I became interested in tractors at an early age. My father was a printer, but my uncle was a farmer, and he and his family lived downstairs from us. My cousin Ed had this wonderful tractor, and when I got a chance, I would ride it. This picture was taken when I was about a year and a half old. The next Christmas, I got my own tractor.
I grew up in the rural section of a town in Connecticut, and there were farms all around. I worked on these farms as soon as I was big enough to be useful. I am trying to gather pictures of the farms when I was a kid, but in the meanwhile, here are some pictures of the tractors and doodlebugs I have now.
In the great depression, money was scarce, and farmers often made tractors from old cars and trucks. These machines would not do what a real tractor would do, but could pull a wagon, or a hay rake or do light chores. They were called "depression era tractors" and more commonly "doodlebugs".
I got my first doodlebug from a neighbor who wanted it out of his yard. It looked like a jeep, with jeep front fenders and hood and grill. When all that was removed, a model A Ford doodlebug came to view. I got it running, and used it to pull a one horse mower to cut hay for my angus heifer. The engine was so worn, I had to add 90wt oil to stop the clatter of the bearings. The kids enjoyed riding around on it, and we had fun using it.
Soon after I got that one running, I discovered that another neighbor had a model A doodlebug that was rusting away in the brush. I talked to the owner about it, and he told me that his father had built it in 1941 from a model A truck chassis and the engine and cowl from a 1931 deluxe phaeton that he had donated to the cause. When I commented on the rarity of the deluxe phaeton, he said it was just a 10 year old car at the time, and was worth almost nothing. I bought the sad remains, and towed it home down the dirt roads, with only some of the wheels turning. The engine was stuck, the transmission was stuck, and some of the brakes were stuck. I got it all back to operating condition, and found it to be a good machine.It was well built, with care taken to preserve the enclosed driveshaft, and with an early Ford "dual high" transmission behind the truck 4 speed. This gives 8 speeds forward and 2 reverse. I have now had this machine for almost 30 years.
A few years ago, my brother called me to say he had found a doodlebug for me, so I drove to where it was and bought it. It turned out to be a 1931 model A Ford, that was converted by a mechanic who worked for the Mack truck dealership. He used a rear end from a 1929 chain drive Mack, and installed 2 transmissions. I replaced the tires, and installed a muffler, and had to make a new universal joint. Someone saw it and had to have it, so that one is gone..
My first real tractor was this 1951 Ford 8N, which I bought from the 75 year old son of the original owner. A few years ago, my son and I restored it. I used it for 20 years, and traded it in on a new four wheel drive diesel tractor.
Since I grew up with farmall tractors, it was only natural to want a few. One farm on which I worked as a kid had an F20. I took it to school and fixed it up in the VOAG shop and enjoyed using it. This is a F20N, with the narrow rear. As you can see, it was in rather poor condition when I got it. I rebuilt the engine, replaced several worn out items, and painted it like new. A guy who came to buy my H saw it, and talked me out of it. I should have known better.
I always liked the looks of the little F12, and so bought this nice original 1937 model. Someone wanted an original F12, so I sold it.
No herd of farmalls would be complete without an H, and this one is a beauty. Every farm in my area had an H when I was a kid, and I think it was perhaps the best tractor IH ever made. This one was sold to the guy who also bought the F20N
Everybody needs a Cub, and this one is all original. I used it for a few years, and it is now in Maine.
A friend sold me this 300 utility. It was an interesting machine, with the torque amplifier, and fast hitch, but a guy in the next town wanted it for plowing snow on his long driveway, so I sold it to him.
I restored this cub and took it to a few shows, then traded it in towards a new Harley Davidson motorcycle.
I found this F20N near the shore, and rebuilt the carburator, magneto, and governor, and took that one to the fair for the tractor pulls. My neighbor saw it and fell in love with it, so he has it now.
I found this Farmall Super C in the country, and restored it and for reasons I cannot remember, I sold it.
When I went to buy a model A pickup, this doodlebug was in the yard, and so I bought it also. After a carburator rebuilt, it runs pretty good. This has the Sears Roebuck tractor conversion unit on the rear, which uses the original rear end to run the huge iron wheels by way of a pinion gear on each rear hub.
I had a mandolin for sale, and got this cub on trade for the mandolin. After some work, it turned out to be a good tractor, and I have used it this year to plow snow with.
If you have read this far, you have come to realize that I have gotten some of this machinery in the strangest ways. All this makes life more interesting.
