After reading the reference to Roger Welch in a previous story, I remembered a quote from him--something about how you don't choose a tractor, it chooses you! In my case, he was right. My first tractor was an Allis WD. A guy I worked with talked me into buying it to do some dirt moving and wood hauling. An old friend of mine had a Ford 8N that he mostly used to haul wood. I really liked that tractor! It started easily, steered like a dream, and was really quiet. I went ahead and bought the Allis, which had been gone over and painted, and a Stanhoist loader added. To be fair, it was a good tractor. It started fairly easily, had plenty of power, and did all that I asked of it. But, it wasn't an 8N--simple as that. After using the tractor for a few years, I sold it without a twinge of regret. Several years went by (actually, ten, to be exact). I had remarried, moved to town, then moved back into the country. We were in a small rural 'subdivision'--only three houses, long lane, bare lots all around. When we got there, the nearest neighbor maintained the lane, using what I later found out was a 2N Ford! He moved several years later, and I 'inherited' the 2N (which was really owned by the woman who had the majority of lots in the subdivision) as part of an agreement with her to maintain not only the lane, but to mow the ten acres of lots not sold. After an agreed upon amount of time, I was to get not only the tractor, but another two-acre lot! When I went to claim the tractor, it was in SAD shape. It was covered in vines, and hadn't been started in months. The renter occupying the neighbor's house was from the city (Chicago), and hadn't a clue as to how to operate it. He and his father had even tried to crank the lift arm levelling box in an attempt to start it! After much work with the jumper cables and ether, it finally fired off! Even though it hadn't run for a long time, it purred, and seemed glad to be running again. Well, that was ten years ago, and I've done a LOT to that tractor since to keep it running, but it's been faithful, and I'm really attached to it. Last October, I got an 8N to keep it company, but, even though it has some features that the 2N doesn't, I still haven't 'bonded' with it like I have the 2N. Regardless, I've found my tractor(s), or rather, they found ME! Ron Morrow, IL, entered 2003-03-05
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