Tractor Story – 1953 Farmall Super H

This 1953 Farmall Super H was discovered behind an old fella’s house in Troxelville, PA during the summer of 2010.  Many community members referred to the man as Hoovey instead of his traditional name Harold.  My dad called me one day while I was at work to tell me of his discovery.  He was driving along, and noticed two old Farmalls sitting in the weeds behind Hoovey’s house.  His first question was “Are you interested in buying two tractors?”  I responded by asking what they were, and without reservation, I answered with a firm “Yes” when he said there was a Farmall Super H and a Super MTA.  I wanted a Super H to restore for some time, so I immediately staked my claim.
Both tractors had been sitting behind Hoovey’s house without being started for many years, so the gas of course was bad.  After about an hour of adjusting points, attaching a make-shift gas tank and swapping old batteries, my dad, Uncle Dave and I fired both tractors in amazement.  Neither tractor showed any sign of needing an engine overhaul.  Several days later, both were on a roll back on their way to a new home in Millmont, PA.
My tractor (Super H) sat for about one year until I finished my year of teaching, and an additional three months in the Mid-West cutting wheat.  Upon my return, I began disassembling the tractor, ordering parts from Steiner, fixing brakes, rebuilding the front end, and the governor, and a million other restoration tasks.  My dad and I worked arduously on this tractor for about three months before it was ready for paint.  We rolled it out the back of our shop, set-up and sprayed this tractor during the cool month of October.  It was the last nice weekend for painting because every weekend afterwards became colder and colder.  This tractor created many memorable experiences of time spent with “the old man” working in the shop together, and each memory will be a reminder of great time spent with Dad.
In honor of old Harold, and to continue the tradition of naming each tractor on the farm, I created a decal that resides on the back of my seat.  The decal reads “Hoovey.”  Hoovey will be kept in the garage for the rest of my life, and hopefully someday I may have the opportunity to pass “him” along to someone who appreciates old American Iron as much as I do.  The two tractors we bought that summer brought the total number of Farmalls on the Snook Farm to nearly 30.  The Super MTA is used regularly, and Hoovey occasionally hauls a load of corn from the field during harvest.
The pictures shown are of the tractor after restoration with my fiancé and me.  These pictures are the engagement pictures we will be using for our wedding which is scheduled for September 28th, 2013.   I consider myself very blessed to have had the opportunity to spend time fixing Hoovey with my Dad, and to be able to share my memories with my amazing, future wife.

Thank you,

Adam Snook
Millmont, Pennsylvania