On the Cutting Edge
Minnesota collector crazy for lawn tractors
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
For most people, lawn tractors are little more than a tool used to cut grass. For Lowell Brusse, Spring Valley, Minn., they represent a unique (and still accessible) category of collectibles. Lowell has quietly built a fleet of more than 200 lawn tractors, and there's no end in sight.
"I have a fault like a disease or something," he explains. "When I go into something, I go into it too wildly. I didn't expect it to end up this big."
The collection began innocently enough. During a time when Lowell was a scratch toy builder, a customer at a toy show made him an unusual offer. "We had made some F-30 Farmalls, and were selling them for about $55," he recalls. "This customer wanted to trade a 1966 Minneapolis-Moline lawn tractor for one of those F-30s." Lowell accepted the trade. "That got me investigating old lawnmowers," he recalls. "I did some research, and found out they were hard to find. That's how I started."
Today, the hobby is gaining popularity. Clubs and collector publications are springing up all over the country. "It's really fairly new yet," he says, "but it's getting bigger all the time. More and more people are getting interested in this." Many collectors have found what Lowell discovered years ago: The engines are not complicated, and the units are easier than full-size tractors to store and transport. "I like mechanics, and this is something that's about the right size. You can still handle everything. With cars, the technology is so advanced that you can hardly keep up. And if you collect full-size tractors, you need pickups and trailers to haul them around."
Because the lawn tractors are still comparatively affordable (and sometimes even free), Lowell is actively building his collection, with the help of his brother and youngest grandson. "I have so many nice, rare ones I could fix up, and I'd like to spend more time working on them than I do," he says. "But right now I spend a lot of time looking for them, because if I don't do it now, it's going to get harder and they're going to get more spendy. That's why I'm going at it more aggressively now."
Storage is fast becoming an issue for Lowell, so he hopes to wind down the hunt phase of his hobby soon. He's constructing a 60-by-96-foot building that will house his collection of lawn tractors and toys. The "museum," as he refers to it, should be complete by early summer.
Many of Lowell's finds could more accurately be termed "rescues." Lawn tractors are often abandoned in fields or sheds where they deteriorate to the point that restoration is not possible. Others seem the target of owner frustration. "Some of the mowers I've fixed up have been left in the middle of the yard and were used for target practice," Lowell says. "You've got to do a lot of work to get the hood and everything else back in shape." Often the tractors have been modified or damaged, and that impacts values.
But it's the true basket case that gets Lowell's undivided attention. "I like them in the worst shape," he says. "The worse the shape, the better I like them. I'm kind of a mechanic by trade. It's fun to bring one in that's in bad shape and bring it back to life."
The first step Lowell takes in restoration is assessing how the process will impact the tractor's value. In some cases, a piece has more value when left in its original condition. "Even if it's not in the best shape, sometimes it seems like you're better off to leave it original," he says.