Our tractor hobby

In as much as I love antique unstyled tractors, what direction is the hobby heading, up or down?

I would say heading down. The 'old guys' are dying off,and the young folks are not interested in old tractors any more.

I wouldnt say its heading down, but more sideways. Being one of the "young guys" your speaking of, I happen to know there is still interest in the hobby but the guys I know in my generation arent interested in the Pre-1960's tractors as much as the Heritage Era tractors from the 60's to about the 80's. Dont get me wrong I love my old Fleetline Olivers, but im more of a fan of 00 through 55 series tractors, and mostly the diesels at that. Nothing like horsepower, smoke, and chrome. I know the same goes for a lot of younger guys into the 66 series and newer IH's, and the 20 series and newer Deeres. I think a big reason behind this is also the fact that there are a lot of guys like myself who are trying to get into farming and they need euipment they can cover ground with in a reasonable ammount of time, but still like playing with the old stuff. In other words, dont write us off quite yet.

Down, but I remember when a Model T would bring 75.00 and you could drive it home. My dad sold the 1955 Chevy in 1966 when he bought a new Dodge. $100.00, and the motor had maybe 30,000 miles on it(283)
You can spend $50,000.00 on a car and it is still worth $20,000.00, tractors are the same.

After I turned 50 (5 yrs ago) I just wanted to level off and not have any extra projects. The last few tractors I restored took too long from what they use to. I still love them but when I see one all rusted I just see work to them to get it looking pretty. I use to look at the rusty ones and see what I could make them look like.

Down! Less farms, older people dying off, or unable to work on them. & the soaring cost to keep & maintain them. People love computers, & facebook now. Not many young people turning wrenches, & pushing sandpaper. I don't understand it, & never will. I left my cell phone at home while visiting relatives 40 miles away for Christmas dinner today. One of the youngens asked where my cell phone was. I said I didn't marry it, & I don't want too. Thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest.

I am 20 years old and my true passion is two-cylinders and will always be. Don't get me wrong, I love a good 4020 any day of the week but my heart lies with an Unstyled B and thats due to the fact that they are what I grew up with and the same goes for my dad and his dad. I know much of the "young guys" don't show much interest in old iron of any brand but in the end I guess it just boils down to how you were raised. I'm happy to say my dad raised me with a health dose of green and every chance I get, I try rubbing that off on my friends in college. I know the hobby maybe on a decline but it's not worth giving up on.

Here's what I see from a 40 year old:

When I was in high school I loved old cars. I had tons of them and drove them as my daily cars. Before I started farming I had enough money to restore a few of the special ones. I still have four of my old cars. Now that two of them are restored (actually restored back to new condition) I find I don't drive them often due to time and I don't want some wacko hitting me.

I grew up on the farm and always liked the old tractors. When I started farming full time I slowly aquired some old tractors to mix in with tillage and field tractors. I know better than to restore them - I would never use them. As it is there are things that I have for each old tractor to do so they get used regularly. Of course, I farm with what some folks collect - 8430, 4440, 4020, etc. those are what I am able to work on easily and they are good workhorses. The 7800 has cost more than all of the others combined in repairs (lately) because I can't do it sometimes and have to take it to Deere to find out what sensor is tripping which light or warning. No one will ever "collect" that tractor although I love the job it does.

The folks that grew up using old stuff will likely still see its place on the farm and use it as their parents/grandparents did. I have nostalgia for them, but it is the way they sound when they work and the jobs they do. I didn't ever see a Farmall M new so that picture isn't in my mind. The picture I have in my mind is using ours to grind feed - that's exactly how I use mine (among other things). It had dings and scrapes and that's how I use mine. Money on this farm isn't free enough at this point in my life to have toy tractors to enjoy. When it is the parts may be sky high. Who knows. In the mean time I will keep on using them.

I'm 37 and love working on and collecting old tractors and trucks. I am doing my best to pass that love on to by two young boys. My 4 year old would much rather be in the shop working on tractors than sitting in front of TV any day. He rides in my newer pick up all the time but today we jumped in the 71 Chevy to take the trash to dumpster and he said "dad, this is a great truck!" It's up to us to train the next generation to love it and appreciate the old iron like we do.

I believe things have definately moderated. The recession or whatever happened in about '08 didn't help, neither did subsequent high fuel prices. I see a lot of ads in the slick magazines for estate auctions that are full of already restored tractors. I always wonder how they do.

i used to have quite a few restored tractors, still have 12 of them. my father an i used to do it together. after he past it wasnt fun anymore. it was always just myself, my kids or grandkids are not interested on working on them, they want to drive them but not work on them. equipment to hall them around, duelly pickup, duelly trailer. the DOT was really starting to look close at them. always chained correctly. vehicles very well maintained. but one little overlooked item could cost you alot.
it just wasnt fun anymore.
now them just sit

I'm 35 and love everything from ihc titans rumley oil pull case steamers waterloo boy , john deere dain .model d john deere and any of the 2 cylinder and everything right up to the new stuff . Like the old case and ih ,ford before CNH fcnh and what ever other letter they got in the next now. Alis Chalmers anything up to agco cluster conglomeration .

Up or down---- nope sideways. Do it if you like it, stop doing it if you don't or it hurts. Hobbies are best when trends are ignored. They never make money but they do keep us off of the street (and at times in the dog house). Trends are for those who think more of what others think than they think of themselves. Jim

Whenever someone who has old tractors says that the hobby/disease is going down that is your signal to contact them and buy an old tractor from them.

The hobby/disease is what you want to make of it...it really has nothing to do with what other people think. If you got the disease you will know what to do....I pray that no doctor ever finds a cure for this "old iron disease".
LA in WI

Being 60 and having several older tractor friends I have seen the hobby change in many ways but one thing stays constant the interest in tractors is strong.

Some get involve in clubs, some hunt tractors as if they were prey, some buy them up like the can not get enough, some can paint them like art, some can fix them, some can diagnose problems, while other teach repair techniques. The hobby changes as does life.

But the bottom line is we still love tractors and do what we can to keep that alive.

I retired from industry Jan 1, 2005. Built a nice shop and had plans to restore old Fords and do some expanded farming.

That lasted for a few years and afteer 7 tractors sitting around I decided that was enough. I have since downsized my farming, sold one and traded off 3 other tractors on a new one with AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!!

Still stay pretty busy but I am running out of things to build and fix and will have to pursue a new interest. However, I don't have to get up in the morning, get dressed, and go to work. That WILL remain the same. Grin.

Mark

Typically people are interested in what they grew up with, or what grandpa had when they was 5......

Will 1980s machines pick up some interest in the next 20 years, and the older machines will still take up garage space, but not be quite as active?

After all we get to a point if you have 5 fully restored tractors in the shed, pull them out a couple times a year for a parade or plowing day, how much more goes into them? They are 'finished' don't need more work. I remember dad using the F20 on the corn picker boy I'd pay good money for a shiny one to remember..... But would my kids or their kids generation care about a shiny expensive F20, they have no connection to one.....

Farm ecconomy likely will go down hill here for a few years, town folk don't have the memories of grandpas tractors so much any more, as old restored iron gets sold where does the demand come from?

Not at all saying the deal is dead; lot of teenage and 20 and 30 year olds love tinkering with old iron still. But they don't want a high dollar fully restored tractor either, they want a work in progress. And maybe a few less kids, and a few less available hulks every year?

Would seem the hobby might be in a soft spell coming up?

Paul

I don't do it because in hopes of it going up. I do it because I like it.

That said, I think the value on most of this stuff peaked a few years ago. I am 53, and every show, event I have ever been at I am about as young as it gets. There are some younger, but not many. If you stop to think about it, in 1940 there were 30 million farms. In 1950 it was down to 25 million. 1960 15 million, 1970 less than 10 million, 1980 6 million... There are fewer and fewer kids growing up on a farm. Fewer and fewer kids visiting grandpa's farm. Down the road that translates into fewer and fewer adults potentially interested in the hobby.

If you love it and can afford it, do it. On the other hand if you are buying tractors today and considering it an investment, I am not sure that is a good idea.

I don't know where the hobby is headed. I've wondered about where the value of old tractors is headed myself. I don't expect mine to increase in value. Yea, I like those grandpa used to have and those farmers used when I grew up. I don't foresee myself going to antique iron shows or parades--just not into walking around looking at stuff covered in don't touch signs. I want to use and have fun with what I have. Don't really enjoy fixing them--I do that to use them. I love really pretty ones but it's expensive to fix them that good. I try to buy ones in good mechanical condition as I don't like to fix them. I hope in the future they do go down in price so I can buy more already fixed up nice and play with them. But it also depends on how much land and what work I have to do as to what tractors I'll be able to play with. Nothing worse than having a nice tractor and implement and nowhere to use it.

One thing hit me hard was watching a show on locomotives where a museum was switching out a steam engine they had one display for a diesel noting younger visitors didn't want to see steam engines but diesels. Well, I like them both but removing a steam locomotive is almost sacrilegious.

I think the hobby will always be around.
But, it probably will change some, as old cars, very old cars, and steam stuff did.
It will take hobbyists with more money to 'play'
The scrap metal boom will hurt our hobby the most. Cheap used parts, and 'projects' are disappearing into the melt pot.
So, again, it will take more money for what's left.

Actually as people who like to wrench age, tractors are very appealing. I used to be mostly into go fast cars, but age will get your back talking to you leaning over a fender all day.
And having the undercarriage laying on your chest loses it's appeal.( a lot of tractor work can be done sitting in a chair )
Drag strips are too expensive on a fixed income, and jumping thru all the paperwork hoops to just run a hobby car around the block, gets tiresome.

So, there will always be a few ancient tractors here, even when the day comes when I have to build a ramp to get up on them.

I think it is trending down, the farming population is declining, so people do not have the attachment to them.

the hobby will be in the eyes of the beholder,, have couple of old cars, then got into tractors, still have all, been in clubs with both, was said their will always a club/hobby, even if i'm the only one in it..

We are kind even right know with a few young guys taking interest and a few older guys slowing down . It's hard to find the old girls sitting around anymore , but it's still exciting to me driving through the back woods and spotting a flash of paint -- then the thrill of the chase begins . I think that I will start selling mine off one at a time in the spring since I bought an old 1948 KB5 and a 920 Cat loader to have fun with -- would like to have a hot rod for Sundry drives.

Larry - Ontario

i think its about level, the ones around here who were playing with them, still are, 1 or 2 kids under 15 seem interested, i dont know too many of those anymore our kids are are older, i think it has to do with how and where they were raised, farm kids, or country rooted kids, [ kinfolks farm] are more likely to be interested in something mechanical and old and greasy,having a good family style time, kidsbrought up in the city or raising themselves basicly with a "electronic devise" attached to their hand and a couch installed on their butt are less likely to do much along those lines, their good time generally involves drugs booze or stealing something

The day I quit getting such a kick out of hearing something that old run better than new will be the day they put me in the ground. I don't care what the trend is currently doing, some years are better than others. I have seen the price of parts rise rapidly the past few years. We have lost some excellent parts people, both aftermarket & factory.
The trend I see that will continue is several running tractors get parted out every year, eventually, there won't be near as many available to either buy or part out. How many (now quite rare)implements were scrapped during WWII for the scrap drives ??? I am sure most were rusted beyond repair, but I don't see many today. I see it continuing, even with economical ups & downs. Their prices will continue to rise.

animal,
I don't consider having old tractors a hobby. My 2 old tractors are working girls. I would only consider replacing my girls with younger ones, but most of the new ones are diesels and I can't stand the smell of diesel.

I do own a 10 year old tractor. It's gas. There isn't an older tractor that can do what the new one can. However I did meet two brothers in their 30's who like the old working tractors, because they are simple enough for them to repair. They have a small truck farm.

I doubt if my kids keep any of them when I'm gone.

So as the older generation dies off, so will the number of old tractors, especially the working tractors.

I think it's on it's way down.

There's not nearly as many offered for sale around here and what few there are, are priced stupidly high. As in $5200. for a non running Farmall Super C on CL.

I don't think the newer tractors will every be as popular as the 40's and 50's era. Not nearly as many made and not near the quality.

I buy ,sell ,and collect a few tractors but I like the ones that I was able to purchase new and started farming with.Fortunately they are very collectable and their value is about 2X new.1206/1456/and 2520/4320 have excellent demand and that's the ones I like and still use for augers,plow days,box scrapers a few tractor pulls and shows.The market is off 10% from last year but nice originals or excellent restored ones still are in demand.The plastic and computer ones will probably never last long enough to be collectors.Tractors made before 1992 and after 1965. are easy to sell.I actually don't see many tractor enthusiasts under 40.