Biggest factor(s) affecting tractor collecting today?

NY 986

Well-known Member
Following a topic down on the N board. Is the hobby really dead as some suggest? I don't think so and offered an opinion. I think the range has narrowed as the number of people connected to agriculture has greatly declined over the past few decades. But the largest problem I see is that the income needed to support it is not there among a great number of younger people. Further, if somebody has the income they may not have a place to store or work on a tractor. Many fancy subdivisions have rule about what can be kept on a lot and there are rules as far as making noise and what can set in a driveway and for how long. Many who have moved off the farm after college watched the family sell off the farm so they have no place to take a tractor to or to work on. A personal if somewhat minor peeve is the elitism pushed by some collectors and it goes wwwwaaayyy past the 2 cylinder guys. When I worked at Central Tractor back in the 1990's some of the worst customers were the gray and red Ford owners. Which makes all the more surprising I bought an 860 around 20 years ago. I can still hear the sneer in my mind about one really nasty Ford owner and his Workmaster 6XX series.
 
Yes to all of your points. Space to work, storage, cost, parts, they all add up. A nice shinny car and most folks dont even blink. A big red, green, orange tractor and plow or haybine.. oh boy. Several of the shows around me are the same thing over and over. I set up smaller displays at two shows a year and try to have various items every year. Way too too many hobbies. I also like to talk to people and explain things. You are correct that the farmer today is maybe 2% of the population and people going to a "fair " want to pet some animals with their kids, eat some junk food, ride some rides, get a baloon animal and go home. They could care less about farm machines. Now 60 years ago when maybe 40% of the population had something to do with farms. Today many people at shows that display just sit in their lawn chaires and B,s with themselves and ignore people walking by. Even worse, they set 5heir stuff up and just go home. Might be there 5he day before opening to set up, and then are streaming out the gate at noon on the last day.
 
The same things over and over again do hurt shows. I am a big believer in fixing up implements but seem to be in a small minority in feeling that way. I don't get so upset about absentee owners as many have jobs they have to go to and it is not always possible to get a week off come show time. The elitism I get upset about is being a fellow exhibitor and being snubbed by the established exhibitors. People could rework their priorities about many things including vehicles but many are not like those here on this board in terms of being self reliant with older vehicles that may need maintenance from time to time. I still think that for many money is a killer even though they have a desire. Many "good" jobs only pay for the basics anymore. As I said in another recent thread the number of new car dealers is down from where it was a generation and being replaced with 5,000 dollar or less lots. Go into a grocery store and look how big the meat department is versus a generation ago. Most of the store is cheaper canned products by space allotment.
 
One thing with shows I see in Ontario is the older established exhibitors are more than welcoming to a 12 year old kid with a tractor his dad/grandpa fixed up than they are to mid 20?s to 40?s new comer who has fixed their tractor up, but it isn?t 100% correct. It is more cliquish and that kills the desire for newcomers to keep going to shows.
 
.....B.S. with themselves and ignore people walking by...

Jeffcat, truer words were never spoken. I grew up in a collector/picker family and spent many years at auctions, gun shows and antique shows. Tractor shows, car shows, museums are all the same- you must engage with the people who have come to see your pride and joy. Greet every person who even hesitates in front of your display. Ask people where they are from, what their interests are, do they have a farm background? Listen to their stories about times gone by. We keep hearing that today's kids are not interested in our stuff- I beg to differ! Some of the young people are the easiest to engage in conversation. Show them something interesting- a feature on a tractor, a tool, an old toy, a photograph. I'm amazed at the knowledgeable kids at car and tractor meets. Interested kids have access to far more information than we did, and believe me, some of them are walking encyclopedias.
We are all ambassadors for our hobby. You've just got to take it on faith that people will remember a good show or display, and will come back year after year- and bring their kids with them. unc
 
Why does it have to be some sort of a group thing? I watched the toy collecting hobby go south because it became more of a business. Unlike I let my toy collecting get,I'm just collecting the real thing by buying what I like and doing it for myself. If there are shows nearby,and I have the time to take a few,I'll do it for the sake of those who might like to see them,but it's strictly for my own enjoyment,not to impress anybody else or in the hopes of making money off of it.
There'll be collecting as long as there are collectors,but the number of people doing it doesn't matter squat to anybody except those who are trying to make money off it by pandering to collectors.
 
I stopped taking tractors to the shows when the local club moved it's location 25 miles away and turned it into a historical rural exhibit with old buildings and stuff. I do believe that there is still interest in old tractors and when I allow someone into my barn with the old tractors I find that they are full of questions about the old antique machines. I have had many ask me if any of mine were for sale.
 
The fact tractors are collected is sort of an up side down deal anyway.My dad and myself when I was young on the farm looked at a tractor as just another tool on the farm to get things done we
needed done.Then I got into British cars in high school in the 60's did them for about 15 years,then I found a few old tractors that weren't common got them running and sort of got into the tractor thing shows started up etc etc.My dad never did see anything to the collecting of old iron,in his opinion use it until it wears out and buy another one.So now its sort of come full circle most of the young folks that didn't grow up with these old tractors don't see much to trying to keep them around.And why would they really? Antique computers don't hold any interest for me.I had a pretty good group of older 30's and 40's tractors I sold off as I got tired of just seeing them sit there with no useful purpose and have bought tractors from the
60's and 70's I can use on my farm enjoy them a whole lot more.So that's the way its evolved for me.
 
Years back I got into collecting hit and miss engines. The set up day I took a few nicely restored ones to "the big show" in Indiana and they told me I had to unload across the street at the club grounds and bring them into the fairgrounds myself. There was no one to help me. Then to top it off, the spot they told me where I could set up was the far end of the show grounds. I will still support the small clubs as they usually are more laid back and welcoming people. I have been known to drive over 100 miles to a show because it featured a brand or make of engine or tractor I was interested in.
 
(quoted from post at 17:43:09 02/14/18) .....B.S. with themselves and ignore people walking by...

Jeffcat, truer words were never spoken. I grew up in a collector/picker family and spent many years at auctions, gun shows and antique shows. Tractor shows, car shows, museums are all the same- you must engage with the people who have come to see your pride and joy. Greet every person who even hesitates in front of your display. Ask people where they are from, what their interests are, do they have a farm background? Listen to their stories about times gone by.
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Unc, you are right. I take a 10ftX10ft sun shelter and 4-5 chairs so people can sit and talk with me in the shade. I take 2 tractors, 2-3 plows and line them up differently than all those lined up in a row all the same. I also have a cooler full of iced water bottles. When it is hot and I see a tired looking person go by I always invite them to sit a spell, have a free cold drink and visit. They love to talk about the family tractor "that got away" or the one they have at home. I show red iron but I pretend I am really interested in hearing about their green, orange, blue iron and the visitors really get to talking! I meet interesting people, I learn a few things; for a retired man it is a fun 3 days.
LA in WI
 
All the hobbies (and volunteer organizations as well) have some level of the same problem - the majority of individual participants have a casual involvement just for fun and camaraderie, or maybe to help a specific cause; but a few are extremely passionate. Those few naturally become the club leaders, show directors, and spoke persons for the overall hobby. And a smaller group within the passionate ones starts to think the only thing worth their attention is perfection. They invest all their time and money to that end and think everyone else should too. So when the new person comes along and is faced with a passionate person obsessed with perfection, they simply look for something else to do with their time. I enjoy talking about my less than perfect stuff; the story of how I got it is usually much more interesting than the object itself.

If I could come up with a cure for that I could sell it to every tractor club and volunteer organization in the country because they all struggle with it.
 
Not just young with lack of money but older as well. SS does not go far enough to do that.
 
An immediate concern is the downturn in the farm economy. At least some of the collector demand comes from farmers, who in the past decade had much more available capital than now. If you had a farm and a schedule F, that new toy could depreciate as well for the tax man.

Right now, few farmers need the extra expense.
 
Well said Doug. I would like to buy some of that majic-dust as soon as you have some available.
 
Cool!

As there are less farmers, there are less folk with a connection to Ag, or remember grandpas 8N..... so less interest.

Modern tractors don't lend themselves to collecting, now or in the future. So it likely won't get better.

Autos are in the same boat, really. Milenuals are less interested in getting a drivers licence or a car, just less interest in power and
transportation, and so they will dwindle some too. As we go foreward the new cars just are not collector friendly either, 25 years from now there
just won't be the interest.

Paul
 

I'll add a comment from the young generation.

I'm a 20 year old college student, history of farming in the family, and we have about 10/15 acres (a good bit wooded) around the house. Got into restoring after I got bored one spring break and started tinkering w/ my grandfathers busted JD 1010. Learned a ton and definitely want to keep up the hobby, but it's just too darn expensive to keep up regularly. I fixed the 1010 over my Christmas breaks and occasional weekends over a 2 year period, but I was only able to because I found a good parts tractor (nothing wrong w/ it, just needed a radiator) for 600 bucks on Craigslist. If I hadn't found that then we'd have a half disassembled tractor in our yard. Plus I know very few college students/young folks who have the space for it. Just too expensive to pay for a yard in a college town.

I think many in my generation don't get into it for a number of reasons. One is the cost--as a college student, money is already tight, and most people my age aren't going to spend it on working on tractors, let alone cars.

Second is that they're lazy. Me and my buddy have made a fortune off getting stuff people don't want because its "broken" and fixing it then reselling. Got a pressure washer, guy had paid 100 bucks for a carb rebuild, still didn't work so he gave it away for free. Put in a new 5 dollar spark plug and we had a new condition pressure washer.

Third is that my generation is more tech savvy and afraid of work. If I walk around campus with oil stains on my hands I get weird stares and questions. Folks my age think its gross or something for people who aren't smart enough to go to college to do. They want tech or engineering jobs, and this is coming from an ag heavy school. It probably stems from lack of information, but its sad.

I often ask my buddy what's going to happen once all the old folks who know these tractors pass on. Scrap yards? I sure hope not, and once I get the space and money I sure wanna save as many as I can.
 
I don't think not enough money plays into this that much. Old tractors just keep getting cheaper and cheaper. They are more affordable then ever. The hobby had its peak 10 or 15 years ago. It was a fad for people who where interested in it. We all went out and got some tractors and fixed a few of them up. Then we just sort of stopped doing that. Personally once I had a few tractors and did a couple restorations I had enough tractors. I didn't have interest in having a dozen tractors sitting behind the shed not being used. I am down to two tractors now and one will go to my son in the next few years. I can hardly use two tractors enough, more would be just taking up space. The interest in old tractors is just going down simple as that. Look at the daily posts on ytmag. 15 years ago it was a continuous conversation about fixing and restoring old tractors. Today not very many tractor discussions going on.
 
You guys need to have me interested in what your selling as it seems anything I want goes for about double what its really worth. My latest example was a Farmall 100 I bought last year at an auction. Front grill was messed up, radiator missing, steering worn out, missing drawbar, parts to the cultivator missing and not running and still paid $700 for it. It did have good tires. There was 4 guys bidding on it. I was the ultimate idiot who got it. After I got over the price I am thrilled to own it so the pain is temporary.
 
I think what Mnethercutt said is very true. I can speak for the younger generation too. If you go even to a community college you see very few if any are interested in old tractors. Even though old tractors are cheap, new parts are not and you can QUICKLY open up a can of worms with an old tractor. However, there are still a few young people bringing their tractors to shows.

One other thing to think about is 10-15 years ago the generation that farmed with these old tractors wanted to re-live the old days. But now that generation is either passed on or too old to restore tractors anymore.
 
Don't know about about anybody else but I like the so called collector tractors because I grew up with them on the farm in the 1970's.I love farming with those same tractors today.Don't get any better than using older iron to pull modern equipment...but that's just me.
Paul
 
There used to be literally thousands of used parts for a Farmall H on ebay. Now just a fraction of that amount. I reckon is is a product of the times since few folks collecting and restoring them nowadays.
 

I was 13 when I got into the hobby, at my peak I had 30 tractors from Cockshutt 40s to Power King garden tractors. I was on the board of my local club and an International club. Then I got married then had two little girls. Then came the divorce and legal fees and my exwifes credit cards I didn't know about. I have 13 tractors left. Single dad with two toddlers, and a full time job doesn't leave much time or money for tractors anymore. Miss them and wish I had time to do things with them. Maybe in the future.

I think the biggest problem is the old timers that had the large collections have died off or had auctions. Now the market is flooded with restored tractors. I much rather buy a nice original or one that is already done then dump the time and money into fixing one. Be one thing if I had the time and money to restore one. But just to enjoy, I rather buy a nice tractor with good rubber.
 
Our time & the trend has changed. Few young people are interested, young adults are into electronics.
The kids in the late 50,60 & 70's are now retired & sorry to say dyeing off. Those who labored under the
sun using these tractors of summers that have gone bye are just memories now. I attend a couple show's
per year, in the last few years I walk a lot less & park alt closer because the Lot is Empty. When it
comes to tractors the interest has fallen away. A John Deere guy at heart, but any nice original machine
or properly restored machine is a fine piece of equipment or work of art in my book. The attendance at the
last John Deere expo was a Joke & far cry of what it was 6 years ago. For those like myself it's like farming
there is all kinds of money in it, just how do we get are money out of it.
 
I throw some gas on the fire here: When I was younger a H Farmall could be had in running order for $750-1,000. In fact my dad bought the Super H that my brother has now. Completely rebuilt for $2,150 a guy had traded it in on a 630 JD. Then the collectors came and started buying. Then the internet came and spread the interest, which caused more buying which drove the price to just insane levels on these old tractors. The fact that interest is declining means that maybe prices will start to fall back to reasonable levels again. Maybe even fall enough to where people, especialy the younger generation could afford to collect them again.

Sod Buster
 
I don't consider myself a "collector" of tractors (I only have 3). What appeals to me is saving a piece of old iron from the scraper, once it's gone, it's gone. Also there is some comfort to an old mechanic in turning a wrench on a 60 or 70 year old tractor that you don't need to pull the engine out of to change the plugs. I love to see the straight forward, simple and ingenious designs. To me a 2 cyl John Deere is a work of art.
Don't think that there are many young folks that own a tool box anymore let alone those willing to pump a ton of money into something that won't be worth 1/3 of what they put into it and has little or no practical use.
 
I'm in my 40's and I don't know anyone my age collecting anything antique. Those with disposable income are buying new campers new trucks SUVs and taking lavish vacations. I'm not sure what's going to ever be collectable for my generation if much of anything?
 
Thinking about it is it that people aren't going to shows as much but apparently most of the old tractors are being held by someone so they are being 'collected' not just taken out
in the public eye.Then when an old tractor is brought back to life and then maybe given a paint job that's pretty much it, there is no more really to do to it if its not being used.
Also in my area back in the 70's and 80's there were many old tractors just sitting around on farms that could be bought cheap,almost all of those are gone.So in a way collecting in terms of
30-40 years ago no longer can exist,the tractors have to be purchased from someone that has gathered them up and in most cases want a good price for them.So that situation has definitely put a damper on getting an old tractor and fixing it up.And there were many parts tractors around that could be bought cheap an many,probably most of those have gone for scrap.
 
The bottom has fallen out of a lot of the brands--- N fords are 1/2 what they used to be. AC's have held their value, some JD's have held their value, the rest are pretty steady. Most of the real collectors are gone now. Most young guys and gals are buying stuff from the 1970's and up. Anything older than that has very little value to them.
 
I think you are dead wrong. These kids have money. See em all the time driving their 50K plus trucks, pulling 25K ice castles, 35K boats or 40K worth of 4 wheelers.. If they wanted to mess with a 60 -70 year old tractor that's worth maybe 1500 bucks they can. Get over it. Just cause you or I like something doesn't mean they have to or want too.

Few have a connection to the farm. So what's there to spark an interest? Most of em don't want to set around a dusty campground out in the middle of nowhere with polka, old time country and gospel as the only source of entertainment on a weekend they can spend at the lake with friends, a few young ladies and a couple of barley pops.

When and if thee young people take an interest in tractors it's going to be in tractors they grew up around. 20 30 and 40 series JDs. 86/88 IH 70 series Case. To these kids a Case VAC, Ford N, Farmall or AC letter series is something they saw one time at a tractor show that they wondered why someone had cut the cab off it.

Rick
 
They are buying what they grew up using. They really don't care that grandpa drove an unstyled John Deere A, they grew up running a 4040. Just like cars. The 1950s and older are slowly dropping off the map while the 1960s and 1970s are the collector cars of today.
 
(quoted from post at 15:54:15 02/14/18) The bottom has fallen out of a lot of the brands--- N fords are 1/2 what they used to be. AC's have held their value, some JD's have held their value, the rest are pretty steady. Most of the real collectors are gone now. Most young guys and gals are buying stuff from the 1970's and up. Anything older than that has very little value to them.

Don't know where you are at but here AC hasn't had any value in 10+ years. D17, Dual loader, nice rubber? 1700. WD/WD45? 500. Farmall Hs and Ms are getting down to that 1000 bucks mark too pretty fast.

Rick
 
Young people with money are far from common here. I see quite a few driving vehicles worth 10,000 dollars or less. If they are driving a 50K dollar truck it is because mom and dad paid for it or they are going the leasing route of 350 dollars per month for 36 months with maybe 1500 dollars down which is quite aways off from having 50K dollars invested.

Obviously, very few people with no connection to farming are going to buy a 70 year old tractor. At the same time there are quite a few people that had a father or grandfather in farming. Yes, they can do as they see fit and it should be obvious that I am NOT saying there "ought to be a law." I have actually talked to a few younger people who came from a farm background or live in a rural area by choice and I am passing along some comments made to me.

Yes, quite a few younger people would love to have a late 1960's or 1970's tractor but lack the money to spend 10, 15 thousand dollars or more on a tractor.

I don't doubt there are areas where what you have said holds true. But at the same time quite a few areas such as where I live are like "the land that time forgot" when it comes to the economy.
 
Tanker ...... I'd have to disagree that they have money. Sure, go to the bank and borrow $40 grand and buy a new truck, easy
to do. But the arse is out of their pants and they don't have much in the bank if anything let alone $500 to buy an old
tractor (nor are they interested in doing so). My point though is that you can't assume anyone has money by the vehicle they
drive, not nowadays anyways.
 
I don't know if I count as a collector or not ,but I will add my .2?. we are in our 40's with 2 boys left at home. We bought a Ford 640 a few years ago because it came with a bushhog and was affordable. It took 2 weeks to get bit BAD by the bug!! So we got another tractor, a Ford 960. Then a week later a 9n, which we sold soon after for a small profit. Same year we bought an Alice Chalmers CA with 6 pieces of original equipment. Sold it 6 months later for a nice profit. It hadn't moved for 12- 13 years and was headed to Scrapyard,so I feel like we saved one. About a year ago we drove 800 miles round-trip to KY to buy our son a Cub. He wanted it for his 14th birthday. Then we traded an old truck for a second cub , which we sold to a guy that wanted to restore it. Saved another one! Bought a 2nd 640 ,fixed a few issues and sold it. So we have 3 that we use and haul to shows,with implements,and dirt! Our 12 year old is begging for his own tractor. I didn't grow up around em and my dad didn't farm, his dad worked as a contractor on air Force bases. Never know who is going to get in to old tractors. The old guys at our 1st show were awesome and loved the fact that my wife was willing to get her hands dirty and work on old tractors. This site also had saved our butts a few times and helped us many times, many thanks to everyone who shares here! Kevin in Central AL
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Your story is true for a number of people. Part of the reason a fair number of people live in the country is to engage in some farm related activities. At least those who are not in a subdivision that was a corn field two years ago or bought 5 acres to build a 700,000 dollar mansion.
 
We have 3 acres ,big garden and do a little tractor work for hire. Hayrides at church are our favorites! My wife grew up in this house ,we bought it when her dad died. Our youngest son says it's his one day!
 

People moved off the farms in the sixties and seventies. Their kids, now in their thirties, have no farm connection. Tractor owners at shows shun the people that come to see the tractors on Sundays. That doesn't help.
 
Somebody else was commenting about AC but since you asked AC's at the height never brought big money here but go to an area in NY that had a power house AC dealer then you get guys hanging their tongues out about AC. There are exceptions such as a D17 Series 4 which a lot of people desire. H's and M's are already at the sub-1,000 dollar mark and have been for plain jane tractors. Even ones that have good paint. Running 8N's even side mount distributor equipped are 1,200-1,500 dollars for work clothes and so-so rubber. A side mount 8N would have to be pretty fancy to bring 2,000 dollars. Contrast that to 1990 when I would hear of a half dozen guys respond to a Saturday classified ad for a mediocre front mount dist 8N with swing set loader and guys offering more than the ad was asking just so they could take the wife and kids to the mall for the afternoon.
 
Most exhibits are packed up and gone by Sunday. At the same time keep in mind many owners are of working age and can't or do not want to take a full week off for a show. Also, shows are not the summation of what is going on with collecting. Many collect and do not participate in shows.
 
I would further comment that shows at least the ones around here have never come close to engaging the majority of a community but have been successful for size versus the gate fee.
 
Well here we get more than a few kids who make some pretty good money over in the oil patch, nice trucks and money to burn. They just are not interested in collecting tractors. Other young bucks are doing pretty good working construction. Money for nice stuff, just no interest in tractors? And let s be honest here. Not many young ladies out there looking to hang out at a tractor parade either. And what's number one for most young men? So they are at the lake, the sports bar, the ski area and wherever else the young ladies are hanging out at.

Heck, I'm 62. I hate parades of any kind, think a tractor drive sounds about exciting as having teeth pulled and that tractor shows are just boring. Oh, look a WD and a WD and a WD, an H, an H, an H......

So now convince me that I should restore one or more of my tractors and at least show it! Once you convince me just maybe you can convince the young guys.

Rick
 
Oldtanker, I agree with what you are saying. I think these kids have plenty of money. You can by common running old tractors for $1500 all day long. That isn't all that much money. The younger generation is spending their disposable income on stuff they like not the stuff I like. My hobby for my generation, plan and simple.
 
Different location, different attitude. No oil patch nor construction to give non-college educated kids big bucks. For here I would not blame it on the women in most cases. I would say most women if the guy is not spending money on them are happy that the guy is not drinking or drugging his paycheck away. Then there is the often associated DWI/DUI and cheating that go with the previous two. Quite a few guys I know the girlfriend/wife is often at the show. If she did not want to be at the tractor show she would have never hooked up with such a guy to start with.

I am not a parade guy, either. But the shows for me are about interaction with people and not looking at the same tractors year after year. And sometimes that is checking out the attractive female sister or cousin of somebody bringing a tractor (when I was single).

Again, I would point out that nobody can hope to recruit somebody who has no interest in agriculture, antigues, etc.. I make my observations based on people who I have talked to who would have some interest if certain problems could be overcome. My best friend is one such person and nobody in his recollection of his family farmed at least here in the US. Also, I would say if one collects one does not have to take a collection to a show.
 
Unless there are older family members already collecting tractors, I don't think the nostalgia-collect something bug kicks in much below the age of thirty five or forty. Guys in their twenties might be interested in old tractors, but they are busy: dating, parting, finishing their education, playing sports, trying new things, buying vehicles and a few affordable toys, getting established in their job/career, getting married, furnishing a home and starting a family. The thirties are mostly focused on raising a family, work, house, watching sports, and family vacations. It's only approaching the age of forty that most guys are well established enough to have the extra time and extra money to invest in some expensive hobbies that they can enjoy with their teenage children.

IMHO, unless a person grew up driving one, the pre-1960's tractors with no 3 point hitch, low pressure hydraulics, weak power steering, weak brakes, limited gear selection, old cracked may-pop tires and the comfort of a wooden board on a single leg milking stool, those tractors are just not useful or attractive to most people anymore. I still like them but there is no reason most people would.
 
One more factor is that many younger people are not as mechanically inclined and lack both farm and mechanical skills as less of them grew up working on farms and instead were more focused on playing sports and other things like music or video games etc. So there's a lot less people coming up to take the place of the older collectors who have been the backbone of this hobby.
 
I guess I'm a little different. I'm a antique tractor puller. I have my tractors name on it. Rocketry Boom! And my name also. I try to talk to everyone who stops by. More than you would think. Have met a lot of interesting people. Antique tractor pulling is in the same boat. The young people grew up on.a 1960 to 1980 model. Most clubs want to stay 1959 or older. NATPA is even worse 1958. The young guys are pulling pickups. NATPA needs to move up to 1971 at least. It's like the old saying. Lead follow or get the he?? Out of the way.
 
I went through two AC B's, C, WD45, and my fathers JD 2510, before I decided I couldn't afford to keep throwing money away. I am however, thinking of buying a friends Case VAC. (It needs very little) Also, I don't keep anything around I can't use, and the old AC's just got too uncomfortable for my joints!
 
While I agree the market for old tractors is not as hot as it was 15 years ago, I do not see the sort of decline of interest here in Minnesota that I am reading about elsewhere around the country. There are LOTS of threshing/tractor shows in this state and I go to many of them. They seem to draw large crowds year after year. The main problem I see is exhibitors pulling out on Sunday before the show is over. That really hurts Sunday attendance. Friday and Saturday attendance tends to be pretty good at most of the shows.
 
Great points, Jeffcat. I started an antique tractor display at our county fair in the early nineties. Each night of the fair the members of my committee would mingle about the display and meet and greet visitors. It would put a smile on my face when a young couple would walk through the tractors and you'd hear "look honey , this is the first thing I ever drove" as they approached an old H or something. And their child was welcome to sit on it if he wanted. Fast forward 20-25 years. Same old display of H's and Ms and As and Bs. New committee sitting and socializing among themselves, couldn't care less about the tractors or the visitors. Signs say don't sit on or touch. I amassed everything for the display (fence, building, signs, etc) but kind of got voted out cause I had no desire to mingle with the now committee. I'm surprised they don't just break out the cards to go with their chips and dip. Our rules in 1991 included 1958 and older tractors . Today it should be 1985 and older or even 1990, but no change. Our display used to be full of people, now tractors sit there with hardly no-one around them and most nights a few people sitting in the corner talking among themselves.
 
Fewer people interested due to fewer people with experience on the old iron, fewer people raised on farms, old age, less physical ability and no place to store the collection when retired and moved into town .
 
(quoted from post at 19:21:03 02/14/18) While I agree the market for old tractors is not as hot as it was 15 years ago, I do not see the sort of decline of interest here in Minnesota that I am reading about elsewhere around the country. There are LOTS of threshing/tractor shows in this state and I go to many of them. They seem to draw large crowds year after year. The main problem I see is exhibitors pulling out on Sunday before the show is over. That really hurts Sunday attendance. Friday and Saturday attendance tends to be pretty good at most of the shows.

Living here in MN I disagree.
Prices really tanked about 15 years ago and have yet to recover. I know at two larger MN shows attendance is down too according to people who run the shows.

Rick
 
You have it right Doug. A year ago I joined a car club. Six months in they made me VP. I'm one of the younger club members at 64 and trying to keep the club and it's main show going. The Mendon Mi. Dust off. on the first Sunday in May every year for the last 55. When I joined I had no idea that only a few in the club really wanted to do anything. I guess age does have a lot to do with it. We do have several older members that still get it. The original President is now our Treasure at 94. Getting anyone much younger than myself seems to be a big issue. It seems the kid all want to play games and stay inside. I want you come up with the cure................
 
Well step it back a generation or two.How many people that grew up on farms in the 50's and 60's would be interested in owning work horses and horse related implements?Apparently very few as most people have no interest in keeping farm techniques from the 1900-1940 alive today.Quite the opposite as modern farmers are some of the worst critics of the Amish and Mennoites that
farm that way today.
 
(quoted from post at 05:15:33 02/15/18) You have it right Doug. A year ago I joined a car club. Six months in they made me VP. I'm one of the younger club members at 64 and trying to keep the club and it's main show going. The Mendon Mi. Dust off. on the first Sunday in May every year for the last 55. When I joined I had no idea that only a few in the club really wanted to do anything. I guess age does have a lot to do with it. We do have several older members that still get it. The original President is now our Treasure at 94. Getting anyone much younger than myself seems to be a big issue. It seems the kid all want to play games and stay inside. I want you come up with the cure................

I joined a local tractor club a few years back, right about the time attendance started dropping. I was in my early 50's. I pretty much got told, we want your dues and you labor. Other than that shut up, we been running it this way for years and it's always worked out fine. Now membership is down, not enough volunteers ECT, ECT. I know a couple of the guys. Had coffee with em one morning not long ago. All they did was complain. They haven't changed anything. They have all the makings of a good show. Small steam train, pioneer village. Some really interesting stuff. But it's small and it's the same stuff year after year. I washed my hands of them. Some of the clubs are their own worst enemies.

Rick
 
There's a new club here that just started up two years ago. Didn't take long to pass 100 members. July was our second annual show. Had 127 tractors there. That was more than the two more established shows around here. We do a lot of small town festivals and parades. Events are going on almost every weekend all summer if you want to attend them,but for the most part the small town stuff is mostly locals who drive them in. The club is mostly made up of good old boys with just one or two tractors and want to get them out and show them off a few times a year.
I don't know what's gonna come of it,but so far so good.
 
There are people who are interested in the horse drawn equipment and they get their fix by watching the Amish in action. The Amish need to use phones and be transported to town in certain instances so they are willing to have outsiders look over their shoulders for field work. Again, I would say that I am not saying "there ought to be a law" plus it was somebody else that was asserting that the hobby was dead. I don't believe that the hobby is dead but has shrunk to a core element of participants with number of people sitting off to the side wishing they could join in but cannot for various reasons hence this thread. This always has been a limited appeal type hobby so there is no false expectation that it will catch fire with a large percentage of a population.
 
In all fairness,I wasn't buying them when I was young either. Shoot,I had to farm with the tractors that I bought,not paint'em and park'em. I don't know that there ever were a lot of "young collectors" were there?
 
(quoted from post at 18:02:21 02/14/18) Unless there are older family members already collecting tractors, I don't think the nostalgia-collect something bug kicks in much below the age of thirty five or forty. Guys in their twenties might be interested in old tractors, but they are busy: dating, parting, finishing their education, playing sports, trying new things, buying vehicles and a few affordable toys, getting established in their job/career, getting married, furnishing a home and starting a family. The thirties are mostly focused on raising a family, work, house, watching sports, and family vacations. It's only approaching the age of forty that most guys are well established enough to have the extra time and extra money to invest in some expensive hobbies that they can enjoy with their teenage children.

IMHO, unless a person grew up driving one, the pre-1960's tractors with no 3 point hitch, low pressure hydraulics, weak power steering, weak brakes, limited gear selection, old cracked may-pop tires and the comfort of a wooden board on a single leg milking stool, those tractors are just not useful or attractive to most people anymore. I still like them but there is no reason most people would.

This is about what I see too. I have a lot of varied interests. I'm an aviation buff, so I own an old plane. Vintage car buff, so I have a couple old cars. I' in my 60s, have 2 sharp and money stable kids. Neither of them show any interest right now in collecting anything. That bug doesn't hit until late 40s maybe.

The other thing that seems to be a factor - and this is going to sound a bit nuts, but vintage tractors are just about ownership, and not about [u:a25f98a71e]doing anything[/u:a25f98a71e]with them. At Oshkosh and other events, we fly our planes in, and out, and we use them for transportation, as well as show and shine. At car shows, we mostly drive in, drive out, and at the cars and coffee meets most of them are regular use(many are not as well)

However, For the tractor folk, no one actually puts a blade in the ground, and does anything with the tractor. So - it's more about the ownership, restoration, and viewing, not so much the utility. I have only been to a couple of tractor events, and I've never ever seen an old tractor being used as a tractor. I have seen tractor pulls, which is a completely different side with most tractors having no relationship to farm utility anymore. Lets face it - going fast in vintage cars, and planes is fun. Mowing a field, or furrowing, or haying, or seeding isn't really that much fun.
 
Lack of a good situation to work on anything could be a factor. If a kid is from a rural farm with some space to work then he may get a tractor. { Like Bryce }
 
I'm going to just jump in here with my perspective as a younger guy (32).

I own and am fixing up as Massey 230 as I use it. I need it to keep 5 acres of pasture mowed and ~300' of laneway free of snow.

I'm looking for a second tractor as the Massey is going to need a fairly substantial overhaul (well, replace the electrical harness, lighting and instruments, replace the rad hoses and and fuel tank mounts) in the spring and given my limited availability, it probably means it will be a several week or more process during which the tractor will be 'down'.

While I have the room, I have no interest in acquiring a private museum of tractors that have little utility to me. For me and a lot of guys, tractors from pre-1950 (or even pre-1960) seem to have little practical use other than as show pieces due to either low power or lack of attachments.

To go even a step further, out here, 3PH is predominant and you can't find implements for Fasthitch, Eagle Claw etc... A tractor without 3PH is also viewed as 'worthless'. (Yes, I know Eagle Claw can be made to work with 3PH implements, but most guys don't want the bother).

Finally, the market out here for older tractors is a bit pathetic - your examples are either rusty piles that have been in a fenceline for decades (and still $1000-$2500), or $8-15k barn queens that they are trying to get every dollar of their restoration costs back out of *and* get paid for their time.

The best value is in the 60's-70's-80's tractors that you can pick for $4k-8k right now.
 
I still consider myself in the young crowd. (30) I love farming and anything to do with it. I've wanted to farm since I was little. My dad was not a farmer. His dad is where I go the tractor bug from. He gave me my first tractor. An early 35 open fan shaft A that he drove working for a local man as a teenager before joining the air force. That tractor will never leave as long as I'm alive. I work a full time job in the ag. business and have a lawn care business on the side. 4 years ago I was able to buy a house and 15 acres of land. I have been able to rent a few more acres and have gotten into cows a little bit. I have 4 other 2 cylinders now and a new gen. tractor. At one time I thought I wanted a big collection with one of every model in it. As I got older and maybe a little more wise I have gotten away form that thought. I still would like to have several more models of old tractors. At the same time as I try to get more into farming I have learned that money needs to be spent on a tractor(s) that are going to help me make money. Thus not buying anymore old tractors right now. I need something faster and more efficient and most of all more reliable. Very few my age or anywhere close care much for old tractors and trying to collect some. I can tell though from watching other people around me my age. Some are very wise with money and some are not no matter what they like to do or collect. There are a lot of things that have already been mentioned on here that affect collecting. One or some of all of these things may play a part in the decline of collecting depending on where you are at in the country. This is my 2 cents worth. I still get on this page every day at least once. Always get way more out of it than what I contribute. This probably doesn't help answer your question much as I have been working on typing this for 45 minutes in between trying to book and order seed.
 
(quoted from post at 08:25:41 02/15/18)
(quoted from post at 18:02:21 02/14/18) Unless there are older family members already collecting tractors, I don't think the nostalgia-collect something bug kicks in much below the age of thirty five or forty. Guys in their twenties might be interested in old tractors, but they are busy: dating, parting, finishing their education, playing sports, trying new things, buying vehicles and a few affordable toys, getting established in their job/career, getting married, furnishing a home and starting a family. The thirties are mostly focused on raising a family, work, house, watching sports, and family vacations. It's only approaching the age of forty that most guys are well established enough to have the extra time and extra money to invest in some expensive hobbies that they can enjoy with their teenage children.

IMHO, unless a person grew up driving one, the pre-1960's tractors with no 3 point hitch, low pressure hydraulics, weak power steering, weak brakes, limited gear selection, old cracked may-pop tires and the comfort of a wooden board on a single leg milking stool, those tractors are just not useful or attractive to most people anymore. I still like them but there is no reason most people would.

This is about what I see too. I have a lot of varied interests. I'm an aviation buff, so I own an old plane. Vintage car buff, so I have a couple old cars. I' in my 60s, have 2 sharp and money stable kids. Neither of them show any interest right now in collecting anything. That bug doesn't hit until late 40s maybe.

The other thing that seems to be a factor - and this is going to sound a bit nuts, but vintage tractors are just about ownership, and not about [u:46ebdcff3a]doing anything[/u:46ebdcff3a]with them. At Oshkosh and other events, we fly our planes in, and out, and we use them for transportation, as well as show and shine. At car shows, we mostly drive in, drive out, and at the cars and coffee meets most of them are regular use(many are not as well)

However, For the tractor folk, no one actually puts a blade in the ground, and does anything with the tractor. So - it's more about the ownership, restoration, and viewing, not so much the utility. I have only been to a couple of tractor events, and I've never ever seen an old tractor being used as a tractor. I have seen tractor pulls, which is a completely different side with most tractors having no relationship to farm utility anymore. Lets face it - going fast in vintage cars, and planes is fun. Mowing a field, or furrowing, or haying, or seeding isn't really that much fun.

Docmirror, you need to get out more, or quit posting one or the other.
 
Docmirror, you need to get out more, or quit posting one or the other.

Since Nov 18th: N TX to Houston. To Athens TN. To Timberon NM. To central CO, Breckenridge. To Tulsa/Bartlesville. To Taos. To Los Angeles. To western TX. This wknd, back to Timberon NM. Then N CO.

If you want me to quit posting, suggest you talk to the mods of this forum. I think they can make me leave, without recourse. Or - mind your own business where/what I post. You choose.
 
I am assuming you (Old Tanker) are referring to the Dalton club. Some good stuff there, but they have been down some in numbers the last few seasons. I think they have a problem being so close in both location and time to the large Rollag show. They are considering moving their show time to the same weekend as the large LeSueur show--probably NOT a winning idea.
 
(quoted from post at 19:15:49 02/15/18) I am assuming you (Old Tanker) are referring to the Dalton club. Some good stuff there, but they have been down some in numbers the last few seasons. I think they have a problem being so close in both location and time to the large Rollag show. They are considering moving their show time to the same weekend as the large LeSueur show--probably NOT a winning idea.

They do have a problem don't they? And they make it pretty plain that younger new members need to contribute time and labor.....with your mouth shut....

Rick
 
.[/quote]

Why show? He speaks the truth! Heck I like my old tractors but I would never consider taking them to a show. Move them to set them in one spot for a weekend? Not taking them to a parade either. How boring! I COULD BE FISHING/BOATING/SCUBA DIVING or watching paint dry.

I generally try to stay out of these conversations. But look at it this way. There are millions of 50 year old and older American. I bet tractor collectors/enthusiasts make up maybe a whopping 1-2% at best? I it was at 1-2% our old tractors would be worth far more than they are today. Now try to entice a young person into tractor collecting.

Rick
 
(quoted from post at 04:31:11 02/16/18) .

Docmirror, you need to get out more, or quit posting one or the other.[/quote]

Rick, try reading Doc's post again. What I take issue with is his statement that:

"no one actually puts a blade in the ground, and does anything with the tractor. So - it's more about the ownership, restoration, and viewing, not so much the utility. I have only been to a couple of tractor events, and I've never ever seen an old tractor being used as a tractor."


Doc says that we take them to shows but that we DON"T USE THEM. I put some fifty hours a year on one of mine actually doing money making work with it. One of the clubs that I belong to puts on probably four plow days every year. Another one does two. In addition I know from many years participating here at YT that MANY of the regulars are really using their old tractors for productive work on a very regular basis.


Doc says that: "Mowing a field, or furrowing, or haying, or seeding isn't really that much fun." Here he is referring to what we do with them on a regular basis as opposed to while at the shows.


I know for a fact from what I have read here MANY times over the years, that many of us really do consider pretty much any work that we do with our old tractors to be fun. Sure I enjoy flying down a snowmobile trail at 70 MPH to be fun but that does not take away from the enjoyment that I get from my old tractors.

These sort of statements, at least to me, are disturbing. They attack to the core of something that is important to me, and I think that anyone making such statements should be more knowledgeable of his topic than going with what he observed at just attending just two shows
 
(quoted from post at 06:49:48 02/16/18)
(quoted from post at 04:31:11 02/16/18) .

Docmirror, you need to get out more, or quit posting one or the other.

Why show? He speaks the truth! Heck I like my old tractors but I would never consider taking them to a show. Move them to set them in one spot for a weekend? Not taking them to a parade either. How boring! I COULD BE FISHING/BOATING/SCUBA DIVING or watching paint dry.

I generally try to stay out of these conversations. But look at it this way. There are millions of 50 year old and older American. I bet tractor collectors/enthusiasts make up maybe a whopping 1-2% at best? I it was at 1-2% our old tractors would be worth far more than they are today. Now try to entice a young person into tractor collecting.

Rick[/quote]

I see where you are coming from I think. You can work at a desk or factory job day after day and never really get a sense as to what you have accomplished in a given time frame. I too find doing tillage work satisfying it's because you can look across a field and what you have gotten done. Then the farmer looking at that kinda loses his mind. He envisions helping the masses by producing cheap food for them. The forget one of those slugs who enjoyed that cheep food was the kid behind that parts counter who didn't care if parts order was right. Of the kid at the fast food place that spit in his burger. Or the welfare bum. In other words he's very pleased with the very people he'd like to see starve to death enjoying the fruits of his sense of accomplishment.

But he is right. Most collectors don't do anything with a tractor. And even if they attend a plow day it's a couple of hours once a year. Some guys put a whopping 2-3 hours a year on their tractor. Most of the gear heads I know most likely get at least 50 hours a year behind the wheel. SO I completely see his point.

Rick
 

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