Tractors & Memories

"Antique tractors bring back a lot of memories," Successful Farming Editor Rich Fee writes after checking out the antique tractors at this year's Ohio Farm Science Review. See some of the classics Rich found at the show.

Like a lot of tractor fans, my eyes are drawn to the tractors of my youth, such as this Massey Harris 44 owned by Larry Tourney of Urbana, Ohio. I used a similar one to pull a three-bottom International Harvester plow with a trip rope; it was all I could do to horse it around at the end of the field.

Most of the tractors that find their way to shows glisten in the sun as if they had just come off the showroom floor. That’s the case with this 1941 Massey-Harris 81S belonging to Ray and Shirley Heck of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

A few tractors, however, come “as is.” As his sign indicates, Jim Jones of London, Ohio, is quick to concede that his 1956 MH 444 could stand a paint job.

The other tractors that catch my eye are the variations that were extremely rare in Iowa, such as the high crop and orchard tractors. This well-manicured MF 165 Hi-Crop belongs to Dave Helman of Sidney, Ohio.

This brilliant orange 1962 Allis-Chalmers D-15 diesel orchard tractor belongs to Hoss and Sugar Nethers of Wilkins Corners, Ohio.

I also get attracted to the makes and models I’ve rarely seen, such as this 1957 Cockshutt 40 Deluxe, which belongs to Bill Hott and Cede Hott.

The Hotts’ Cockshutt was parked right next to this 1957 Cockshutt Golden Arrow owned by Vernon Bolender of Circleville, Ohio.

Tractors were changing a lot in the 50’s and ‘60s, as evidenced by how much different this Cockshutt 2150 MFWD looked compared to its predecessors.

Plymouth and Silver King tractors were born during the depression as an Ohio-based company, Fate-Root-Heath, struggled to replace the income from declining locomotive sales. I believe that’s a 1934 Plymouth in the foreground. The next four tractors are Silver King models from the ‘30s and ‘40s.