How to Get my Dad's Old Tractor- Any Advice

Well I don't post often but this seems like a great spot for advice and rants, family problems.
My dad is not far from 84, I am the oldest son, dads health has been going downhill the last 6 or 7 years. We have done antique tractor pulls together for around the last 15 years,The tractor we pull is just a stock Farmall M but won many trophies over the yars beating a lot of well built tractors, no rules around here. I have been driving him to the pulls for about 5 years now since his eyesight started going bad. I have been the only one interested in doing his hobby with him and helping out, sometimes putting my own plans aside. Bot to mention helping him build a trailer, work on the equipment, truck, a whole lot of little things. Dad said many times over the years when he was done pulling the tractor would be mine.
Well now comes the problem, dad decided to sell his tractors and have everything cleaned up so mom wouldn't have the work of doing it. Guess his health is worse then he will say.
Since his tractor pulls so good he said he would scrap it before he would take $3,500.00 for it, won't say what he wants for sure but sounds like he has some interest in it.
I can't afford to buy it right now, only working part-time at the moment. Not sure what it would be worth, just seems a bit high to me.
Guess what bothers me is not being able to have my dad's tractor, him not caring, nothing I can do about it. I don't really want something for nothing, I would gladly pay what I could just so he could tell the other kids he never gave it to me
Anybody ever run into something like this or any ideas how to approch him about this topic? Guess it just hurts even at my age that I won't have that one thing I wanted of my dads and know I will probably never get the chance to have it, Kind of think I am just going to have to accept the situation and live with seeing somebody else pulling his tractor. Hate to say it but when he is gone someday at least I will still have the memories of our time spent sitting, chatting, pulling.
thanks all
 
does he know how you feel? talk to him,and ask if maybe he would take payments,let him know that you want it because it is your dads tractor and the memories you two have built make it important to you because of the family commection.someone else might just buy it and might not appreciate it and take care of it like you. hate to see someone buy it up ,blow it up,and scrap her out! best of luck to you
 
If you don't tell him you want his tractor and he sells it, you have only yourself to blame. If you tell him and he sells it anyway, well that's his business.
 
You don't say whether or not your Dad has a will or what the will states. His mental capacity at his age either. If he makes a will now, will your siblings challenge it claiming undue influence on a vulnerable adult?
If no will, what are the rules in your state. In some states, when a person passes, everything goes to the surviving spouse. In others the surviving spouse gets half, the other half is divided equally among the children, with some variation.
In many cases without a will the heirs have the property assessed, then pick what they want, keeping track of the value of each item. Another way is public estate auction & everything goes to highest bidder. Is sentimental value enough to cause you to be highest bidder?
Sounds like it is time for a family meeting around the kitchen table. It gets too complicated to settle here.
Willie
 
These conversations are hard to start because they lead everyone to think of the day to come, Many people don't plan well for that time and that can make it worse. It sounds like he is starting to settle his affairs and the only way he will know how you feel is if you tell him. I think and hope if you tell him what you just told us that it will all work out. My Mom is the same age and I have talked with her and helped plan some things and try to get her to do more but I'm sure she doesn't want to think about death anymore then she has to. Good luck
 
That is tough, many been down that path. Don't have an answer, but you are not alone in your feelings or situation.

Paul
 
Buy it now and get a bill of sale and have a notary witness your dad signing the bill of sale.A fellow posted on here that he had several tractors .When his mother died his bothers and sisters claimed the tractors belonged to his mother.They wanted them sold and share the money.Ive heard many bad stories about greedy siblings.My father was just 18 years old when his mother died in the flu epidemic.He had 2 sisters and 2 brothers.1 older sister wanted money and forced the sale of the small farm.My father wanted to stay on the farm and make payments to his brothers and sisters.Since his mother had died without a will my Dad was homeless at 18.The farm sold for about 1000 dollars.My father and Uncle managed to buy back about 2 acres each. in 1934.They built small houses.They were offered 11 acres remaining for 200.00 but didnt dare to go into debt.I collected old deeds and paperwork that told the sad story.My Dad never talked about it.A good friend told me this.He was in a family of 7 children.His mother bought a silver dollar on each childs birthday every year.The money was intended to go to each child when the mother passed on.The youngest sister took the silver and said it was a personal gift from her mother.
 
Explain to him that you want the tractor because its his if he still wants an outrageous amount of $$ and sells it to someone else then considering what all you have done for him he's just a jerk and age doesn't excuse it and yes alot of jerks are dads.I have a couple relatives that always use the "we're kin" line when they want something but don't look at it that way if I wanted something they have.
 

You don't say anything about your relationship with your siblings except that they are not interested in tractor pulling, but if there is a half decent relationship, talk to them. You will ultimately all share in the estate, so ask them each for a loan, repayable upon settlement of the estate, to enable you to purchase the tractor. If the price seems high, well you have to decide if your desire is worth it. You may find that your siblings share your feelings to a small degree which may result in favorable terms.
 
I went through this when my dad got to that age, and have heard about other that have been down that road too. He had unrealistic

It is his stuff, and will be angry if you do not carry out his wishes. It is easier to deal with this in an estate if possible.
 
$3500 for a stock M is way out of line. If he's wants more than that, he's not going to sell it anytime soon.

He's not ready to let it go yet. He says he is, but his price says otherwise.
 
Well your Dad's "M" is not worth $3500. It takes a one with real good tires and good sheet metal to break $1500 these days. Many don't break a Grand. So he is not going to get his price anytime soon.

Like the others have stated go talk to him first. Tell him you really want to buy his "M" but just don't have the extra money right now. See if he will put a more reasonable price on it. Then GET the money gathered up. The amount should not be that hard to come up with these days. Even if you have to take out a short term loan to get it.

As far as how your siblings will look at it. Well I have found that the siblings are usually driven by the "out laws"/spouses. They do not have nay skin in the game and make unreasonable demands. So if you get it bought have a clear bill of sale witnessed by some non family members. Even then be ready for trouble. People fight like dogs over every little nickle.

I have got two Aunts that I have not talked to for over 30 years because of the way they acted when my Grand Father died. They came in like Hyenas wanting the clear blue sky and lotto money. They did not get a dime. Grand Dad had told them when he gave them money for their houses that was their inheritance. It took a three year court fight to get the point across.
 
You need to set up a Irreversible trust NOW. Make a list of everything your Dad owns, and come to an agreement who gets what. Talk to him NOW what could happen if he does not set one up. Tell him NOW that selling family items WILL tear the family apart over small items. There were three of us kids, and it worked great. If land was handed down in the family one of you should BUY it even just on paper so you don't have capital gain.
 
Sounds like old Dad doesn't have the same fond memories as you do, he's only seeing the dollar value. Unless you are able to come up with his price however unreasonable, you will not win. Immediate family are the worst vultures. Dad gave me a few things before he passed that HE wanted me to have, anything else I had to buy out of the estate or was forced into the auction by my sisters. Didn't matter to them how Dad and I worked together for years, built our new houses together and I was there for Mom and dad until the end. The rest of the 3 families treated me the same because I was the proverbial "red headed step child". Dad did give me one thing of the greatest value though, he advised me to back away from family and keep building my own life which I did. I only have the drama of my own life and that of my 2 kids, the rest of the families are doing ok as far as I know or could care. I do attend a funeral on occasion.
 
If you have been going to all those pulls with your father and have not told him that you want his tractor when he is done with it then you have no one to blame but yourself,
If you have told him your desire to have the M and he has ignored you I suggest he is not as eager for you to have it as you are and now is the time to find yourself another project. A $1500 Farmall M is not enough to cause a family ruckus.
 
Having practiced in the legal arena of estates and probate and having heard a ton of these type concerns, AS LONG AS MOM OR DAD ARE ALIVE its their choice who to give what or to sell or give away or keep till it rots, but you already know that, so unfortuntely, sorry Im not much help. A good friendly heartfelt face to face talk with Dad may or may not help, but thats about your only option. If he dies and it ends up in an estate sale perhaps theres your chance??

John T
 
My dad had a small dairy farm,i was the only sibbling that showed interest in the cows and as such helped him a lot.
When he got older and his health declined i ended up most of the work on the farm for the next couple years just to help him out with no pay. By that time I also had a family of my own and a full time job elswere.
When dad decided to quit altogether i told him i wanted to buy the cows and equipment(farm itself was rented) and continue the farm.
The other kids wanted no part of it and i got the cows for market value payable to him (or to the estate if he happened to pass on before that date) over seven years at 0% interest.
He gave me the few old pieces of equipment as a gift for the help he got from me over the years.
Everybody was happy. :)
 
My FIL just turned 88 and has an old motorcycle that he gave to a daughter's ex-bf. I reminded the ex-bf he NEEDS to get it off the property (where it's stored) while FIL is still alive. Ex-bf doesn't think anyone will challenge for it should the ole' guy pass before. Since there are many grandkids I don't put anything past any family member when push comes to shove about free money. He also has a welder that I get AFTER electricity is run in my garage. Just need to get 125 ft. wire for box to box connection and then go get it. Only reason I'm not going to have any trouble once my Mom passes is I'm only remaining child alive and already executor of the will. If you haven't already done it, tell him you want it, if you already told him, remind him you still want it. Best of luck to you.
 
Here is a way to get the tractor. I do tractor restoration work as a hobby. What I am noted for is to put a serail number on a part location with the tractor. This means it is usally a S.S Number like the last four numbers. then I put on the tractor files where it is located this is for the owner to know if the tractor gets stolen. This will make it easy to claim. I have three tractor for my dad and right now there alll listed to be mine when my dad past on. ASk him to have it and when he says yes put it on papper and have him sign it.
 
This might sound kind of cold, but - if it means nothing to him to see you keep it, well, perhaps it should mean nothing to you to let it go.

Personally, I'd have a hard time feeling sentimental about something my father didn't give a rats ()#$ about keeping in the family.

That tractor would be about as meaningful to me as any one I found on craigslist, and I'd take my kids on a nice little vacation with the money I saved.

Having said that - have you even discussed it with him? I'm assuming you have, but the way your post reads, it sounds like you haven't even expressed any interest in it to him.
 
I have told my dad I would like the tractor since we did have so many good times together with it. His answer is just it costs too much to pull anymore you don't need that expense. Told him not the pulling so much as having the tractor. He says you really have no use for it you have your own tractor, told him I could still use it to plow my driveway and I could make a few close pulls every year till work picked up. He is just not the sentimental type at all. Get a feeling he thinks that way of thinking is stupid. My parents are fairly well off, not rich but comfortable, sold the farm about 15 years ago. I think it all comes down to the way he was raised, had a hard early life, his father died before I was born, and dad has never said nothing much about him but nothing good. Dad has done the best he could for his family but nobody gave him nothing, we are going to work for what we want and being sentimental has no place in life. Seems to be tougher in that way of thinking the older he gets. I know he loves his kids, still sharp in his thinking but no sentimental feelings about things. Don't remember or let on he remembers telling me the tractor would be mine someday. Maybe doesn't want any of the other kids mad, who knows. Just the tough old farmer type and guess I have to accept the way he is, or could be whatever is wrong with him medically has him in a bad mood most of the time, he won't say much for sure. He has a will but won't tell anybody whats in it, and mom won't say, they private like that. Will have to have a chat about it again, hopefully on a day he is in a good mood. Thanks for the advice and I will take all I can. Well time to head to work, have an afternoon shift today, hope the economy soon picks up.
 
Talk with your dad.

If he won't work with you, don't be bitter about it, just move on with your life. If it's meant to be, you won't be able to stop it. If it's NOT meant to be, nothing you say or do will make a difference.
 
Nobody ever said life was going to be fair.

I always assumed that when my father-in-law quit farming I'd be in line to take over the operation. Out of the clear blue one day, with no discussion, he simply announced he'd leased the operation to a particular neighbor.

It's your father's tractor, he can do whatever he wants with it, whether you think it's fair or not.
 
$3500 for a "stock Farmall M" is darn high. It doesn't matter how well it pulls, you can tell stories all day to a prospective buyer, and at the end of the stories it's still a Farmall M. I would think somewhere between $1200-$2000 depending on shape, with $2000 obviously being in excellent shape with near new tires. Seems odd to me he would scrap it, if he scraps it he'll get somewhere around $400-$500 maybe, depending on local steel price?
 
I agree with buzzman72 below. Why post this on here? You should be handing a copy of your post to your Dad! What do you have to lose? Men aren't known to be the best communicators and you and your Dad are living proof of that. Break the silence and get it done. I'm sure you and he must be able to haggle things out together as you had to have disagreements when working on the tractor and pulling together. You will regret it if you don't. Good luck. RB
 
My FIL for years, every year redid his will. Then he told each of the kids what they were going to get to include the S/DILs. WEll he quit doing that about 3 years ago. All of a sudden all he was concerned about was that the MIL was going to be OK financially when he passed. Could be that's what's coloring your dad's thinking.

Rick
 
Reading your posts of the talks you've had with him...
I'd give it up.
Take your camera over and take a hundred pictures
of it from every possible angle and close-ups.
When your finances are better, buy a same year, same model
tractor for MUCH less. Then, as a hobby, make a clone of his tractor.

If he puts it up for sale, have a local small dealer offer him a FAIR price for it. Then, buy it from the dealer, with some extra for the dealers trouble. In some cases, this is better than money dealing with friends or family.
 
(quoted from post at 14:42:37 09/27/13) If he puts it up for sale, have a local small dealer offer him a FAIR price for it. Then, buy it from the dealer, with some extra for the dealers trouble. In some cases, this is better than money dealing with friends or family.

My MIL was trying to put together a larger block of land to build a house on from many small lots (lot = 20' x 100') from many owners, some were second generation that inherited them from Mom and Dad who really had gotten taken when they bought them (takes 5 lots minimum to build, some were even land-locked with no road access, the road never having been built). Many wouldn't deal with my MIL since she lived near there and things were booming in that area. But she had her attorney contact them on behalf of a "client" with a slightly better offer. His secretary "bought" many a lot and sold them the same day as closing to my MIL. As she got more and more of them surrounded and she owned all the road frontage they were more willing to deal with her directly. Due to adverse possession laws she could use the lots, pay the taxes on them and own them in about 7 years anyway. More than one way to skin a cat. There was one wise guy who him and his 4 siblings inherited two lots, he didn't want to sell, the other did. So MIL bought 4/5ths of the two lots from the siblings and proceeded to build her house and grade the land. The knucklehead finally realized he was a 1/5 landowner with my MIL and eventually sold his interest to her. She's too nice, I would have told him to stuff it.

In this case I agree this might be a good way to get the tractor, give Pops enough fair offers from friends who will turn it over to you when/if they get it. Otherwise make a friend of the scrap man and offer him more if Pops contacts him.

I was lucky in that I wanted a somewhat rare Cub Cadet 86 my MIL had parked in the barn. Ask her if I could have it and she said to come get it. Now have to get it running.
 

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