE STARTED LOOKING AT THINGS
INSIDE THE 4-H BARN. ABOUT 9:00 BEFORE THE LIGHTS
WERE OUT, I HAPPENED TO BE LOOKING AT
PHOTOS ON THE WALL, WHEN I DISCOVERED PICTURES OF
THIS OLD TRACTOR. I KNEW INSTANTLY THAT I HAD
FOUND DAD'S OLDH. I WENT TO FIND THE OWNER OF THE
BLUE RIBBON THAT WAS ON THE PHOTO ENTRY. I CALLED HIM; WE MADE A DEAL. BEFORE WE LEFT THE FARM THAT
DAY, I WENT TO THE PICKUP AND WANTED
TO SHOW HIM ONE OTHER ITEM, AND THAT WAS AN OAK BLOCK. AFTER DAD DIED, I BROUGHT THE
BLOCK HOME AND ALWAYS WISHED I COULD FIND
THE TRACTOR THAT IT WENT ON, THINKING THE BEST I COULD DO IS
SOMEDAY RESTORE ONE LIKE DAD'S TRACTOR
AND PUT IT ON THAT. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAD THE
TRACTOR AND THE BLOCK TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROBABLY
THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS. SO I DEMONSTRATED HOW THE BLOCK
WENT ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL, HOW IT FLIPPED OVER, AND HOW I COULD REACH THE CLUTCH
SITTING ON THE SEAT WHEN I WAS ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD. FARMALL, A TRACTOR MADE BY
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER, WAS THE FIRST TRULY PRACTICAL
GENERAL-PURPOSE TRACTOR AND WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO
COMPETE WITH THE HORSE. THE MORE HORSES A TRACTOR
REPLACED, THE MORE DOLLARS COMMANDED. IT WAS BUILT LIKE A TALL
TRICYCLE, BUT ITS WEIGHT WAS IN THE RIGHT
PLACE FOR TRACTION AND STABILITY. IN 1924 FARMALL SALES EXCEEDED
ALL EXPECTATIONS AND CONTINUED TO SET THE PACE
FOR THE ROW-CROP INDUSTRY FOR YEARS TO COME. KINZENBAW HAS THE WHOLE H
FARMALL SERIES FROM 1939 THROUGH 1954. HE HAS SO MANY TRACTORS THAT HE
BUILT SHELVES TO STORE THEM. WHEN I WAS A KID GOING TO
COUNTRY SCHOOL, I USED TO BRING HOME STRAY DOGS BECAUSE THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY
HUNGRY AND IN NEED. IT WASN'T UNTIL YEARS LATER THAT
WE DISCOVERED THAT PEOPLE HAD FIGURED OUT THAT I
WOULD RESCUE THEIR UNWANTED DOGS AND THEY'D DUMP THEM OUT AT THE
COUNTRY SCHOOL. I'D END UP TAKING THEM HOME. I THINK IT'S GOTTEN THAT WAY WITH THE OLDH TRACTORS ANDM
FARMALLS; I TRY TO RESCUE ALL THOSE OLD
TRACTORS IN NEED. ALLIS-CHALMERS WAS A MERGER OF
THE LARGEST BUILDER OF INDUSTRIAL STEAM ENGINES, EDWIN
P. ALLIS, AND WILLIAM J. CHALMERS, A MANUFACTURER OF MINING
EQUIPMENT. AMONG THE FIRST TRACTORS TO
CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO STEEL WHEELS, ALLIS-CHALMERS ENGINEERS MOUNTED
A SET OF FIRESTONE AIRPLANE TIRES ON THE
REAR OF AN A-C MODEL U. AS EARLY AS 1930, THEY BEGAN EXPERIMENTING WITH
REAL PNEUMATIC TIRES, WHICH WERE DEVELOPED INTO TRUE
LOW-PRESSURE TRACTOR TIRES. FOR THE 1931 MODEL YEAR, RUBBER TIRES BECAME STANDARD
EQUIPMENT ON THE A-C MODEL U. BY 1934 ALL MAJOR MANUFACTURERS
OFFERED OPTIONAL RUBBER TIRES. DURING WORLD WAR II THE RUBBER SHORTAGE FORCED MANY
FARMERS TO GO BACK TO STEEL, BUT AS SOON AS THEY COULD, THEY
RETURNED TO RUBBER. MY DAD TAUGHT ME YEARS AGO, YOU ALWAYS TUCK YOUR THUMB UNDER
THE CRANK, SO IF IT KICKS YOU, IT DOESN'T
TEAR YOUR THUMB OFF. ON A FARM NEAR POMEROY, IOWA, YOU'LL FIND NUMEROUS TRACTORS SPREAD OUT ON THE LAWN OF STEVE
AND RACHEL ROSENBOOM, THEIR FAVORITE BEING
ALLIS-CHALMERS. FOR TWENTY YEARS, STEVE WORKED
AS AN ALLIS-CHALMERS TRACTOR
MECHANIC AND SHOP FOREMAN, SO HE REALLY GOT TO KNOW THIS
TYPE OF TRACTOR. HIS INTEREST IN COLLECTING AND
RESTORING IS ONE OF LEGACY FROM GROWING UP ON A FARM AND
CONTINUING TO FARM TODAY. I REMEMBER IT VERY WELL. I WOULD SIT BETWEEN MY DAD'S
LEGS AND THERE I'D BE ON THE STEERING
WHEEL. I CAN REMEMBER THIS LIKE IT WAS
YESTERDAY, BECAUSE MAYBE I'D RIDE WITH HIM
FROM FIELD TO FIELD. I RODE WITH HIM A LOT. WE'D GO IN THE FIELD AND I'D
STAY WITH HIM. IT WAS PART OF IT. WE'D BE GOING DOWN THE ROAD, AND
HE'D MAKE A SOUND BEHIND ME. I WOULD TURN AROUND AND THINK
THERE'S A CAR. HERE I'M STEERING AND NOW I'VE
GOT TO PULL OVER AND LET THIS CAR PASS. HE WAS JUST DOING IT AS A JOKE;
I GUESS I REMEMBER THAT. WHILE HIS SONS, PAUL AND JOHN, AREN'T CARRYING ON THE FARMING
TRADITION, THEY ARE CONTINUING THE FAMILY'S
PRACTICE OF COLLECTING TRACTORS. EARLY ON THEY HELPED THEIR MOM
AND DAD RESTORE THE MACHINES AND ENJOYED GOING TO TRACTOR
SHOWS AND PARADES. I REMEMBER RIDING ON DAD'S LAP AND HIM TEACHING ME HOW TO SHIFT
AND RUN THE CLUTCH AND STUFF. I WAS SO SMALL I'D HAVE TO STAND
UP TO STEP ON THE CLUTCH. I COULDN'T START IT. HE'D ALWAYS HAVE TO START IT AND
SHUT IT OFF FOR ME. BUT I REMEMBER FOLLOWING HIM IN
PARADES IN THIS TRACTOR. YEAH, THIS IS THE FIRST ONE I
DROVE BY MYSELF. I DROVE OTHER ONES, STEERING
THEM, BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST
LEGITIMATE DRIVE. I REMEMBER RUNNING INTO A
TRACTOR IN A PARADE WITH THIS. WE'D HAVE TO STAND UP AND STEP DOWN ON THE CLUTCHES
AND GET THEM STOPPED. I DON'T THINK I WAS QUITE HEAVY
ENOUGH. EACH TRACTOR HAS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT. SO, NO, THERE'S NO ONE TRACTOR
THATTHIS IS THE TRACTOR: THIS ONE THE BOYS DID SOMETHING
WITH; THIS ONE THE TRIP TO PICK IT UP
WAS FUN; THIS ONE WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE
TRYING TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT IT. I DON'T HAVE A FAVORITE. I REALLY CAN'T SAY THAT I HAVE A
FAVORITE EITHER. I LIKE THE RUBBER-TIRED
TRACTORS. THEY'RE EASIER TO HAUL AND LOAD
IF YOU'RE GOING TO A SHOW, BUT I LIKE THE STEEL-WHEELED
TRACTORS TOO BECAUSE THEY'RE NICE. WHEN YOU GET THEM, THERE'S
SOMETHING ABOUT THEM. BUT I LIKE THEM ALL. THAT'S WHY WE STILL HAVE THEM
ALL. YEAH, I GUESS. WHILE THE MECHANIZATION OF
TRACTORS CONTINUES, PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO PRESERVE THE
MEMORIES OF THE OLDEST MODELS BY COLLECTING AND RESTORING
THEM. THEY ARE ALSO CREATING NEW
MEMORIES WITH THEIR TIMELESS TRACTORS BY RUNNING THEM IN ANTIQUE
TRACTOR SHOWS, RIDES, AND PARADES, AND SHARING THEIR HISTORICAL
TREASURES WITH OTHERS. THE COMPUTERIZED VERSIONS OF TODAY'S GIANT DIESEL-RUN
TRACTORS WILL SOMEDAY BE COLLECTOR ITEMS. TODAY'S FARMERS WILL BE THE
ANCESTORS OF FUTURE COLLECTORS. TRACTORS LIKE THE 8000 SERIES
FROM JOHN DEERE WILL BE THE TRACTORS TODAY'S
CHILDREN WILL REMEMBER RIDING HOUR UPON HOUR WITH THEIR
FATHERS AND GRANDFATHERS, EVEN FALLING ASLEEP IN THE
COMFORT OF AIR-CONDITIONED CABS. I STILL REMEMBER WHAT A FRIEND
TOLD ME. FOR EVERY 4-WHEEL DRIVE YOU SEE
OUT IN THE FIELD, HE SAID THERE'S ONE OR TWO
FARMERS THAT AREN'T FARMING. ANOTHER FARMER HAS PICKED UP
THOSE ACRES, OR AS FARMERS RETIRED, MAYBE THERE WASN'T YOUNG PEOPLE
TO TAKE OVER THE OPERATION. IT'S A SIGN OF THE TIMES, I
GUESS. IN 1910 THERE WERE 200 TRACTOR
MANUFACTURERS IN NORTH AMERICA. TODAY ONLY FOUR EXIST WORLDWIDE: JOHN DEERE; CASE-NEW HOLLAND, OR CNH GLOBAL; AGCO; AND CATERPILLAR. BUT WHERE DID ALL THOSE TRACTORS
OF YESTERDAY GO? IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THE
MONSTERS OF TODAY WOULD EVER WIND UP RUSTING AWAY IN AN OLD
SHED OR A FARAWAY FIELD. A LOT OF THE TRACTOR MAKERS OF
YESTERDAY WERE ABSORBED OR ACQUIRED BY THE SURVIVING
MAJOR PRODUCERS. MANY SIMPLY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS OR SOLD TRACTORS FOR A FEW YEARS
ONLY, LIKE SEARS ROEBUCK & COMPANY, RUSSELL & COMPANY, AND THE HAPPY FARMER SERIES. DESPITE MINNEAPOLIS-MOLINE'S
UDLX OF 1938, CABS DID NOT BECOME POPULAR
UNTIL THE 1970S. AT FIRST MANY FARMERS DIDN'T
LIKE THE IDEA OF SITTING INSIDE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO SEE WHAT
WAS GOING ON. IRONICALLY, THIS TRACTOR IS
AMONG THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER OF ALL VINTAGE TRACTORS. WHILE THE NUMBER OF TRACTOR
MANUFACTURERS IS FAR LESS THAN WHAT IT USED TO
BE, THERE IS HEAVY INTEREST IN THOSE
COMPANIES THAT VANISHED, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT CONTINUE
MAKING TRACTORS. PEOPLE WHO DON'T COLLECT OLD
TRACTORS ASK THOSE WHO DO WHY. WHAT IS THE ALLURE OF OLD IRON? IT'S THE CULTURE -- THE
COLLECTING CULTURE, THE CAMARADERIE, THE SPIRIT, THE GOD, MOTHER, AND APPLE PIE
THAT THIS HOBBY REPRESENTS. THAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE AND DRAWS
THEM INTO THE HOBBY, BECAUSE YOU CAN GO TO AN EVENT, -- A TRACTOR SHOW OR A THRESHING
BEE OR A PLOWING MATCH OR A TRACTOR
RIDE -- AND END UP AT THE END OF IT WITH
NEW FRIENDS, FRIENDS THAT REALLY MEAN IT WHEN
THEY SAY, "IF YOU'RE EVER OVER IN MY NECK
OF THE WOODS, STOP, STAY OVERNIGHT, WE'D LOVE TO
HAVE YOU." NOWADAYS EVERYONE IS IN A RAT
RACE. LIFE IS SO FAST. EVEN LOOKING AT THE TRACTORS
THEMSELVES, IF YOU GO THROUGH THE DIFFERENT
ERAS, EVERYTHING IS GETTING FASTER AND
BIGGER. I JUST WANT TO TAKE A BIT OF A
STEP BACK, MAINTAIN THAT. IF I'VE HAD A HECTIC WEEK, I CAN JUST STEP BACK AND I CAN
GET ON MY TRACTOR AND JUST GO BACK AN ERA, JUST
FOR A BRIEF WHILE, AND TRY AND RELAX, BASICALLY. TRACTOR BUFFS LOOK BACK TO THE
MACHINES OF THEIR YOUTH WITH SENTIMENTAL LONGING. IN MANY WAYS THE EVOLUTION OF
TRACTORS MIRRORS THE EVOLUTION OF
AGRICULTURE. LIKE THE MACHINES OF TODAY, FARMING, TOO, IS A DIFFERENT
BEAST. COLLECTING OLD TRACTORS HELPS
KEEP THE MEMORIES OF A BYGONE ERA ALIVE. THROUGH THE HARD WORK OF THEIR
RESTORERS, THE HISTORY OF THESE MACHINES THAT REVOLUTIONIZED AMERICAN
AGRICULTURE LIVES ON. IF TRACTORS COULD TELL STORIES, WHAT THEY'VE DONE, WHERE THEY'VE
BEEN, THINGS THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED, IT WOULD BE AMAZING TO KNOW WHAT
THOSE TRACTORS DID AND HOW MUCH LABOR THEY SAVE. PEOPLE DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THIS STUFF MAKES IT TO THEIR
TABLE. THAT TRACTOR DID A LOT OF WORK
TO GET IT THERE. WELL, THIS MAY NOT BE THE CLEANEST RESTORED OLD
TRACTOR IN THE WORLD, BUT IT'S NOT A MUSEUM PIECE; IT'S STILL A WORKING TRACTOR ON
OUR FARM. TRACTORS HAVE CHANGED A LOT
THROUGH THE YEARS, FROM 3 HORSEPOWER TO 350
HORSEPOWER, BUT THE WAY PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT
TRACTORS HASN'T CHANGED, WHETHER YOU'RE IN BEVERLY HILLS,
CALIFORNIA, POMEROY, IOWA, OR OVER IN
ENGLAND, THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT OLD
TRACTORS. HEY, THANKS FOR WATCHING. AND REMEMBER... KEEP THE OLD IRON ROLLIN'. FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS
PROVIDED BY: THE IOWA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, WHICH CELEBRATES 85 YEARS OF
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL IOWA AND SALUTES IOWA PUBLIC
TELEVISION'S STRONG COMMITMENT AND YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE
CITIZENS OF IOWA; BY THE RC2 CORPORATION, PROVIDING THE DIE-CAST TOY
COLLECTOR WITH A VARIETY OF MODELS INCLUDING CASE, INTERNATIONAL,
JOHN DEERE, AND NEW HOLLAND; BYSUCCESSFUL FARMING MAGAZINE, SERVING THE AMERICAN FARMER FOR
MORE THAN A CENTURY; AND PUBLISHERS OF THE AGELESS
IRON ALMANAC, THE RESTORERS NEWSLETTER... ONCE RUSTED AND FORGOTTEN, NOW
RESTORED, THAT'S AGELESS IRON; AND BY YOUR LOCAL NAPA AUTO
PARTS STORE, SUPPLYING YOUR PARTS NEEDS SINCE
1925.
