Re: Remember a new tractor coming home when you were a kid???

Posted by john d - Has it really been 49 years? on May 08, 2001 at 14:42:43 from (206.141.74.34):

In Reply to: Remember a new tractor coming home when you were a kid??? posted by Alberta Mike on May 08, 2001 at 09:23:40:

When I was a little kid, we had one tractor, a '43 Farmall H that Dad had purchased new. He farmed 120 to 180 acres with that H, occasionally borrowing a Farmall B that belonged to a neighbor who had retired from farming and was letting Dad till his 20 acres or so. The summer I turned 8, Dad came down the road one afternoon on a shiny Farmall M. He pulled it into the barnlot and got off with a big grin on his face. I thought that tractor was the biggest and prettiest piece of machinery I'd ever seen. I climbed onto the seat, and he let me drive it around a little bit. I can still remember how much higher it was than the H, how the new paint smelled, and how hard the clutch was for me to push!

That was during the summer of 1952. The amount of ground he was farming was doubling, and a bigger tractor was needed. The local IH dealership was unable to get a new M at the moment. I think there was a labor dispute or something else going on that was holding up deliveries, and he needed another tractor NOW! The dealership had taken in this '49 M a month or so before on an emergency trade when a friend of Dad's had needed a new one during planting season - quick. Seems one of the hired hands had performed some acts of stupidity and taken this one out of action! The IH dealer told Dad he'd give him a good price on the '49, have his ace mechanic overhaul the engine, go through the entire tractor to replace anthing that showed wear, and guarantee it like a new one.

That M became the workhorse of our farm for the next several years, and I still have it. The paint is faded, the rear tires need replacing sometime soon, and the lights don't work at the moment. But it still runs well, pulls hard when asked to, and has more "personality" than either of my other two tractors.

Remember it coming home? Like it was yesterday.......

Follow Ups:

Post A Followup Name: E-Mail: Subject: Re: Re: Remember a new tractor coming home when you were a kid??? Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]