Here are my 3 tractors. One is my Great Uncle’s DC Case I recently purchased and will be restoring. One is a 1929 Case “C” I purchased. The picture is at the church where we had my grandpa’s service. The other is my 1941 Farmall H that my grandpa gave me when I was little. I restored it two years ago for him and is my most prized possession. He was so proud. All three are at WMSTR in Rollag, MN every year.
The story behind the C is that I bought if for my Grandpa to use. He had cancer and could no longer get up on the H. So I purchased this one so he could manage to use it when he needed. He got to see it the day I bought it. But unfortunately, he never got to use it. He passed shortly after. The reason why we chose to use it at his service is so he could get one ride on it with me. He was the one who taught me how to drive a tractor. So he was able to get a ride on the C I bought for him. I had the job of carrying his urn with me to the cemetery.
The H was given to me by my grandpa when I was little. He purchased that tractor when he bought his own farm. When he purchased it he drove it all the way from Fargo, ND to Hawley, MN, on the highway. He used to use it for digging, hauling bales, plowing, and many other things. It was kind of the “go to” tractor on the farm. Ever since he gave it to me he had always wanted me to restore it and get it looking nice so it could be at Rollag. The Summer of 2016, I made his dream come true. I restored it at a cousins house (about 10 miles from his house). And just like him, I drove it all the way back to his farm, on the highway. We never showed him any pictures during the restoration, so he was shocked when he saw me roll into his driveway. It was a very emotional And meaningful moment for both of us. I could tell he was proud. I am so happy I restored it when I did, because he ended up passing this October. I am so glad he got to see his tractor, finally restored. And he got to see it at WMSTR in Rollag too. I call it “Grandpa’s H”.
The DC Case is a tractor that belongs to my Great Uncle (my Grandpa’s brother). This is a tractor that he bought years ago to use around the farm. He and my Grandpa used it for many of the smaller jobs. My Grandpa always talked about how nice the tractor ran and how smooth it was. However, he did think the steering system was odd. Over the years, my great uncle and my Grandpa worked on this tractor and made their own repairs to it. About four years ago, my great uncle told my Grandpa to ask if I would be interested in buying it. My Grandpa brought it up, and told me that he thinks I would really like it. So I went and looked at it with both of them. I took many pictures and really wanted to buy it. I told him I needed to save up some money first. When my great uncle saw how the Farmall H turned out, he really wanted me to get this one. So this November, I asked if he was still interested in selling it to me, and he said yes. I know both him and my Grandpa wanted me to have it, so I felt like it was the perfect thing to do. So, my great uncle sold it to me for $300. I have been gathering parts lately and I plan on getting started on it this Spring. Hoping to have it at Rollag! This tractor means a lot to me because it has the repairs that him and my Grandpa did on it, as well as it was the tractor they used around the farm for many years. Now I have a tractor from both my Grandpa and his brother. Tractors connected us three so much, and for that I am forever grateful. I live my life wanting to make my Grandpa proud, and I know buying that tractor would make him ecstatic. Tractors are truly something that connects us and many others. It’s just awesome.
Jacob Lee
