The ad was in the local I-Sell for a Ford 3 pt. hitch cultivator, like new, $300. I called and the guy told me he was 92, and the cultivator was in perfect condition. He gave directions for the long drive to his home. The lot number was non-existent. That really gets to me: I navigate for over an hour and end up covered with mud but on the right road, only to find that there is no 4568, only 4566 and 4570. A stop for directions produces rolled eyes when the guy's name is mentioned and more accurate instructions: not a good sign. The bright red cultivator in the front yard with the wheels and jacks was not the one for sale. Back at the back of the junkyard, covered with rust and half-buried in the mud, lay the cultivator, or most of it. 9 of the 11 spring tooth thingies were there, but no coulter or the boards to protect seedlings. The guy kept telling me how it was just like new. I asked him to lift it up with his loader so that I could see the spades. Up it came. Then the loader ran out of gas. By then I'd had enough. I left the guy still insisting that that his piece of scrap iron was in mint condition. If anybody wants a 90% complete Dearborn cultivator, lemme know and I'll give you his number. A wild goose chase like this makes the good want-ad finds all the sweeter.
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