1951 Ford 8N

My wife and I bought this 1951 Ford 8N tractor in November 2017, soon after the devasting Tubbs fire that destroyed a good portion of Santa Rosa, California.

I grew up driving a Ford 8N on the family’s prune and grape ranches in Healdsburg and Geyserville in the 1970s. The 8Ns were easy for me to run and repair the orchard fenders on. Buster, yes, we named our tractor after Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants since he looks like a catcher.

Buster was purchased from a retired U.S. Navy veteran who restored him in 2016. Buster’s story is that he was from California’s Central Valley and was a fire victim who caught fire and was heavily damaged. His story of rising from his fire damage is tied to his being perfect for us and a symbol of Sonoma County returning from the devastating 2017 Tubbs Fire.

Edward McCutchan
Healdsburg, California

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