1940 Minneapolis Moline RTS sitting on my wife’s 1948 COE Ford. I had been buying several tractors this past winter for my collection when my wife Lorene said I should take a break for a while. I took that as you have enough tractors! As I contemplated my next move, I realized she just said tractors, nothing about trucks, a loophole. I have also been looking at Ford trucks of the ’40s & ’50s and found them very interesting.

I did find locally a 1951 Ford FS that I plan to restore, but when we went to the 2024 LaSur swap meet in Minnesota and as my wife and I were braving the rain, wind, and cold on the first day, and about to call it a day because we were miserable we spotted this yellow 1948 Ford F COE and on the door was painted Lorn’s Tractor Shed and it was for sale. We both fell in love with it and decided the next day to purchase it.

The gentleman we bought it from agreed to haul it to a friend, Kurt, to store it until I could pick it up two weeks later. Kurt had a guy he knew who could change the name on the door without disturbing the old look of the truck to Lorene’s Tractor Shed in Athens, Wisconsin, without Lorene knowing about it. When we came to pick it up she was very emotional and happy when she saw it. Now it is her truck, and I got the go-ahead to buy more tractors!!!

Tom & Lorene Mueller
Athens, Wisconsin
Tractor Photo Contest Winner