Group Effort

Two club members, for instance, remembered that their father once owned a 6-12. Spurred by nostalgia, brothers Don Verdon and Marvin Verdon spent two Christmas holidays in Dave's shed, excitedly working on the project. That kind of involvement became routine, Dave says. "Most everybody donated time and parts," he notes. "I don't believe the club has $1,200 in that tractor."

Learning from experience

The group project quickly proved the truth of strength in numbers. Members of the restoration crew took photos and movies of similar tractors at other shows to use as a resource. A friend of a friend shot photos of his tractor's carburetor, throttle and governor linkages and emailed them to Dave. Connections like those, he says, make the difference when chasing parts and information. "Go to shows and get acquainted with people," he says. "The magazines are a big help, too. It just takes a lot of time and looking. And if the part you find isn't exactly what you need, you can usually adapt it to work."

And don't get discouraged. "There is not a tractor out there that is in too bad a shape to be brought back to life," he says, "if you have the determination."

For more information:
- Dave Boardman, 8620 Culbert Road, Osseo, MI 49266; (517) 523-2273.

- The Allis-Chalmers Story, by C.H. Wendel, Crestline Publishing; Allis-Chalmers Farm Equipment 1914-1985, by Norm Swinford, published by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Joyce E. McLain is a freelance writer from Michigan. Her work has been published in Farmland News, Farmers' Advance, Farm and Ranch and Rural Heritage Magazine.