My Tractor History

My grandfather was born in 1901 in Indianapolis, Indiana and moved to Jackson, Michigan when he was three.  He was essentially raised as a city boy, though in those days even city people had horses and chickens.

When World War I rolled around, all eligible boys of age went off to war.  This left many farms short of help.  Some of the older boys remaining (16 and 17 years old) were excused from school to help on the farms in the surrounding communities.

My Grandfather was one of those boys, and this was how he developed his interest in and love for farming.

In 1921, a farm came up for sale just up the road from one of the farms Grandpa had worked on.  He and his father rode the trolley from Jackson to Rives Junction, then walked along the railroad tracks until they came to the right road, then walked to the farm (about four miles total from Rives Junction).  They looked it over and decided it was worth buying.  Grandpa borrowed some money from his father, and paid $8,000 for a 160 acre farm.

Grandpa moved to the farm, started dairy farming, and joined the local Grange.  There he met the prettiest young lady.  She was the Grange secretary and collected the 10 cent dues.  To make a long story short, Grandpa and Grandma were married in 1926.

Four children were born over the next ten years, my dad being the last one in 1936.

In 1941, Grandpa bought a brand new JD H.  He paid about $800 for it, and paid it off in one year from the profits earned on just over an acre of potatoes.  (Oh, that you could do that in this day and age.  Of course, that would mean potatoes would be much more expensive!)

But the soil on Grandpa's farm was light.  Rather than plowing, Grandpa preferred growing some rye, turning the cattle loose in it, then eventually disking the rye into the surface.  This helped the soil, and at the same time kept some "trash" on the surface to help hold the soil.  The H, however, was not enough tractor to work the soil like he wanted, so in 1949 Grandpa bought a brand new JD A and some related implements.

The A did not have to work hard for many years.  By the mid 50's, all of the kids had left home.  Grandpa took on another job and cut back the size of the dairy herd.

My Mom and Dad moved back to the farm in 1963.  They built a new house on one corner of the farm, which was where I grew up.  They bought a JD 110 for taking care of the lawn.  By now, the A was used mostly for cutting and raking some hay, and as Grandpa's "taxi" around the farm.

Around 1969 Grandpa acquired a 1020.  It was not brand-new, but may as well have been.  It was only a few months old.  Because it was kept in our pole barn, my younger brother and I frequently played on it.  We learned how to turn the lights on and off when the key was turned on.  One night we turned the key too far and the tractor started.  We had no idea how to turn it off!  (We were only about 6 and 4 years old at the time.)  Dad heard the tractor and came running.  Boy, were we in trouble!

Grandpa used the A on and off for a couple more years, then parked it next to his wood pile where it would sit for many years.

I really grew up using the 110 and the 1020.  I never had to do any maintenance, though I would help Dad in the spring when he would get the 110 out of mothballs.  The 1020 was used mostly for disking and dragging the garden, as well as hauling wood and spreading some manure.  (We didn't have to do much plowing because our soil was so sandy.)

In 1981 when I was 17, Dad got a new job and we moved away from the farm to Rochester, Michigan. Other than visits to the farm, I didn't think much about the tractors.

I was married in 1987, and Joey and I moved into a small home on a 1/2 acre lot in Auburn Hills.  I still was not thinking about farm life much.

In May 1988, Mom died of cancer.  Dad, in order to pass some time and in dealing with his grief, took on the project of getting the A running again.  It had not been run in about 15 years.  It was slightly stuck, but he and Grandpa were able to free it up simply by rocking the tractor.  Fortunately, Grandpa had been good about keeping a can over the exhaust all those years.  One of the water pipes was shot, but with a few parts and a little effort, the tractor started up!

Dad drove it some that summer, then parked it in Grandpa's barn.

By Christmas 1992, Joey and I and our three children had outgrown our little two-bedroom house.  By then, too, I was feeling very cramped living in the city, with neighbors living 30 feet away, and was longing for some open space.  Of course, we would need a tractor to help take care of that space.

I actually hadn't thought about the tractor, yet.  And though I had grown up with John Deere tractors, I really knew very little about them.  I knew we had a 1020 and a 110, because the decals were right there on them.  But as the decals had long since rusted off the A, I had no idea what it was.

   Grandpa working on his 1020 - November 1995

While looking through a Truck/Equipment Trader that Christmas, I came across an ad for a JD B, running, but rough, for $400.  As I continued looking at the ads, I realized there were several tractors that "looked like Grandpa's", for not a lot of money.  This was the spark that really got my interest going.

The following March, I had a discussion with my Grandmother about looking for some land and needing a tractor to help work it.  As a result of that conversation, Grandma gave me the A!

We finally did find a 10-acre farm and moved to it in March 1994.  The A was moved to our farm in April, and I have been using it ever since.

About the same time my interest in tractors was rekindled, I was reading some articles on JD 40's.  This model seemed like a real nice mid-size tractors for some of those utility jobs that the A is too big for.  So I started keeping my eyes peeled.

The following summer, I spotted a 40 while we were on vacation.  I stopped and asked if I could look it over and take some pictures, and was granted permission.  I asked if it was for sale, and was assured it was not.  I kept in touch for a couple of years, but the tractor never was for sale.  Eventually it disappeared, and I never did learn what happened to it.

In June 1998, a friend of mine who deals in tractors obtained a 40U that he offered to me for a good price.  Everything was working on it, but it was in rough shape and had some noise in the transmission.  I jumped at it!

This project is currently in progress.  Check out my 40U Project Page for more information.

Currently, then, I have the A that Grandpa bought brand new, as well as a 40U, and a lot of information I have picked up over the last several years.  Grandpa lived on his farm until the day he died (at age 98, Grandma died in 1997). The farm is still in the family, and the 1020 and 110 are still in use.

And that is my John Deere history.