The picture I chose is one of my VAC Case. As a kid all we had on the farm was Case tractors; that’s what Grandpa always bought.
A few years ago my parents decided to sell the farm so they could move now that us kids have all flown the coop. I would have loved to keep the farm and carry on what my grandparents started so long ago, but only being 19 at the time and in college that wasn’t an option.
About 2 years ago I met my now boyfriend who collects and restores antique tractors. He is an International guy to the bone but doesn’t mind having different colors in the barns every once and awhile. He owns around 40 antique tractors but none of them were Case. He knew I wanted one because of that being what my Grandpa always had. For our 1 year anniversary he bought me this VAC Case. It has all the parts but was stuck when we got it. In this picture it had recently just gotten unstuck and many of its parts removed to better clean it. My boyfriend and I are both around 22 and love old tractors and wish the younger people in the world like us could see the beauty we see in them. That is why I love this picture. We started tearing it down in a friend’s shop who happens to have 3 young boys. It was awesome to see them show an interest and want to help out. They didn’t want to just sit and watch they wanted to be hands on. We would get a bolt lose enough they were able to do it and let them take over. It was not only so much fun but a great learning experience for all of us.
The tractor is not yet done; it won’t be a full restoration just because we plan to use it on our farm. We hope to have it running and a new coat of paint by the end of winter so that we can use it this Spring for garden work.
Emma J. Halfmann
Marion, Iowa
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