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This was my wife’s grandfather’s Ford 9N, he got it new in 1943. When he passed away it sat in the barn for 30 years. My wife’s dad wanted it so bad, and when his mom passed away she left it to him.
I took it and restored it for him and he was so happy with it. He would just go out and set on it for hours. Now he’s gone and my wife has it. It will go to our son next and I hope it will stay in our family. The Family Ford 9N.
Tim Kirk
Marengo, Ohio
Thanks for featuring older tractors working hard. Thought you might be interested in seeing my hard-working 1941 Ford 9N with loader and back blade clearing a lot of snow up here in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.
This tractor has been doing this work on our rural property for over 30 years.
Glenn Burton
We are buyers and sellers of vintage tractors, based in the UK.
This Case L tractor was purchased from a fellow collector in Devon recently. It is a striking tractor with a great presence and a powerful sound to match!
The serial plate of our tractor begins with 440 which allows us to date this as a 1940 build, which would have been one of the last built before the Case LA took its place on the production line.
Very little is known about the life of this tractor but it has clearly been sympathetically restored at some point.
Kindest regards
Sarah Young
Tavistock, Devon, United Kingdom
This Ollie was built in Charles City, Iowa and sent to Brighton, Michigan. It was then sent to a dealer in St Johns, Michigan who must have leased it to our Lake Odessa Canning Company where we assumed it remained for several years as my wife’s brother and their father purchased it somewhere in the mid to late 1960s.
Larry farmed with it up into the 1970s when he purchased a larger White. Their father did not want it sold so he bought it from his son and kept it for odd use around the farm. Before he passed away, he gave it to his daughter Kathy who I married.
The tractor was left in the upper area of the barn and pretty much remained until we decided we needed to get it running and bring it to our barn where we could fix her up. One thing turned into another,…..first front tires weather checked,…which means clean up the wheels (sandblasted and powder coating to get it down from the upper level of the barn). Cleaned gas delivery system, started her up,….we drove it to its new home.
Fall was setting in so we power washed it and parked it in our barn for more going over. Long story short,……I worked on it most of Winter 2019 and we could see it was now more of a restoration than simply getting it working. We started back in the Spring when COVID rolled in. Lots of phone calls and parts trips to several Oliver junkyards,…..sanding and painting,….gas tank renewal,…..new gauges, many hours wiring we eventually parked it in our yard to remove back wheels and tires,….THAT WAS A BIG EXPENSE! But now all new tires and powder coated wheels,…..NICE!
By the Clarksville Steam and Gas Show she was ready to make her way to visit the public. Grandson Ben Scobey drove her the 6 or so miles to the show and she sat for others to check her out. We still have a couple items to work on yet,…front axel bushings need replacing and the clutch could use some help. It has the Power Boost so that may be a major job.
Mike Scobey
Lake Odessa, Michigan
A strength to draw inspiration from, like the East Tennessee Smokey Mountains, this 1939 Model A John Deere joins primary “Seasoned” caretakers, David Banks and Golden Retriever sidekick, Whiskey, when taking care of a 6th generation family farm.
Although the Model A was not in the best of shape when first making an entrance to the farm, after much-needed care and repair, it now works beautifully when answering the call of an active farm life.
Mata Banks
New Tazewell, Tennessee
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
Maryland International Harvester Collectors Club, Chapter 39, held an all-you-can-eat breakfast on March 19th, 2022. The breakfast was a way to embrace the IHC equipment from the past thru now. Everyone gathered to discuss the tractors and enjoy some good food.
Check out this year’s show, or plan for next year. Visit them at www.mdihcc39.org
Dwight has known this tractor since he was a child. It was on the Irwin dairy farm down the road from Dwight since the early 1950s. Mr. Irwin passed away in 1988 and his daughter gave it to Dwight in 2017 as a partly assembled, abandoned, rusted, frozen-solid hulk. Dwight carefully restored it with the help of some of his grandkids (a few in the photo) who watched, encouraged, learned, and enjoyed the process over three years. Dwight uses it to help farming neighbors and to work the 21 acres behind their church. He showed it at SteamUp! in Salem, Oregon in August 2021 and will enjoy taking it to a few local parades.
Dwight Morejohn
Davis, California
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
This might have started with creepy music, but no, there is no audio track here.
I was in a shop getting a little repair work done on a trailer of mine, oddly enough for my modern tractor, when I kind of nosed around and found myself sitting on some silly old tractor. (Probably the most comfortable seat in the shop.) But why my mouth went off and said I would buy it if he got it running, I don’t know.
It took about two weeks and I got this phone call out of the blue, the owner told me he got it running, but it was on only two cylinders. Hmm, I asked him to deliver it, my trailer was away from the house, and when the little clunker got to my place, it was complete, basically, but yep, it was really weak in two cylinders. Chugg, Chugg, but it did get me down the block and back, brakes worked, lights worked, vintage tow bar, ah heck, he was just too cute. I had to. See my profile picture for his first day home.
Then this happened…
I found the Chugging issue in a flat distributor cam lobe and since I was in there anyway, I figured I would take care of some of the loose bits. There are still loose bits, but hey, that’s the fun, right?
He now does silly things like this.
I put it back to work on my property in East Texas and he pulls trailers, digs post holes, tills, brush hogs, pulls a subsoiler, and plenty else just as quick as my more modern tractor, in point of fact, if he had a front loader, I might sell the more modern tractor. Plans include a couple of brothers or sisters for Chugg, at this time I have adopted ‘Trash Panda’ so far, a 39-40 9N model that needs a pile of help, and a late 8N as well that has yet to get a name. Thank you Steiner for the parts I needed to help me put this much fun into my work.
Chugg’s family.
My name is Henry Lawson I am a 12-year-old boy and my dream of farming has been the only thing I’ve been wanting to do for about 2 years now. My dad has a Farmall M. He would go to the farm in Iowa with his brothers and parents, almost every month. He tells me about all the things they did.
My great-grandpa bought a Farmall M and farmed with it, he passed away in 2011. My dad bought the Farmall M from the family. Almost every summer we go to Iowa and ride our 756 and see family. A couple years ago we got the Farmall M transported over to California and let it sit in a shed. Over the past two months we’ve been working on it almost every other weekend, we’ve gone through problems like hooking up the battery wrong and not having enough gas but just recently we’ve got it running.
Henry Lawson
Sonoma, California
Getting ready to spread fertilizer with this beautiful 1965 Minneapolis Moline M670! It’s one of the most reliable tractors on the farm racking up approximately 30,000 hours and counting!
Nathan Lehman
McMinnville, Oregon
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
Above are three tractors that were fully restored by our son, Cole White. When he joined 4-H, he had a dream of restoring tractors — just like his grandpa. At the early age of 11 and his first year in 4-H, he began with the 544 International Harvester Tractor (pictured on the right). This tractor needed a little bit of mechanical work and needed to be completely repainted. Taking what he learned from his first project, he began his second restoration of an 826 International Harvester Tractor (pictured on the left) and his favorite to drive. He was more confident and knowledgeable on what needed repair by the hands-on experience he had with his first project. After success with his first two projects, a 4-H judge suggested he challenge himself a little more for his next project. He did just that! He found a Farmall 504 tractor (pictured in the middle) that had been in a field for many years with weeds growing up around it. It did not run and needed a full body repair. He worked very hard at getting this tractor’s motor to run and had lots of bodywork to do for his completed project.
Each of the tractors he has restored for 4-H projects has been stripped to the bare bones, sanded, all hydraulics and mechanical functions repaired and each of them was completely repainted by him to become fully functioning show-ready tractors. Cole put a lot of sweat and long hours into the restoration of these tractors with each of them having its own unique challenges.
The tractors are very special to Cole and to the White Family. Cole is very appreciative of the guidance he received from his father, Mike White, and his grandfather, Dennis White, who is pictured with him. Our family enjoys sharing these tractors with others by participating in numerous tractor rides, parades, and sometimes just a casual ride around town on a nice day.
Dena White
Osceola, Iowa
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
This tractor was originally built in 1962 by my dad (Burton Aymond). It was later upgraded by me (Kirk Aymond) in the 1990s, and again by both of us just recently – an ongoing project apparently.
Here’s a bit of history and specifics. Having grown up on a farm in central Louisiana my dad drove and owned tractors – Farmalls. That passion for farm equipment remained with him even after moving to New Orleans in the mid-1950s. During that decade my dad met and married my mom (Helena Dauzat) and developed fabrication skills while working in shipyards.
By 1961 with my brother old enough to accompany my dad, and myself not yet in the picture, planning for the tractor began. The objective was to buy as little as possible and fabricate everything else. In actuality, the engine was likely the only item purchased which was a 10 horsepower Kohler K241. The transmission and rear axle were taken out of a 1940s Crosley Sedan. The steering system was from a ’55 or ’56 GoggoMobil.
Over the next year, the tractor was completed to its original version. In the process, the rear axle was cut to a narrower width and welded back together without any machine tools. Some of the features include belt tension-type clutch, Borg Warner T-92 Crosley transmission, chain drive transfer case, Spicer 11 Crosley rear axle, and rack and pinion steering – GoggoMobil.
Around 1990 I did a number of upgrades which included: lengthening the frame 9 inches, addition of a power shaft, fabricated a heavier front axle, fabricated a new hood, added headlights, new wiring, gauges, new seat, upgraded brake system and fabricated new wheels to accommodate larger tires.
Recent work yielded the addition of an alternator, automotive type steering box, modifications to the belt clutch, side fenders, and an access step for dad who is now 89. I’m certain that there will be more upgrades in the coming years.
A more recent addition to our tractor collection, a fair sized Massey used to work around the property, a 1953 Farmall Super A. My dad farmed with a similar tractor during that time period which is why we chose to purchase and restore this particular model. The restoration was a complete teardown and rebuild which took us about 18 months. All of the work was done by the two of us here at my home.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read about our tractor passions.
Burt and Kirk Aymond
Bush, Louisiana
I started pulling tractors when I was in junior high, starting out on my dad’s Farmall M. After a while I wanted my own tractor, and I knew I wanted an Allis Chalmers. We went to an auction and brought home this Allis Chalmers and she quickly was named ‘The Lil Allis’. She received a paint job from my dad, the old Allis Orange with the new Allis Orange flames coming off the grill going through the decal, and coming down the fenders.
We continued to pull throughout high school. When I went to college my dad continued to pull her while I was gone. One year he flipped it during a pull, after that she came home and sat in the shed until now. I decided I wanted to get back into the pulling game. We pulled her out, dusted off the cobwebs to reveal her custom paint job, and got to work. In this picture she is showing off her custom-made weight bracket in the front and in front of the rear axle, and the custom-made wheelie bars in the back. This Winter she will receive a whole new paint job that I’m excited to be part of. Won the weight class (3,750 lbs Farm Class) that I pull in with the WeakEnders Tractor Pulling Club this year.
Cassie Mack
Harvard, Illinois
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
The lucky winner of January’s $25 Steiner gift card is Cathy Cunnyngham. The winner is randomly drawn from all of the parts reviews submitted to us in the month of January. Congratulations, Cathy! This is Cathy’s story.
My husband’s uncle bought this John Deere MT new after WWII for $1500 with all the implements and farmed cotton with it. It replaced a team of horses. My husband’s uncle got to the point that he couldn’t drive anymore so I started taking him wherever he needed to go. He said to my husband one day, “I need to do something for her for taking me everywhere. Do you reckon she’d like to have that little MT out in the tractor shed?” My husband said, “Yeah, I think she’d like to have that just fine”. So his uncle gave this MT to me. We also got all of the implements and had it all restored. My husband teases me about the fact that we have $20K invested in a $2K tractor…but I love it and it will always be mine. By the way, my husband grew up on this tractor.
Cathy Cunnyngham
Blue Ridge, Texas
Our family is from Green Lane, PA. This 1971 International 454 is from the Joe and SueAnne Beck farm. I grew up with this tractor as a youth watching it work from my tree stand on their farm in Lahaska, Bucks County, PA.
Joe and Sueanne recently retired and I had the opportunity to keep this tractor going for many more years with my family. We are truly blessed to have her.
Brett Davis
Green Lane, Pennsylvania
The 8N is 1947, the same year I was born. I did a complete out-of-frame overhaul on the engine and was going to paint it the original Ford color. My wife saw a car that she said “that’s my favorite color Daytona yellow”. So I picked up some yellow I had MF red, and gray in the shop. So now I got a Daytona yellow, Massey red, Massey gray 1947 8N.
Dan Blanchard
North Fork, California
In 2019-2020 my junior year of high school, my best friend and I completed the restoration of this 1957 Ford 600 for a local competition. We made it to nationals and finished as part of the top twelve finalists.
The restoration took around 9 months with over 600 hours invested and many memories made. This restoration was a learning experience of a lifetime where we developed our mechanical knowledge beyond what we thought possible.
The tractor was later sold to a very kind gentleman who takes his new tractor ‘Anni’ out for Sunday drives and keeps in contact about her many appearances in parades. We couldn’t imagine a better ending for this restoration and can’t wait for many more to come.
Annika Ernstrom
San Luis Obispo, California
2022 Tractor Photo Contest Winner
This John Deere 40 is the tractor my grandfather started out farming with when he was 22 years old in 1955. My dad and aunt used while growing up in Woodford County, Kentucky.
The last time it was running was the late 1980s or early 90s. It’s always been one of those “we’ll fix it up one of these days” types of projects. My Dad turned 70 on January 20th this year and I took it upon myself back at the end of October 2021 to restore it as a surprise for him for his birthday with some help from my 2 sisters Kari and Stefani. And lots of questions of my aunt and uncle, Jeff and Judy Adams.
(Above) My Great grandfather driving, my grandfather, on the left, and my uncle, on the right setting tobacco. My dad, Carl, and I with the restored John Deere.
I finished it a couple weeks early and couldn’t wait to give it to him. Here are a few before, during, and after pictures.
The video of when we surprised Dad.
Kyle Whalen
Versailles, Kentucky
I would like to share my story of restoring my step-father’s Ford 801 Powermaster.
As a kid, I remember bringing this tractor home as my mother pulled it behind a truck while my stepdad steered the tractor. My stepdad inherited the tractor after his father passed. That was at least 25 years ago. Once we got it home, my stepdad put it to use around the 10 acres I grew up on near Sikeston, Missouri. At some point, I was taught to drive the tractor and it’s the first tractor I remember driving. I loved taking it for a drive through the field as my parents watched from the fence rows. As I got older, I used the tractor alongside my stepdad and he always told me it would be mine one day.
In 2018, my stepdad decided to give me his tractor and I immediately began planning the restoration in my head. I had been to several fairs over the years that showcased antique tractors and always envisioned my Ford 801 being a show tractor. As I admired all the restored tractors over the years, I noticed a common sticker that said “painted by Greg Ellis” on numerous beautifully restored tractors.
I tracked down Greg Ellis in 2018 when my stepdad gave me the 801 and took him the tractor that Fall. When I dropped off the tractor for restoration, I told Greg I wanted a show tractor and he certainly delivered. I don’t think a single part went untouched and many parts were replaced with the help of Steiner Tractor Parts.
I surprised my stepdad with the restoration and his reaction will join the lifelong memories I’ve had with that Ford 801.
Nick Burger
Scott City, Missouri
1962 Ford 801 (841) Powermaster
Each month we draw one of our active email subscribers out of a hat and award them a $200 Steiner Tractor Parts gift card.
This month, Walter Ruh of Fayetteville, Tennesse was our winner. We thank you, Walter, for reading our emails and hope you enjoy your gift card.
The picture above is my granddaughter, Emma, helping install a new carburetor I bought from Steiner Tractor parts for my 1955 Ford 850 Tractor. My Steiner Tractor hat is about worn out, so I know that’ll be a purchase for sure. LOL!!
Walter Ruh
Fayetteville, Tennessee