When I was little I remember Grandpa still farming. I don’t remember him using horses but his 1957 John Deere 520 stuck with me. My dad was a chemist by trade but still found time to help grandpa around the farm when he needed a hand. Finally, grandpa thought it was time to retire. We had a friend of the family continue to farm but then the John Deere just sat in its shed. When I was in High school I used it mainly to keep the weeds down in the field by pulling a brush hog around. I went to college, started a job and moved into my own home, but it was still nice going back and mowing and hearing the two cylinder pop, pop, pop. Unfortunately it was different now because in the meantime Grandpa passed away.
The 520 didn’t have a lot of hours on her and her sheet metal was in good shape. I thought about giving her a face lift but before I could our barn burned. The tractor was in an attached shed and didn’t take the brunt of the heat but still ended up in pretty bad shape. Dad said if I didn’t want her I could let her go with the rest of metal when the remainder of the barn was salvaged. Somehow I couldn’t do that. It just didn’t seem right. Grandpa bought her new at a local John Deere dealership which had closed its doors long ago. I had the original purchase slip and operators manual as well. So, I had her hauled to the farm of the man who still continued to farm our farm so she wouldn’t disappear in the confusion.
We did build a new pole barn. It didn’t hold the same memories and history as the prior one but in the end we turned a page in the book and moved on. I did bring the 520 back to the new barn with all intentions of restoring her. I kept my eyes open and purchased two other 520s to use for parts to assist in the renovation. I had taken her apart and had the bulk of her parts sandblasted and painted. A few years went by and somehow I didn’t find the time to bring her back to her original beauty. In talking around I did find a local person who had a small collection of the 20 series two cylinders. He agreed to do the restoration for me. We loaded her up with all of her parts and additional parts from the other tractors. A normal restoration is an undertaking in itself but going through a fire complicates everything. I wasn’t in a rush but he felt he could have her done over the winter. I would repeatedly stop by to check on the progress and see if anything was needed. The engine had worked fine but everything else was taken apart bolt by bolt. We came to a point where a variety of parts were needed. We made up a parts list. I had one of the Steiner Parts Books handy and began doing further research on what was available. I ended up needing a couple pages of parts. Everything from bushings, to gaskets, to a steering wheel, to weights. The list seemed to go on and on. But to do it right everything on the list was needed. It was a pleasant experience to speak with one of the knowledgeable staff to assist in the process. Over the span I made several orders and didn’t break the bank doing it.
She slowly took shape and bolt by bolt she started to look like her old self again. When grandpa bought her she had the basics but no hydraulic outlets, three point hitch or fenders. We made a few changes to upgrade her so we added all of these. Now she’s finished and looks better than ever. I was hoping to have her done so my dad could also appreciate her but unfortunately he passed away before she was finished.
Even though she looks great now I’ve had her out to plow and disc. She’s been to a “plow day” with a variety of tractors of her area who appreciate a hard day’s work in the field.
Dave Miller
North Canton, Ohio
Frank Damon says
The restoration looks wonderful! It’s good to know that you didn’t allow it to rust away, and that you found value in the tractor despite its age. No doubt it’ll help cultivate more plants and strengthen the memory of your grandpa.
Starlyn chilafoux says
We had a 520 on the farm with a wide frontend and a bucket .what a nice tractor.