plow day ??s

Been wanting to start an annual antique tractor plow day. My questions are 1. Does anybody that has ever started one of these have any tips? 2. Anyone that annually host one of these have any tips to making one of these successful year after year. My problems to face are there is really no local antique tractor clubs. I am in a rural area so the tractor guys just kinda do their own things on their own farm. Had a couple local antique tractor buddy's that more less lost interest in tractors after 2 or 3 years playing with them and they seem content to leave them in the shed now days. I'm not real sure how far people are willing to travel to participate in such happenings. I do alot of antique tractoring on my own (on the farm). Be fun to have a get together, just not sure if it would fly. I have access to my own ground and more. Would always have a place to plow.

I have thought about it as well. I am one of the guys that no longer enjoys showing at shows. It just turned into too much of a hassle. I don't even go to many show anymore either. I guess I am just getting old and grouchy. LOL.

I would check with your insurance agent. Mine gave me many reasons not to have a plow day. Like $1500 worth of reasons for just the one day.

IF you own the land the liability can be HIGH if someone is hurt.

Not sure how old you are, but I saw your pic and you don't look all that old.

We'd really want to have insurance to cover the event if we were hosting a plow day.

I only say that because at a plow day that we attended, we saw an older gentleman "almost" fall off the back of his tractor when reaching back to adjust something on his plow. IF he had fallen and gotten plowed-over, it would have been very bad. Perhaps even others injured from trying to stop a run-away tractor and plow.

Even if the folks who are attending would not ever consider suing anyone... you can bet that their insurance company would sue. Or perhaps their heirs if things really ended badly. We live is a very litigious society these days.

64 last Saturday.

Its the mileage the wife says! LOL She keep saying she need to trade up.

Ya, I know what you meen on the shows. A freshly restored one is show ready. Use it much at all for 2 or 3 years and it kinda becomes not cherry for shows anymore. The fun for me is being on them and doing something. Not much fun to leave em in the shed and dust, wash, and wax for hours for a show where they just sit for people to see. Got a couple rusty ones I like just the way they are. If I was to do the plow day thing, it would be for participaters only, no spectators. Not sure if the considerably lower number of attending people would help ya out on the insurance thing or not. And if just participaters, would signing wavers or release forms help out on the insurance? Havn't checked into that myself.

I don t know where you are but the Geneseo IL show is coming up in Sept. They plow the daylights out of things, you just have to join the club(15.00or 20.00) and sit through the 15 min safety meeting.

redforlife: There is nothing they sign that will hold up in court to totally protect you from liability. Any one that is hurt will have to have care of some sore. That care more than likely will be paid for by an Insurance company. That company can very well sue you for damages/liability. Even if the insured does not want to. The company is considered "damaged: if they have a pay out.

If it is worse and some one is killed then you will be living in cardboard box by the time they are done with you.

I quit letting school classes tour the farm 15 years ago because of the liability my lawyer told me I was exposing myself too.

Even casual visitors can cost you big. It really suck that you about have to isolate your property from any outsiders but that is getting to be about the only safe way these days.

I can't afford to lose everything I have worked my adult life for. That is what can easily happen if someone is hurt on my property.

I just hosted a plow day last Saturday. Because it was considered a club event, our Antique Tractor Club insurance would cover any accidents. I urge you to start an antique tractor club in your area. Get insurance, and do tractor shows, parades, plow days, etc. You will meet the best people on an antique tractor!

Do you belong to any local clubs?

I know exactly how you feel. I'd love to attend a plow day but I'm in the same boat your in, there are no clubs around here that I know of that actually do any plowing or "work" their tractors for fun. My father-in-law and I plow for an hour or two in the fall on his land but it gets boring just the two of us and with his health being the way it is we're limited on when he wants to participate so being out there on my own is really boring.
There is a group of collectors that travel the area following the pulling circuit but I tried that for one event and I didn't feel good about putting any of my tractors through that.

Worst thing is when she gets only salvage value....

redforlife,

In central Wisconsin, 8 yrs ago several of us got together with 7 old tractors just plowing a small field for fun. Then it grew the next year to 18, then 33, then 45....and 60 in 2012 (rained out past Spring, but plan an early Oct event this year).

Early on we saw we needed to have a rule that all tractors are 1959 or older. 1960 was a water-shed year when tractors suddenly got very big. Too many with big tractors and bigger egos wanted to come and show off their high speed dirt throwing (not real plowing).

That rule has resulted in the area farmers enjoying bringing their oldest tractor (or their dad"s or grand-dad"s tractor). We have several guys bringing extra old trailer plows for those who don"t have one. The first round is follow-the-leader with the oldest tractor in the lead (an IH 10-20 on steel the last 3 yrs). All the old brands make for a colorful lineup.

About 300 people show up to watch...so many cars and trucks it looks like a huge farm auction. The site is never at a farmstead, is in an open field. Sometimes we ask a deputy to show up to help at the driveway off a hwy.

Local 4-H serves all the food and drinks; they made over $500 last time....the kids love it, the leaders say it forces them to count money the old way! They now use a custom trailer equipped for food service and donated by a group in that business.

Porta potty firm discounts 50% off price, local sign company donates a portable hwy sign and makes traffic control signs for gratis. Local newspaper writer runs a great news bit about us, local radio station and community TV get in the act and come out to film the event.

We even have a local guy (does commercial video work) come out and he spends 4-5 hrs filming. Local farmer brings his helicopter and there is a video camera on the strut. All that film is put together and edited down to a really good 35 minutes.

We sell a couple hundred videos for $10 each, all proceeds go to local farmer-group who teach the state-mandated Tractor Safety Course for young kids learning how to operate machines safely (manuals cost $600 last year, state does not pay a cent). We also buy them a "tip-over tractor" from time to time....it is at local farm shows, upside down, with a dummy pinned underneath. An attention grabber!

We are NOT a club, and do NOT want to become that. We just get together and do our share of planning....volunteering for traffic control, helping people who have never plowed before, etc.
We use 3-4 flat bed implement trailers for people-movers (hay bales to sit on) with old tractors and they run all day with people needing a lift...right in the field alongside tractors plowing.

Yes, we think about liability (have talked to insurance man and a lawyer). Advice is to be strict about behavior and drive safely, tractor owners should take care of their liability...no different than some big farm auctions. We allow NO PASSENGERS on tractors (NO EXCEPTIONS), not even the little kids. AND...we have farmers approach us with offers of a field to use if we need a new location after they see how we do things.

I start the day with a driver mtg and tell them "no hot rodding, no tail-gating, everybody slow down and enjoy the day". I guess I"m ugly enough, old enough, and talk loud enough so no one gets out of line (that ego thing can be controlled...just step on it at the start).

I"ve had a couple fathers protest about wanting little Johnny on their lap, I tell them "it"s a free country, start your own plow day". We don"t need those problems.

If you don"t feel you want to "bother" people who are friends, strangers, etc. with rules, you probably will regret ever having a plow day.

LASTLY; you can view our 2013 plow day (only 30 tractors due to conflicting events) on Utube; try "Reedsburg, Wi, 2013 Plow Day" or something like that.

LA in WI (ugly, old, mean, and strict)

PS Did I mention we have a real good time?
PPS Video guy just bought a drone...will use it at our next plow day!!!

I really like how you all started out. Thats exactly what I had in mind. Hats off to you guys for turning it into what it is. Little bigger than what I had in mind for the long run. Do you charge the spectators or participants? And if so, is the plow day itself dependant on those funds in any way for it to go on? Like leasing an area for parking, hired clean up afterwards, ect. Just curious what your expenses are if any.

redfor,
Past years we have been charging each plow tractor driver $5.00. However, we have been so successful with our video sales that we might not charge the drivers anymore.

Parking? We have this field we plow in....we have volunteers guide spectators to the parking at the roadside end of the field...no reason to charge them. The plowing is set back a good 300 ft.

Spectators get a free ride so they end up spending money on food...the 4-H is the benefactor. You charge spectators and many don"t come back...and the 4-H will suffer.

Cleanup? Not an issue. Farmers don"t litter.
City dudes are not here. 4-H has a couple barrels for trash.

Expenses are for porta potties & helicopter fuel (drone next time). About $190 total. Sell 19 videos and we break even. Or charge drivers a fee to take care of this.

Best advice I can give you: You or someone has to be in charge. You can"t wimp your way thru this. Get a bunch of guys together in the winter to discuss all the details. Then assign duties for each of them...don"t sit around wishing it will go smoothly all by itself because it will not.

People love to help as long as they are asked and are appreciated. Our video has an ending that credits a lot of the volunteers by name.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
LA in WI

Redforlife,...where abouts are you from? If you were within an hour or two of me I'd be willing to help you get something going, that's if GREEN tractors would be allowed

I'm not prejudice towards other people's likes. I personally don't care for a hand clutch as an operator. Nothing against green, or fans of green. I drive alot of newer Deeres for the people I work for. No compaints there from me. If I got something like this going, all colors would be accepted. I like the pre-1960 rule. I can see where you would have to draw the line on that someplace. I likewise don't want to be a puller. I just don't want to alter my tractors to compete in those. I like to keep things as original as possible, and can run all day in the field, and not just used for a limited few times down the track. Sounds like we would get along good. I am in NE Kansas. Let me know if thats within an hour or two of you. Maybe we could plow together, even if its just the 2 of us.

I agree the pre 1960 rule is a good idea, I grew up on an M a MD a case 1030 and a few newer caseIH magnums. My uncles and grandpa on my moms side hated John Deere tractors and to this day still do but I always thought the neighbors 4430 and 4440 sounded so sweet in the field. My grandpa on my dad's side had a John Deere A that his uncle bought new and that's where my passion for two cylinder Deeres started and they rest they say "is history"

Sadly I'm a little over two hours drive from you, I'm in extreme eastern North Dakota in the middle of the red river valley. And not to rub it in but is some really nice mellow ground for plowing!!