Thought I'd share this photo. While on a ladies' retreat on our lovely San Juan Island a few weeks back, we ran into this sight down a gravel road leading to nowhere. No house in sight, just a large shop-type outbuilding and this shiny row of restored but I assume retired tractors - mostly Farmalls with a token John Deere in the mix. Perhaps this is where old tractors end up if they have served well...

How curious! I would be very interested to learn more...

I called the San Juan Chamber of Commerce, but the woman I spoke with had no idea, nor any curiosity, about what I was talking about. Also did an internet search with nothing useful coming up. May just remain one of those mysteries of life.

Tractor collectors are everywhere now days, and they often display their collections where ever there's a good spot. Where better than on a curve on a back road where the traveler will be driving a bit slower and have time to check them out?

It was certainly a treat and totally unexpected.

We had two Farmall Cubs when our two boys were growing up - lots of tractor racing and dinking around was done on those sturdy little guys. One still had the front hand crank to start it. We've since sold that one and kept the other. My husband fires it up now and again to blade the roads, but uses his bigger Kubota for everything else. We occasionally have thoughts of restoring the Cub, but I rather like its current rustic state.

We have a 1938 John Deere A unstyled that Stan has mostly restored. It was his dad's first and then we borrowed it when we started farming (I'll tell you, it got some looks from the neighbors!) and then bought it later as a fun thing to have around. Stan was in a tractor club for a while, but it got too political after a bit and we didn't have the time to put into it anymore. We've been to a few show with everything from the old steam tractors to the tractors from the 50s and 60s, and I have to tell you, I resent the tractors that I grew up with being called antiques! Aside from the A, we have a Ford 8000 that they chop with. I can't remember the year, but I think it's early 60s.

We have a Ford 8000 too, my son's really. It produces more smoke than seems necessary to me. I grew up driving my uncle's old John Deere that was started with a fly wheel; I don't know its date of birth, but it was entrusted to me as its top speed was about 5mph.

Has anyone else read any of Roger Welsch's books? - "Busted Tractors and Rusted Knuckles", "From Tinkering to Torquing" and probably the best seller which I have not read, "Love, Sex, and Tractors", and others.

The A starts with the flywheel. I got so I could do it when I had to. Right now, it doesn't start, period. This tractor has a "road" speed of 32 mph. Pretty scary speed on what is basically a tractor skeleton. Even scarier when Stan drove it flat out in a field chasing recalcitrant first calf heifers. I remember closing my eyes, and then opening, because I figured I could get to Stan faster if I actually knew what was happening.

We used to watch a show that has Roger Welsch in a segment. Can't remember what it was.

Do you have a picture of the A?

somewhere. I'll see if I can find one

Kathleen your not the only one that don't like the fifties and sixties to be called antiques The first time I saw a R Diesel
John deer in a show I was thinking that is newer tractor when you grew up with tractors from the 30s and 40s that was a newer tractor we had a 55 and it was the new tractor and it would pull 5 bottoms lol
Dave719

Welcome to ATP!

Dave, I learned to drive on an Allis Chalmers WD40. I think is was a '48, but I may be wrong. It had a hand clutch, which meant that even if I couldn't reach the clutch, I could drive the tractor. I think I was about 10. The JD A was the first tractor Stan drove.

I think the first time I was turned lose by myself was a A john deer with two wagon loads of wheat sent to the elevator Have times changed I was about 9 or 10
Dave719

Wow! I didn't get a John Deere until about 15 years ago, and thought that was something special (J.D 850).

Before that I had a Farmall Cub, and was looking for it in your photo, bonehead! And yep, mine was a hand-crank on the front but also had an electric start, old 6 volt system. We called it the red lobster cus the head lamps on the front stuck out from the sides of the front, like lobster eyes (or crab eyes). I really like how the seat was off-set, too. I sure would like to have it now, except it got to the point where I'd have to work on it for an hour just to use it for 20 minutes. Where was the patience then that I have now?

Next time you go there, bonehead, put yourself in the seat of one and send us all a pic!

Shoe
(dagnabbit, edited for spelling, or rather misspelling)

Shoe, your Cub does sound like one of ours. One had a front bucket, the other not. We sold the one with the bucket when we got the Kubota. Kept the other as an old friend, and Gary still fires it up now and again to blade the driveway. It brings a smile to my face when I see him on it.

Ya'll better hang on to that jewel then! Yep, they do a decent job grading. And cultivating. And I loved a round center mount disc plow I had, you could look down at your feet and see the plowing w/out having to look behind you like a pulling plow. Wish I had a pic of that.

Nowadays I still use and old Gravely walk-behind with a rotary plow. I've learned not to get rid of it like I did the Cub.

Happy Day All!

Don't make 'em like that anymore.

We're not actively farming anymore and the Spousal Unit still has 7 tractors. I know he will NEVER sell any of them, the kids can do what they want with them when we croak. LOL He's got all JD........a 60, 3020, 2-4230's (one is on the feed mixer wagon),a 4020, a 4430 that is used on the bagger and the manure spreader and the lone brand outsider.........a Ford 545D industrial with the bucket.(I think that is the number) Used to load feed in the mixer wagon, push snow, push dirt, haul my plants to the g'house...........LOL

An admirable collection. Do they have names?