Homecoming of the Farmall 856 Tractor

I’m very grateful to have this tractor back home.  After a 43-year absence, it has finally returned. My father, Eugene, bought this Farmall 856 gas tractor in 1969.  Manufactured in December 1967, it stayed at a dealer for awhile before purchased. Dad used it for 13 years before trading it in for an International Harvester 986 in 1982. That was the last time I sat on this tractor.

In 2009, my father became aware of a Farmall 856 gas tractor operating at the Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcade in Dubuque, Iowa. To our surprise, it was the very tractor that once belonged to us. 

So dad and I kept track of it, and in 2012, it was driven in the Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcade, in DeWitt this time. During our visit to DeWitt, we had the privilege of meeting Mark and Scott Pinter. Their Dad, Larry, had bought the tractor in 1982 and continued to use it until the late 1990s. In the 2000s, the two brothers decided to restore the tractor to use on tractor rides. My father had a good conversation with them, and asked if they ever decided to sell it that he wanted first dibs on it.

Late 2024, we received a phone call asking if we were still interested in the tractor and would we like to come see it. Dad once again has the Farmall 856, and to celebrate he will be attending the Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcade in Mount Pleasant this year.

Here are some pictures of the Farmall 856 back at the farm it worked for 13 years. It was so neat to see that it still has one of dad’s little modifications that he put on PTO shield so many years ago. Thanks to Pinter family for the opportunity to have this tractor back.

Michael Bruhn
Miles, Iowa

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