Stable Full of Ponys
(Page 4 of 4)
Donald has benefited from good luck on several tractor buys. At an auction near Redwood Falls, Minn., Donald saw a Massey-Harris 22 on the back of a truck. “I asked the guy driving if he wanted to sell it,” Donald says, “but he said he had just bought it, and wasn’t interested.” A while later, the man called, wanting to sell. When Donald got there, he found the seller also had a Pacer. “I ended up buying both of them,” he says with a chuckle. He was glad to get the 22 because it was in superb condition and complete, including a 3-point hitch and the original Massey-Harris ties on it. “All I had to do was paint it,” Donald says.
RELATED CONTENT
Massey-Harris history well told in new release...
The last British Massey Ferguson factory closes after 56 years...
Massey Days Are Here Again...
Farm harvest equipment was a rare commodity for most American farmers...
Let's Talk Rusty Iron: Sam Moore examines early Massey-Harris history....
Leaving a paper trail
Donald also collects Massey-Harris literature, most of it gathered when he was a boy. “There was a pretty good Massey-Harris dealer in Albany, Minn., and he used to set a half-dozen new Massey-Harris tractors out front, right on Main Street,” Donald says. “I remember wishing we could afford them. But we didn’t have that kind of money, so I would go inside to the stand where he had all the literature on them, and pick that up.”
Those boyish dreams have finally come true. Today Donald gets great satisfaction from his collection, and sharing it with others at shows – others who share his appreciation for vintage iron and careful restoration. Sometimes, he muses, everything clicks during a restoration project: “It’s just beautiful to look at these tractors when that happens.” FC
Bill Vossler is a freelance writer and author of several books on antique farm tractors and toys. Contact him at Box 372, 400 Caroline Ln., Rockville, MN 56569; e-mail: bvossler@juno.com.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 | 4 |