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One tractor of a member

The summer I turned 15 I worked all summer on a farm whose owner and son were recovering from a terrible auto accident. Both in multiple casts. They had just bought the first tractor in the valley to have power steering, a new Oliver. I spent the summer on it and thought I was King Tutt, lol. This new equipment is amazing. So few make so much food for so many. If the libs had their way we would all be forging for crickets.
 
Learned to drive a 1976 Ford 2000 tractor in ‘95 after I helped trouble shoot its running issues (note that I only knew enough to do PMs on my own vehicles). This was for the Family of a Friend of a Friend.
My local New Holland dealership was very kind in helping me go through an extensive list of potential issues. The Family relied on the tractor for their cash crops and the large garden they canned for long term future meals.
Spent a few off days over the next three weeks going through the checklist and finally got her fired up; Mr. Brent Sr., 85 years old at the time, danced like he was trying to get up a “Square”.
Celebrations all around! Mrs. Brent fed me sandwiches and coffee every time I came up to go through the items to check, and got to meet their Son, Chuck, who was doing most of the actual farm work on his weekends off.
New Holland gave the parts at cost, so major kudos to them! Taught Chuck what to monitor, and got a trickle battery charger for the barn.

About 2 months later I had an escort extradition run from my Department’s Co. to their Co. for a gentleman to face charges there. After he was sequestered in the jail, the Corrections van went back to Jefferson Co.; I took my lunch break before heading back and stopped by the Brent’s.
Think I scared them a bit, as I never mentioned my vocation; surely unsettling in retrospect, to see a uniform cruiser parked at your barn.
Just checking on y’all, I said.
Mrs. Brent packed me a plate for supper even though I needed to get back to work.
Told me just bring the plate back sometime.
The beginning of a long and wonderful friendship with them and even with Chuck long after they passed. Mr. Brent Sr even taught me to work the Farm ❤️…..

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That’s definitely a lot bigger than my tractor. I have a 58hp Bobcat to maintain my 10 acres. I grew up in a small farm town. When we were young, early teens. Those of us that lived in the small town, would ride our bikes to the local farms to earn money. Picking rocks in the spring, baling hay in summer and picking corn in the fall.
 
My granddaughter runs the discavator and the combine. She's 12 now but started "disc" at 8.
It's amazing how they run things these days. Push a button and just let it be, get to the end, push a button, turn the wheel a bit and repeat.
 
I was brought up on my Uncle's Minneapolis Moline standard. He bought
it for the farm, after the war. I believe it's a 1946 model. and still used by
my cousin in the orchards.......The pics posted above look's like what Troyer
Farms uses just south of me. All potato's, and some of the variety the major
chip producers buy from as well.
 
I think his wife crawls in and sets the GPS. She relaxes and wathes soaps while the tractor fertilizes and drags it into the soil. She is a sweetheart.
View attachment 1599567

My current avatar photo is a view from the cab of that tractors wheeled counterpart. Quite a step up from the old box car Case Magnums. Tillage time has been cut in half pulling a 22 foot disc at 7 to 10 miles per hour.

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