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Does the old iron still do the job?

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old fashioned f

11-05-2001 19:53:33

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I couldn't help notice all the mean things said about using old iron to do the dirty work on some farms. This made me curious. How many people here use their old iron to keep the farm pluggin along? I know I do. My grandpa did as well. In fact, I use a good portion of his equipment to keep his farm going. He still likes to help but at ninety he isn't able to do as much as he'd like. I'm proud of my 1944 Farmall A and it's "takes two men and a boy a day and a half to mount" equipment. I love to hear the old "pop pop" of my grandad's 1946 JD A as it lugs down and pulls his two bottom plow through tough S. Ohio clay. I love to hear the clanging of the old side delivery rake, the clattering sound of a sicklebar mower as I move around and around the field in the hot August sun. I don't know about you guys, but when I'm out there on that old equipment I see what farming is really about. It's not about money (heck they don't pay us enough for it to be about that), it's not about who's got the most land or best buildings. It's about farming. Putting the seed in the ground, nursing it till it's grown, treating it like a son or a daughter, and then reaping the blessings that God's given to you. This is what my grandpa believes and it's what I believe too. The fact of the matter is, farming is a way of life that's fading. I'm more interested in keeping what's left of it alive rather than bickering about stuff that doesn't really make a bit of difference. If anybody agrees with me I'd be happy to see them put a response here on this board. Thank you and God bless.

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Terry O

11-09-2001 06:34:04

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

I have a 40 year old MF35, don't really farm with it, just bought it to maintain 40 acres, driveways, brush hogging, etc., and love it dearly. My cousin has a Farmall A that he farms with, bales with a PTO driven square baler, you'd have to see it to believe that little A can handle that baler. This past summer he put up over 12,000 (yes 12,000) bales with that tractor. Don't count the old iron out, plenty of them out their earning their keep everyday.

Take care you all:

Terry O

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68 Mag

11-06-2001 19:51:00

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Well, my reply isnt as emotional or 'wordy' as the others, but the way I see it, this equipment has lasted for 50 years, mostly doing things it was never meant to do. Oil was changed once a year, and it got gas whenever it ran out in the field. Something broke, grind off the paint, slap a weld on, have food on the table that night. Now, if these wonderful machines lasted 50 years like that, I'm certain with a little care, they'll easily last another 50. I've never known what it was like, to hear the 'pop-pop' of an old Deere, and know it had to 'pop-pop' if your family would eat that night. I've never heard the clanging of a sickle bar, and known that it had to clang if the livestock was to be fed. I've never eaten the dust when working with a baler or old combine. I've never plowed a 30 acre field with a 2 bottom plow. A part of me longs to be able to say that I had, because the times seemed so much simpler then. But another piece of me looks at the new Kubotas and says 'That one looks pretty', or 'That's a rare one.' when looking at a rare antique. But then it hits me. When the farmers of yesteryear bought these rare tractors, they didnt know or care that in 50 years they'd be rare, they just wanted to make sure the family had food to eat. Out of all the tractor's I've seen at shows, my favorite was a 1949 Farmall M. The parade was about to start, and down the road comes an elderly gentleman, on a rusted M with horrible ugly weld all over it, no paint, coated in mud, cracking tires, and a 2 bottom plow on the back. The most beautiful thing I heard that day was when he proudly said 'Yep, I bought her new, and she fed my family.'

But what do I know, I tend to ramble a lot.

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old fashioned farmer

11-06-2001 20:01:48

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Re: Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to 68 Mag, 11-06-2001 19:51:00

Wordiness isn't always the best way to say something. What you said really struck a chord with me sir. Thank you. And that gentleman was right. It sure did feed the family. God bless

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68 Mag

11-06-2001 20:18:56

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Re: Re: Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-06-2001 20:01:48

Well, thank you, sir. However, you needn't call me 'sir', for I am nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ who lives in me. Now, simply out of curiosity, might I ask how old you are? You remind me of my grandfather, (no offense) who passed abut 10 years ago.

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Christopher

11-06-2001 17:07:54

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Yep, I farm 80 acres with my '47 M, I use old JD equipment except the baler which is an IH 37, the M is a little small for the work I put it through but it does it, I couldn't afford to farm with a $20,000 dollar tractor when a $1,200 M will do, so it just takes me a little longer to do the job, so what, I enjoy it enough to make it worthwhile. You ought to see the neighbors faces though, they all farm thousands and thousands of acres with several 3-400+ hp. 4x4 articulating tractors, they laugh when they see me! Chris

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Jeanine

07-25-2005 13:12:14

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Re: Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to Christopher, 11-06-2001 17:07:54

we just started haying with the m attached to a 37 ih baler...so we have somthing in common!
That's the reason I am writing. we have been having problems with the 37, the knotter on the right is only knotting intermitantly, someone has to sit on the baler to make sure the bales are tied. we have tried adjusting and nothing seems to work, at least not for very long....any suggestions? Also in tall windrows, it doesn't want to pick up well. any suggestions for that problem?
This is our first year using this equipment...we need help!
Hardly any farmers in our neck of the woods, so having a hard time getting info...thanks

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Tyler(WA)

11-06-2001 09:04:34

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

My value on this earth is that I can be productive. When I stop adding to the good in this world, I'll be ready to ship out. Tractor's are the same in my book. Unless they are adding by existing as preserved history, they either work the fields or fall apart.

I have an early '38 AC-B that's my favorite tractor and a mid 60's MF-2135 that works like a mule. I recently had asphalt paving done and when the owner of the asphalt co. saw my Massey with the front loader, he called his equipment manager out to look at it..... "THAT's what I've been looking for. We could use a tractor like that."

It was music to my ears. The old girl is still catching the eye but not as an antique, she has real value because she can pull her weight in a competitive market.

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Steven

11-06-2001 06:55:21

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

I farm with my Dad, our newest tractor is an 84 model. From there it goes to 79, 73, 68, etc. I am currently working on some older equipment to use farming with him. I plan on having equipment from around the 60's. Around here those years of equipment are cheap: too young to collect, too old to use - perfect chance for me to start farming. As stated below I am also in town, getting my education so that I can work all day and go home after work and farm till the money is all gone. I am forced into this situation, I don't like college, nor do I like living in town, nor am I going to like the job that I will have when it is all over. The one thing I will like is the fact that when I retire I can go back to "the way things used to be" and farm until I die. If I die on a tractor I will die a happy man. Here is something I found in a craftshop about farming:

Just A Farmer

"Just a farmer," you said
And I laughed 'cause I knew
All the things that farmers
Must be able to do.

They must study the land
Then watch the sky
And figure just when
Is the right time and why~

To sow and to plant
To buy and to sell
To go to the market
WIth cattle and, well~

You know the books
That farmers must keep
To pay all those taxes
And be able to sleep.

And you know the fixin'
That farmers must do
When machines like mad monsters
Blow a gasket or two.

I guess when God needed
Folks to care for His earth
He chose "just farmers"
'Cause He knew their true worth.

~Helen G. Coon~

When someone asks what I want to be when I grow up I say, "Everything." They say how? I say I'm going to be a farmer because then I am mechanic, teacher, finance manager, etc. etc.

God Bless the Farmer for he feeds us all.

Steven M Gussey

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Hunter

11-06-2001 06:21:53

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Even though I only hobby farm I do enjoy the old tractors and equipment. My new tractor is 2 yrs. older than me and I'm 35. Alot of my stuff has been given to me and its no telling just how old some of it may be. If I were to farm for a living, yea I probably would have much newer and up to date tractor and equipment, but old junk, so to speak, is my enjoyment.btw my farm truck is a 53 Ford f500.

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Farmer Bob

11-06-2001 06:17:08

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Occasionally you see or read something that really touches a soft spot as this subject does. Most of us have been forced by circumstances to seek other ways to support our families and ourselves. But that old saying, "You can take the boy out of the country, but....." is most certainly true. Having grown up on a farm I also long for a return, which will now become reality if I don't croak first from being subjected to a way of life I didn't really want or like.
For my retirement, which will come within the next year, I purchased a farm about 15 years ago and have been fortunate enough to be able to purchase good later model equipment that I will need. These are not toys but an expensive effort to connect with the past but, new or old the intent is the same and you gotta love it. God Bless.

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Steve W.....unfortunately, it's a business

11-06-2001 05:58:09

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Up where I live in upstate NY, if you travel down the road, you pass 30 or 40 former farms for every working one. And on almost all of those working farms, you see big, modern, four wheel drive, new equipment. You see a bunch of what we call around here "Gentleman farmers", whhich is short for guys who work a day job so they can go home and lose it on farming, but there aren't any succcesful farmers doing tillage with antiques.

That is not to say that there aren't a lot of old Farmalls doing work, they just aren't doing the serious work.

It's unfortunate, but farming is no different than Walmart displacing the little hhardware stores. Bigger, more efficient, and able to make things cheaper always wins in a capatalist society.

And so it is a struggle for all of us to decide where we fit in. Just as the horse guys eventually lost to the tractor guys, big farms are the future. In the meantime, I'll keep my day job so I can throw my money away on my tractor.

Take Care
Steve

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11-06-2001 05:58:00

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Loved your comment I totally agree I have a 49 ferguson I would not trade it for any new tractor I have been in law enforcement for over twenty years my tractor and growing different things are my escape. I grew up on a farm and always wanted to be a farmer but if your not a corpration I dont see how a person can make it

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rem

11-06-2001 05:49:42

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

Hi,
All my machinery is old. The youngest tractor, Ford 3000, is 31 years old, and a few Cockshutts that are all over 40. My youngest implement, a bush-hog is over 20 years and Ontario Grain Drill and JD Sub-soiler are each in their 60's. The AC combine is over 50 and the list goes on. Yes, they all work and I like the simplicity. Most repairs, but not all, are bearable and you get a chance to reflect on "What has Bigness Wrought" as I work on all this stuff and listen to it all hum in the field. So, a very long answer to your question; Yes, it just takes longer and you get a longer exposure to the smell of it all.
God Bless,

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Joe

11-05-2001 21:01:56

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

I can't agree enough. I'm just a young man, but I've spent a great deal of my short time on equipment and working the land. I now have to live in the city and spend much of the time away from the family place in order to make my living. But everyday I just think about making and saving enough to be able to go back and do what I love. Nothing else. There's simply nothing like the smell of fresh dirt and diesel (or gas), the dust in your hair, the sun in your face and and the ringing of your ears when you get through at the end of the day. Where I grew up everyone farmed fifty years ago. Now, it's the few and faithful that dare to enter this ever money losing venture. It's crazy, it may be stupid, and I've been warned time and time again not to, but I hope to be one of those hapless fools who dares to love the life and meet almost certain failure plying the land. It will not fade if I have any say in the matter. We see the "color wars" in this forum and, while I have my own preferences, we're all fighting for the same cause. Simply to stay alive..... . It's wonderful to see someone like you, "old fashioned farmer," bring us all back down to Earth with a little genuine reflection. We all tend to lose sight of the real meaning of things-Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, friends and family..... We're always trying to have the prettiest package or such and we lose what it's all about. I always think about my Grandfather or the countless others before him who I admire and respect to no end when I'm out in the field and I repeatedly think one thing. "Would they be proud of me? Have any qualms about the life I've chosen or blame me for being who I am?" I've never doubted it. As far as old iron goes, there's no shame in keeping it alive. This old equipment has a respect and character of it's own that it has earned and none of the newer machines can match. I love all equipment, old and new, but can anyone find the nostalgia and respect for a Zetor that they can for a Farmall or a Moline or a D45? No, they can't.... Those machines fed us and served us well for many generations and they still do today. Thay have individual characters and personalities of their own that can only be brought about by generations of reliable service to the families that placed there faith and livelihood in them. Very rarely did they let them down. It's almost as if these machines were loyal pets who knew their masters well and whose worst fear was meeting their disapproval. As I sit here and write this, I can't help but become a little emotional. I think of the MM's, the Allis-Chalmers, the Davies, and the Graham-Hoemes that have served my family well for over five decades. I think about the rust that covers some of them, the ugly welds on others, the flat tires on some, and the general state of disrepair that has befallen others unfortunately. I know though that the next time I need one of them that with the minimum of attention and only the basic preparation that they will be ready to do whatever I ask of them. Loyalty like that is hard to earn-With anyhting! Sorry, I don't mean to ramble. This post has simply stirred some thoughts and brought some emotion in me that otherwise would not happen. I hope everyone who reads "Old fashioned farmer"s message will take a minute, sit back, and think about his words.

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Fudd@Work

11-05-2001 20:50:28

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

I custom bale a small amount of hay every year, 300 to 600 bales, and use equipment and tractors from the mid to late 50's. I love to mow with my 50 and like you, love the sounds of the old stuff and the smell of the hay. I do't get rich but have lots of quailty outdoor fun.

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Alberta Mike

11-05-2001 20:27:28

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Re: Does the old iron still do the job? in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-05-2001 19:53:33

I'm not a farmer and never was but I do love the old tractors and all the stuff that goes with them, including this website. A few years ago I drove out to see an old Massey 30 that a fellow had advertised for sale. I didn't buy it but he was a hay farmer, did only the little square bales which are not as common around here anymore and a lot of the horse guys apparently like them. Anyways, this fellow with the tractors had a ton of old stuff, tractors, balers, all sorts of things. That was his operation and he told me that he does OK. He had so much of the old stuff that when something broke down he just used some other stuff that he had, meanwhile fixing equipment when he had time. He claimed it was the only way he could make a go of it. I sure envied that man, he seemed to be a pretty happy character from what I saw.

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