My new 62 year old Farmall H

Long story short...kind of... My grandpa bought a Farmall H brand new in 1950. He used it off and on till the 80's and then it just set in the barn. He asked my dad if we could give it a new paint job, tune up, fix up kind of love. Dad said that wouldn't be a problem and did. Here are a few pictures of it while he was getting her ready for paint and me on it after. This was 1992





Grandpa told us to keep it and use it on the farm as long as we needed it. I did as much raking hay and hauling as I could with it so I could drive it. I started driving it in 92 which made me 7/8 years old. I drove that tractor until dad sold the farm when I was 18. Dad took it back to grandpa because we refused to let it set outside. A few years after grandpa got it back he sold it to my grandma's cousin. I missed the old tractor and wished I could have it back but I didn't know where it went at that time. Fast forward to this year about two months ago. My grandpa passed away. It was a sad day but it was best for him. He was 92 and was in bad shape, bad enough the last few months of his life were laying in a bed not knowing anything. I happened to hear this guy talk to grandma at the funeral about how he will never let the tractors go and he will always take care of them. Turns out this is the guy that bought my grandpas H. There are two objects that remind me of my grandpa, his old GMC hugger orange truck (he sold in 97 and they tore it up) and his Farmall H. He would tell me stories about how he would plow, disk, mow and all the other things he did with it. So I made it my life goal to buy my grandpas tractor. Little did I know that my wife was working with my dad to try and buy it back for me and surprise me at Christmas.
Well the guy that bought it wont sell it because "it is just as sentimental to him as it is to me". My wife felt bad for me and let me buy another H to help me cope. I really like my "new" H and prob. wont let it go but that doesn't mean I wont call the guy about my grandpas H every year till I get it. lol

Anyway here is a pic of my Farmall H I have now.

1952
Converted to 12V battery and alt. w/reducer to the coil
New rubber on the back
aftermarket 3 point hitch

Enjoy it, they are a handy tractor.

Maybe he will let it go someday soon. My son has his
grandfathers 4010 JD. Hope one of his sons wants it.
Or my 6060 AC.

Nice. Enjoy your new tractor.

Although it is not your grandpas actual tractor, I am pretty confident that you will still think of your Grandpa (as well as your Dad) every time you use it. It will be enough alike to trigger memories that are buried deep inside your head. You will be surprised at the things that were previously long forgotten that a smell or a unique sound will trigger in your brain and you will suddenly remember it again. The journey is just beginning for you there.

FWIW: I am middle-aged now, but always turned my nose up a a lowly h as a kid. Bought one of my own a couple 3-4 years ago and truly do appreciate them now. They are the Rodney Dangerfield of tractors. Very capable of outworking their meager hp rating. Miser's on fuel too for the technology being used here. 3 pt hitch will be quite useful.

Nice job. It's pricelesss to end up with a family
tractor. I got my mom's IH C. I put lipstick on it,
restored it. Love it. Use it to mow yard too. The
boss says it the best ZTR mower ever. She should
have a clue. She grew up on a family sod farm.

I hope he rethinks his decision not to sell it to you. Your a
grandson, he is a cousin in law. I think your more connected to
your grandpa. I had a farmall h with a factory wide front I really
liked, didn't really plan to sell, but when the grandson of the
original owner approached me, I said absolutely I would sell it
to him. He asked if he could make payments and again I said
sure. Well when his mom found out about it, ( her dad's
tractor) she gave him the money and had him come get it right
away. Thankfully I have my grandpas tractors, but if I didn't ,
I'd sure appreciate it if someone would sell them to me of I
found them.

There is a lot to be said about driving a
Farmall H. I had the chance to buy one of the
Father In Laws 2 H's. I have a belly mower
under it now and use it to mow their 3.5 hill
in front of their house. So it's never really
left their farm even though he has been gone
for 13 years. I restored it and it looks nice
and runs good. I could bring it up to our house
just 1.5 miles away to mow the water way that
only takes 45 minutes but it's just easier to
leave it at their house and let our waterway
grow.

Well don't give up. Friends moved here, looked for a nice farm, saw a beautiful place, the wife just got out of the car walked up and knocked on the door, and asked. Very nice little old lady told her No honey, the place is not for sale. The wife left her name and number, just in case they ever changed their minds.
But a couple years later, the little old lady and husband decided to move to town, called, and sold the place.
You might write a nice letter, put this in writing so nobody forgets, and offer to buy the H whenever it might ever come up. Might work.

Maybe I am a sucker, but I will not bid against family at an estate auction. I know that is not the case here but that fella should have taken into consideration the facts and let you have the tractor. I would have. Would have made you pay dear for it, but you would have got it.

Thanks guys. I still really want my Grandpa's but this H is one of the best I have seen that hasn't been restored. So far I have a lot of pride in it.