Love in the Fast Lane
By Bill Vossler
You could say that Paul Zoschke's tractor collection is a labor of Love. Love tractors, that is. He owns a trio of the rare tractors, all orchard models, including a 1937 (serial no. 37-0-133), 1939 (serial no. 39-0-210) and a 1954 (which has no serial number). “An uncle bought the second tractor ever made by Jabez Love, a 1936 tractor called a Tructor, and various members of my family owned many of the tractors,” he says. “One of my cousins allegedly even helped provide some financing for Love.”
Love conquers tractor building
In 1933, Jabez Love of Benton Harbor, Mich., figured he could save orchard owners time and expense by building a tractor that would take advantage of the speed provided by rubber tires. That way, area farmers could pick their peaches, apples, plums, peas and other produce in the orchard, crate them, lash the crates to a wagon, and carry them directly into market, bypassing the time-consuming and expensive steps of unloading onto one- or one-and-a-half ton pickups typically used along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Love was already a tractor engineer, having earned his stripes working with Dent Parrett, inventor of Parrett tractors.
In sight, in mind
Paul Zoschke grew up in Benton Harbor, where those first Love tractors, made of commonly-found parts, were put together. In 1935, his uncle, Julius Prillwitz, bought the second Love tractor ever made. “I still have the receipt,” Paul says.
The oldest-known Love: A Tructor-TractorThe oldest Love tractor around is probably one owned by Dick Stover of Upland, Ind., who has a 1934 or 1935 Tructor-Tractor. “It's a tricycle orchard tractor with a low center of gravity and a Ford Model B engine,” says Paul Zoschke. “It is a beauty, and fun to drive.” The next-oldest, Paul says, is owned by Lee Black of Freeport, Mich., who has a 1934 or 1935 four-wheel stance Tructor with live PTO. “The live PTO was achieved by running the belts off the front of the crankcase and then running a shaft along the chassis to get to the back of the tractor,” Paul says. “This provided the orchardist with the ability to keep power going to the spray rig while clutching in to stop while he went around the ends of rows of apple orchards.” |
He was talking to the right person, as his cousin, Henry Prillwitz, began talking about the pair of Love tractors he owned. One was just sitting in a barn because it needed a brake job, and Henry didn't think he should put out that kind of money for a 1939 tractor that he probably wouldn't use much. So after the funeral, the two hiked over to Henry's place and looked at the Love tractor. “The one that needed a brake job was a 1939 Love tractor, one of a handful of the new-design Love tractors produced that year just before Jabez Love quit making tractors the first time, and sold the business to David Friday,” Paul recalls. “So I bought it, and that's how I got into Love tractors.”
Two years later, Henry had a stroke, quit farming, and sold Paul his 1954 tractor, which has no serial number. “I heard a story about why it has no serial number,” Paul says. According to rumor, area farmers would pay cash for tractors “off the books” if they came without identifying serial numbers. That way, nobody knew if they had new or used machines on their farms. But Paul says he doesn't believe that story. He thinks it had to do more with the complications of Jabez Love selling his Love Tractor Inc. business in 1940 to good friend David Friday, who continued to make Love tractors, though he renamed them Friday tractors.
Love's Friday
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