1955 Farmall 100 Distillate It was about ten years ago, I had just graduated grad school and was working on the fence with my Dad. I told him, “I’ll pay the 99 cents in the store for the beans, peas and corn instead of working and picking a garden!” A couple of years later, married, and the economy faltering my wife and I decided to have a garden. I borrowed my neighbors tiller that kicked my butt the whole time breaking ground that had never been broken before. I picked up the phone and called Dad and ate crow. Dad, I’m buying a tractor! My father and my grandfather had always raised gardens with the ole Farmall 140’s, you see we were from the tobacco land of North Carolina. After much searching I found and bought an ole Farmall 100.
Later I discovered it was a Distillate, and began work on restoring it as best I could.
NOTE: A neighbor named Bubba will almost always prove beneficial in an endeavor of this magnitude! When I purchased this tractor it still had the original manifold but lacked the gasoline tank, as well as a few minor pieces. I acquired them and Bubba, Dad and Paw Paw (while miles away gave invaluable advice) on restoring the old tractor, but of course it was mainly Bubba that helped (DID) the mechanical work. One incident that we laugh about today is I had ordered a new clutch, fly wheel ring and rear main seal. Dad was visiting and told me, son I think you’re expecting a little much, it’ll take more than one Saturday to break the tractor in two, and re-place the flywheel ring, rear main seal and clutch. I told him to hold on and I called Bubba and Bubba laughed and said, Tennessee has a game at 6pm, that tractor will have all those parts replaced and running and I’m not missing my game. And he was right! While its finished now, I greatly enjoyed the time that pulled my father, grandfather and my neighbor named Bubba closer. Now I have a child to pass the heritage on to, and my Dad still laughing and reminding me of the incident (at the fence several years ago) when I call him to ask him to keep an eye out for a certain implement for my tractor.
Anthony Isley
Jacks Creek, Tennesee
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