All about tractors Archives - Antique Tractor Blog

Allis Chalmers

05/30/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

I bought this Allis Chalmers tractor from a guy who’s dad had restored them to factory like. The older fella went through the whole motor and rebuilt it. Went through the clutch and transmission. He restored all kinds of tractors Farmall, Allis Chalmers, Case, John Deere and more. Unfortunately he passed. He left all the tractors to his children.

I found the tractor listed on Facebook in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Aiden Weiler
Schoolcraft, Michigan

If you would like to submit a story with photo(s) about an experience with your tractor, interesting facts about its history, or a restoration project, please go to Tractor Story Submissions. If your story is picked to appear on the blog you will receive a FREE Steiner hat. Some stories will also go on to be published in our quarterly magazine. We look forward to hearing your story!

1952 Farmall M

05/23/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

This 1952 Farmall M was restored by Hunter Breese in 2021 for the JBDewar Tractor Restoration Education Program. The tractor was gifted to him by family-friend Jeff Smith. It was bought new by Jeff’s family and stayed in the family until gifted to Hunter.

Hunter Breese
Paso Robles, California
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

Allis Chalmers D-21

05/17/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

This is our families Allis Chalmers D-21 series 2 that we have owned and used for over 30 years. When my grandfather purchased the tractor, him and my father restored it. We still use this tractor every year for fieldwork like discing and plowing. We love to also try and show it off every now and again when we get the chance.

This picture was taken at a family friend’s barn just down the road.

Harnishfeger Family
Fairland, Indiana
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

Enter our annual tractor photo contest at SteinerTractor.com/photo-contest.
Contest runs April 3, 2023 – June 30th, 2023.

Tractor, Come Home

05/08/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

I bought a 1955 Case 400 tractor in the mid-1970’s to use on my parents’ small dairy farm in northern Dunn County, Wisconsin. The “400” (as we called it) served us well for many years. Eventually, I got married and moved off the farm, and my parents retired from farming shortly thereafter, ending three family generations of dairy farming. (The fourth and future generations of our family retain the farm and land for recreational use.)

My wife and I bought a new home with a large lot in the early 1990’s. We needed a lawn tractor for mowing, and the decision was made to trade in the old “400” in 1994—a decision I would come to regret in the years that followed, as it proved to be the most reliable and capable workhorse of the tractors retained on the farm. The Eagle Hitch on the “400” also proved to be invaluable and unmatched for maintaining farm roads and completing wood cutting tasks on the farm. During the time of first ownership of the “400,” it never had a major breakdown. The “400” always started and was ready to work.

Fast forward 22 years. In 2016, I was working for All States Ag Parts (ASAP) in Downing, Wisconsin. They are in the business of buying old farm equipment and tractors to scrap out for parts. One day at work I noticed an old Case 400 tractor in the ASAP salvage yard, like the one I used to have. The tractor was in terrible condition as it had been in a shed fire, and it had been sold to ASAP by the tractor’s owner so they could salvage what they could from it to sell. While looking over the old tractor, I noticed a hitch modification that was similar to one I had implemented on my old Case 400 tractor. I also noticed an alternator bracket that looked identical to one I had fabricated for a changeover to a 12-volt electrical system on my own Case 400.

I got to wondering about these observations, and that night after work I went home and dug in some old papers and found the serial number for my old Case 400 on the bill of sale from the trade-in for the lawn tractor.The next day at work I compared the serial number I found at home with the serial number on the burnt-up Case 400. Amazingly, the numbers matched! The charred heap was my old “400”! To me, this was more than just a funny coincidence. This was a second chance of owning my favorite tractor, as I still regretted parting with it in the first place. I decided then and there that I was going to buy what was left of my old “400” from ASAP and restore it. After handing over $200, it was mine once again. Although it did not look anything close to the classic farm workhorse I remembered, I believed it would again one day.

During the off-and-on six-year restoration project, I kept a log of expenses and of each and every repair made. The total cost of the restoration came to $4,715.26, including the $200 to purchase it from ASAP—not to mention the work, challenges, and frustrations—but it was worth it. Getting the engine to start again was relatively easy after it was cleaned and checked over. The rear end was a challenge to restore, as many of the internal components were stuck and had to be freed, and seals needed to be replaced. The rear PTO housing required the most work, including bearing and seal replacements along with installing a “new” used hydraulic pump and valve. Finding parts for a 1955 tractor was frustrating, with countless hours spent searching online and parts being ordered from all over the country.

While the farm has changed, the “400” is now better than ever and will still be doing the work it does best in keeping up food plots and wood lots for family enjoyment for years to come. And maybe I’ll show off my “new” old “400” in an occasional community tractor ride or tractor show. My tractor has come home to stay.

David Amble
Menomonie, Wisconsin

May Featured Photo

05/02/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

My name Is Cole and I am 19 years old and I love old tractors! I live in West Bridgewater Massachusetts with my family on a small homestead. When I was probably 10 years old I used to mow our yard with a 1973 Massey Ferguson MF14 garden tractor. It began to have some problems so it was set aside and we got a more reliable mower. It sat for many years and I always wanted to get it going again. In the summer of 2020 my dad and I pulled it out and got it started. I was happy to have it running, but I wanted to restore it it’s former glory. I began the long process of restoring it, and after a year I had completed it. It was very frustrating at times but in the end I learned an immense amount and decided that I was ready to take on another project.

One day my mom sent me a listing of a Massey Ferguson 50 tractor that was not running and in need of some love. I had not considered a tractor of this size for my project tractor; I planned on another garden tractor. This tractor was more involved than a garden tractor, but after some thinking I was sold.

On the Fourth of July 2021, my family and I went to New Hampshire to get the tractor. It was not running and had a loader on it so it was some work to load it, but we got it on the the trailer to bring it to it’s new home. Within a week my dad and I had it running. I started working through some general maintenance like changing its fluids and a few other things. The tractor is extremely reliable, it can sit for a month and yet still start right away. She is always ready to work. I want to restore it, but for right now, she has some work to do as well as celebrate the Fourth of July!

Cole Milbery
West Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Photo by Owen Milbery

1946 Minneapolis Moline R

04/17/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

I restored this 1946 Minneapolis Moline R that my Dad bought new. It did not run when I got it and the overall paint condition was bad from all the pigeon droppings. Many hours were spent rebuilding the engine which required a new cam, rocker arm, rings, and bearings.

This tractor was the main “workhorse” for many years to plow, disk, plant, cultivate, and do all the other tasks that you do on a small 109-acre dairy farm in northern Illinois. My 4 brothers and 2 sisters and I all learned to drive with this tractor.

David Reeverts
Onondaga, Michigan
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

Oliver Big and Small

04/14/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

It was late August and I’d been waiting for the perfect night to photograph my Dad’s Oliver 1655 with my daughter’s 1855 pedal tractor. We’d bought her pedal tractor before she was born, my Dad’s tractor had just been fully repainted, and I had a vision that initially looked completely different than this.

I photographed the tractors together with his in the background before deciding to line them up. He really didn’t want any part of being in the pictures but when I asked him to be in “just this last set” he went (hesitantly) willingly. In his basic mowing clothes and her crazy baby ponytail, this moment was born. She turned to find Grandpa and he waved back to her.

Lindsay Dinkla
Casey, Iowa
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

1953 International McCormick Farmall Super A

04/12/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

This is my 1953 International McCormick Farmall Super A. No, it isn’t shiny and new, although some parts have been repainted. Why, because at 69 years old it’s still doing work.

This tractor came to my family in either 1973 or 1974. We moved from closer to town, out into the country, and my Dad purchased it to use on our small farm. Where you say, Gwinnett County Georgia. Those who know it, know it’s now basically Atlanta, the city has reached out. Meanwhile, I still live in the vicinity, so my tractor mostly works at some leased hunting land. Bush hogging, food plots, and the like.

Way back when we got the Super A, my Dad and I rebuilt the engine, I still remember going to the local tractor dealer and getting the parts. He went with the oversized pistons and sleeves for more power. The head was rebuilt by Bailey’s Machine Shop, a local business like the tractor dealer that no longer exists. He must have done it right, it has served well over the past 40+ years with no major issues and still has good power.

I plan to pass it along to my son and grandsons someday. What a great old tractor. The picture is me and my family at The Bostwick Georgia Cotton Gin Festival, a great tractor event.

Keith Ledford
Grayson, Georgia

April Featured Photo

04/04/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

My brother and I are twins and have farmed together all our lives, being 3rd generation on the same farm. We farm tomatoes, corn, alfalfa, almonds, wheat, and cotton.

We both collect and restore antique tractors. I collect John Deere, and Joe collects Case tractors. We both collect mainly Hi-Crop tractors. The orchard tractors shown have both been restored by Joe and me and are part of our own collections. There are not a lot of tractor shows in California but when there’s one we love to attend.

Thanks to Steiner Tractor Parts we have restored and keep our tractors running in tiptop shape!

Augie Scoto
Atwater, California
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

My Father’s Allis Chalmers G

03/25/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

This 1948 Allis G was purchased in the early 1990s by my father. It sat in his barn still wearing its very neglected work clothes until his death in 2014. I told my family that I would like to have it to restore and keep because it was my Dads.

After 4 years of working on it in my spare time it is 99% complete. This was a fun project to do, to honor the man that taught me so much about mechanics and perseverance to complete this project.

Tom Cregger
Cascade, Maryland

Jesse and Grandpa’s Tractor Time

03/24/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

When my Grandson, Jesse, was less than a year old he began to ride with me on our tractors, and you could see the smile show his joy in anything tractor. He was born with a heart issue and spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital, but when he came home he was ready for a tractor ride.

We had a Kubota cab tractor, John Deere skid steer, Farmall H, and I bought a Farmall Cub just for him. He loved to work on the tractors, fix flat tires, and bush hog the pastures. Every Friday at the end of a long work week, I would get a cold beer, Jesse would get a Root Beer and we would ride the tractors, he called it Tractor Beer Friday. This became a tradition that I will always cherish because Jesse passed away recently at 4 ½ years old from a ruptured artery.

He may not physically be with me but he is always riding with me on the Farmall Cub, observing Tractor Beer Friday.

Thomas R. Shirley
Pendleton, South Carolina

2023 Gift Card Winners – March

03/15/2023 by RT Leave a Comment

Subscriber of the Month – $200 Gift Card Winner
- Richie Boring of Ohio
- Subscriber since 2015
- Favorite Tractor Brand: John Deere

“My Barn” Winner – $100 Gift Card Winner
This month’s lucky winner of a $100 Steiner gift card is Paul Bear of Sasabe, Arizona. Our monthly winner is drawn randomly from all of the customers who have added a tractor to their barn while logged into their Steiner account. Congratulations, Paul!

Parts Review Winner – $25 Gift Card Winner
- March’s $25 Steiner gift card winner is Tammy Molina of Clarksburg, West Virginia. The winner is randomly drawn from all of the parts reviews submitted to us during the month of February. Congratulations, Tammy!

Collecting Farmall Letters

03/05/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

This is my 1941 Farmall BN that I fully restored. It started out as a quick restoration but many problems arose including a cracked engine block. My parents bought me a 1941 Farmall A for my 13th Birthday, I used the engine out of that tractor to put in the BN. After two and a half long years the tractor was sent off to paint and body at Super City Auto.

The tractor means a lot to me because my first tractor a 1943 Farmall A, was owned by the late Ray Miller from Hoversville, Pennsylvania, his favorite tractor was a BN.

That same tractor was the tractor I learned to drive. I bought a BN because of the connection to Ray and a BN is the first tractor I drove, I could not be happier that I have a connection to Ray.

I could not have restored my BN without the help of Al Miller (Ray’s son), Ken Fisher (my Grandfather), and my dad, Jim Summers. I am hoping to collect the entire letter series in the future but for now, I am currently planning an Antique Tractor Show at my local State Park, in Laurel Hill Pennsylvania. The show is called Tired Iron and will be held on September 30th, 2023. I’m hoping I can use this show as my eagle scout project down the road.

Connor Summers
Somerset, Pennsylvania

Some background on Connor

Connor did not grow up on a farm but has always had a love of tractors. He is an “old soul” and is mature beyond his years. He spent hours researching them and learning everything he could. At this point, he is a walking encyclopedia of Farmall. He lead the restoration of his tractor and made all of the decisions based on what he had learned. This resulted in an outstanding restoration, that is the talk of the local tractor community.

Connor is a hard worker. He started his own car detailing business to earn money to help pay for the project. He would save up money and then order the parts he needed. Most of the parts came from Steiner Tractor Parts.

In addition to being an honors student, he is committed to his scouting career and is determined to earn his eagle scout rank. His plans for a fall 2023 tractor show, is a way for him to bring his love of tractors and scouting together. He plans to make the tractor show an event that gives back to the community while raising money for his scouting troop. Connor enjoys the outdoors and spends time camping and fishing with his family. He lives with his mom (Tracy) dad (Jim), younger sister (Everly), and chocolate lab (Bentley).

The information above was provided to me by Connor’s very proud parents, Jim and Tracy. 😊

Featured Tractor Photo

03/02/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

Gerald Greaves bought this 1953 Case VAC tractor from his brother in 1954. He drove it with a mower about 30 miles to his farm. His daughter, Elizabeth Larrabee (seated in photo) mowed and raked hay with it (though it was not her favorite tractor!). Gerald’s son sold the tractor in the 1980s and we lost track of it (much to Gerald’s dismay).

In the early 2000s, Jason Larrabee, son of Elizabeth and grandson of Gerald, was driving along the road about 30 miles from home and saw what he knew was his Grandfather’s Case on the side of the road! It was rough, had obviously been rolled over at some point, and was in bad shape. He called but found it had already been purchased by a 15-year-old boy who wanted it as a project tractor.

A couple of years later, a lucky break came when we discovered who owned the tractor and, indeed, he wanted to sell it! Jason bought it and, with MANY Steiner Tractor parts, has it in great condition.

Our 15-year-old son, Alec, has been running it in parades all summer and loves it!

Marcy Larrabee
Danville, Vermont
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

1953 Ford Golden Jubilee & 1954 Farmall Super A

02/24/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

1953 Ford Golden Jubilee and 1954 Farmall Super A

This is my 1953 Ford Golden Jubilee sitting beside my 1954 Farmall Super A. The Ford sat in the woods for 30 years. The owner would come by and clip around his property twice a year. He would take a jack in a wheelbarrow for the woods jack up one rear wheel and spin it to crank the engine. After he passed the timber was cut and the property was sold. A friend of mine bought the property and put the tractor behind his shop. One day he dropped by and saw my Farmall. He gave me the Jubilee he wanted it to look like new again.

The engine was seized but with the help of Marvel Mystery Oil and rocking the rear wheel it broke loose. I restored the Jubilee in two months. All the parts came from Steiner Tractor Parts. It does not use oil or smoke. I pull a 6-foot finish mower with it. This is one of five that I have restored and 90 percent of the parts came from Steiners. They are great people.

Billy H Blair
Mendenhall, Mississippi

February 2023 Gift Card Winners

02/23/2023 by RT Leave a Comment

Subscriber of the Month – $200 Gift Card Winner
- Alex Toennies of Germantown, Illinois.
- Subscriber since 2020.
- Favorite Tractor Brand: International

“One is my 1962 Farmall B-450 with a mounted IH 309A plow from last fall. The next is my 1961 International B-450 that I just purchased in August. The final one is the current status of the 1961 B-450.”

– Alex Toennies

Congrats and good luck on your tractor restoration, Alex!

“My Barn” Winner – $100 Steiner Gift Card
- Charles Lewis Webber of Clinton, Tennessee.
- Our monthly winner is drawn randomly from all of the customers who have added a tractor to their barn while logged into their Steiner account. Congratulations, Charles!

Parts Review Winner – $25 Steiner Gift Card
- Rhonda Johnson of Lemon Springs, North Carolina.
- The winner is randomly drawn from all of the parts reviews submitted to us during the month of January. Congratulations, Rhonda!

Antique Tractor in the Snow

02/23/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

It was the day after a big, heavy snow in New Hampshire. I took a newly retired friend of mine, looking for classic images. We found this old tractor overlooking the Connecticut River into Vermont. We spent a good amount of time trying to capture it in its snow-covered majesty. The location of the tractor is on River Road in Westmoreland, New Hampshire.

Allen Mendelson
Keene, New Hampshire

1961 Cockshutt 550

02/22/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

Out tedding hay as the sun sets with our all-original 1961 Cockshutt 550. The tractor spent its last 25+ years in a barn before we purchased it. It has turned into a very reliable, and one of my favorite tractors to use for farm chores!

Nick Misch
Wanatah, Indiana
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

John Deere Eleanor, plus black Angus calf

02/08/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

Watering calves, with Eleanor the 2510 tractor. She is a nice tractor, she’s the one we depend on to feed and water our cattle.

While it’s below zero, and electricity is down she can still start for us to feed cows. So in a way, she’s a hero to the little calf, Tanker Yanker Jr.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Caitie Schlink
Overbrook, Kansas
Tractor Photo Contest Winner

1964 Ford 4000

02/07/2023 by ST Leave a Comment

My papaw purchased this Ford 4000 new in 1964 for $2,200. He passed away, and the tractor sat for years unused.

My husband Jared restored it and had it sitting at our wedding as a surprise wedding gift to me. We rode out on the tractor for our exit from the wedding surrounded by family and friends.

Emily & Jared Hoss
Abingdon, Virginia
Tractor Photo Contest Winner