People that beat the heck out of stuff on purpose tick me off. There's a couple of these guys in every neighborhood. That being said, they own it, I don't.
To say that all 50+ year old machinery with poor paint was somehow neglected or abused by the owner(s) simply because of how it looks is pure baloney. People originally bought these machines to use them (not to see their reflection in their chosen color of paint), and in turn, help make them a living. Some people took great pride in how their machinery looked, some people didn't, and some really wanted to, but never really had the extra money to put the shine back on the sheet metal, but kept it mechanically sound. Some guys probably polished the paint right off of their tractors. There wasn't usually all that much there to begin with.
Stuff is going to get scratched, scraped, and nicked up if you use it. Proper use and properly maintaining machinery and not abusing it is obviously key. I'm going to be able to use my tractors and equipment, or they'll be for sale. I can't see how the people "enjoy" a tractor that sits under a canopy at shows, one that they wear white gloves and booties to drive in a parade, or one that once it's restored takes up permanent residence in the corner of a shed. That being said (yet again), they own it, I don't.
There was a ultra-sharp looking SMTA-D or SMDTA or whatever you want to call it that was at several local shows about a decade back. One Sunday evening the owner was winching it up on his trailer and I stopped to ask him some questions, mainly about the engine. Well, there was basically NO ENGINE in this tractor. No pistons, no rods, no guts in the head, no clutch or flywheel, and much more missing. The guy said someone would be looney to spend $10K+ to make it mechanically sound. The guy owned a paint/body shop and was using it to drum up business. It sure was a pointlessly pretty piece of crap in my book, but once again, it wasn't my tractor.
I'm all for painting tractors and machinery, so long as it's mechanically sound first. I put my money into parts before I put it into paint. The guy who spent $2K+ to have the H painted when the clutch was slipping and the engine had maybe 20# oil pressure didn't have his priorities correct. Again, it's my opinion. I didn't own it.
AG
This post was edited by AG in IN at 16:49:50 01/05/12.
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