What do you miss about the old vintage tractors

[Shadetree03]

They're all fun to look at and maybe we all yearn for the "Good ole' Days", but seems like operating an old gear puller gave a sense of "Right Tool for the Right Job". Like cultivating corn with a Farmall H or C and then wheeling around with a spinner knob and inside brake at the end of a row....

But then, we don't cultivate now do we

 

[bcp]

I miss their simplicity.

Bruce

 

[Stmar]

My 8Ns were like anvils, just kept chugging along with minimal maintenance; points, plugs, good gas and fresh fluids. If anything did go wrong you could work on them without a degree in quantum physics.
That being said, I love my new Kubota with it's 21st Century improvements and comforts. Arms no longer get their workout, power steering turns on a dime. Neck is no longer stiff from looking back, mirrors are great. And the best feature is the cab, no longer have to get geared up with insulated coveralls and parka to plow snow.

 

[hodge]

I had the same thought as bcp- simplicity.
You can afford to work on the old stuff. This modern equipment- it's going to be an expensive nightmare in 20 years.

 

[skeets]

I miss that they were paid for a long time ago

 

[bucktail]

The 1944 H I learned to drive on is still in service. I don't think today's tractors will still be running in 75 years.

 

[jryser]

Absolutely nothing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PHPaul]

I grew up on a small farm in the 50's and 60's. We had two tractors, a '49 John Deere B and our "big horse" was a '54 (I think...) McCormick Super W6 which was the Wheatland version of a Farmall Super M.

I do harbor a certain amount of nostalgia, but power steering, cab, A/C and heat, a decent seat, live PTO and the torque of a diesel more than make up for it.

I agree tho. Up until very recently, I had a 1938 Farmall that would still do the work it was designed to do when it left the factory 80 years ago. I don't see my Kubota being able to manage that.

 

[D2Cat]

I've got a 1966 730 Case Diesel Comfort King Draft-O-Matic. I bought it from the man who bought it new. I use every other day when I feed hay to the cattle and when cutting and baling.

Case was ahead of it's time. Has intake manifold heater, draft-0-matic control for ground engagement implements. Has what Case called draft arm "wrist action" ends on the draft arms (something Kubota puts on the Grand series tractors). Has deluxe operator's seat with tension screw to adjust to particular weight, power steering, dual rear remotes. Also has primary, secondary and final fuel filters.

It is an amazing tractor!

 

[Buffalo]

Our family had a Johnny Pop. We needed two wrenches to work on it. A big one
and a little one. Started on gasoline and ran on kerosene. Cranked by rotating the
flywheel. It had two cylinders, and may still be running somewhere. Wish I
had it just for the fun of it.

I was too little to start it, so my Dad would start it on Friday afternoon and I would
run it all weekend, 24/7. I got up in the middle of the night and put fuel in it while
it idled all night. You had to open a couple of stop cocks to relieve the pressure in the cylinders when you started it, then close them to run it. When it started, the dogs would
hide under the porch, the chickens would take off somewhere, the cats dematerialized, and the horses panicked. The house rumbled with the sheer noise, and
birds fell from the air. it was glorious !

We kept a coffee can on the vertical exhaust pipe, and if we forgot to remove it
when we started the tractor, it would sail thirty feet in the air.

My L3901 is a wonderful little beast, and I wouldn't take for it, but it'll never match the sheer drama of the old Poppin' Johnny ! And ... it will never orbit a coffee can.

 

[bearskinner]

THe tractors were definitely simpler, and easy to work on.
That being said, newer vehicles don’t need parts replacement like old vehicles.
Life expectancy is in the 70’s now compared to the last century where 45 was an old man. Maybe it was due to driving OLD tractors! Hahaha

 

[RCW]

A hand clutch....don't miss it really - - my Minneapolis Moline has one.

Tractors of many different colors had them for years. Some AC's had both(?)...