Applying new skins to the old whine of a John Deere R or a Ford 8N is a
growing hobby.
Tractor restorers say the satisfaction of driving what appears to be the brand new tractor that your father or grandfather bought in 1948 can be difficult to explain.
“It’s an experience that can bring tears to (a) grown man’s eyes when that engine starts,” said Jim Weppler of Morse, Sask.
Somewhere between the motor’s first pop, pop, pop and the jump that rocks the driver back in his steel seat as the transmission accepts the shift into gear, the mind races back in time: a memory surfaces of a warm summer morning’s breeze pushing those first fuel-rich puffs from a short exhaust stack into your face as you try to align the drawbar to the harrow’s hitch.
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Weppler says memories like these are firing the tractor restoration business.
He has restored 30 machines and does custom work for others.
“They want that tractor they drove as a boy. Lots will restore their own, some will pay others to do it for them. A few will perform some of the work themselves
and pay to have the rest finished by (a) professional,” he said.
The growing business of parts and service for machines that in many cases have spent the last 30 to 60 years sitting out
in the trees hasn’t been lost on equipment makers.
John Deere and Agco both have new lines of original equipment manufacturer parts for machines going back to the birth of the distillate power units.
Other companies such as A & I produce replicas of everything from engine blocks to hood decals.
Weppler began restoring in the mid-1980s.
“In those days a lot of the folks who restored old equipment would load up their stuff and haul it down to Regina for the (Western Canada) Farm Progress Show. We did the parade every day and eventually started tractor pulling with our old junk,” he said.
“We loosely filled one building on the fairgrounds. Now we fill three. It’s really taken off,” he said.
Brian Holst of John Deere’s Collector’s Center in Moline, Illinois, heads a division that organizes parts inventories across North America and performs custom restoration for clients who want a finished machine without the challenges.
“We always had customers who wanted old parts and in some cases we could supply some of the stuff, but inventory is expensive and our dealers wouldn’t want to carry a lot of antique tractor parts just in case,” he said.
But some dealers were carrying parts they didn’t recognize as valuable.
When Deere began computerizing parts inventories, many old parts showed up and suddenly a comprehensive list of what was available could be shared via the computer database.
The company also began looking at whether the original jobbers who had been casting and milling parts still had the dies and the interest to perform limited production runs of the more commonly needed pieces.
“Many could and did. So now we offer a wide selection of original parts for restoration or for the occasional farmer who still makes use of an older model tractor,” he said.
Brian Sauder is a partner in Nodge Manufacturing of Swift Current, Sask.
His company distributes restoration replacement parts for Westward and A & I, as well as the IT line of shop manuals.
“I might not want to start a business in Swift Current based just on restoration parts, but it sure is growing,” he said.
A & I maintains three warehouses in Canada at Abbotsford, B.C., Regina and Woodstock, Ont.
“It means we can get most parts for most tractors within a week or two and farmers don’t have to deal with customs and shipping issues,” he said.
Today, most of the major brands of tractors and often other pieces of farm equipment can be restored with either O.E.M. or replacement parts. O.E.M., or original equipment manufacturer, refers to companies that make products for retailers to resell.
Weppler said tractor restoration isn’t a high tech hobby.
“Most simple farm shops are more than outfitted for restoring a tractor and just look around. How old is the average farmer? He needs a low-cost hobby that he knows something about, gives him some sense of satisfaction,” he said.
Weppler’s analysis of the hobby is borne out by demographics, and not only those in the North American farming community.
In Australia and Europe as well, average farmer age is now nearly 60 years. As those producers age, many choose to recreate something from the past and tractors are one of those things.
