What was the FIRST tractor you ever drove?

[turnkey4099]

1949, Cat T20, a small gas crawler, probably 1930s vintage.

Harry K

 

[JerryG]

At about 10 years of age, I drove dad's 1960 Farmall 140. He worked that tractor a lot, taking care of 22 acres of strawberries.

 

[Ozarker]

Not counting the chain driven tractor my dad bought me when I was 4, my first was a JD410 while I was stationed at Ft Stewart, GA.

The Army bought a bunch of them back in the 70's and the first time I ever drove a tractor was to drive a JD410 up onto a flat bed trailer so that I could haul it from Ft Stewart to the JD dealer in Savannah for some warranty work.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

JD 3010 when I was about 8 or 9. I couldn't push the brake, but I could stand on the clutch and it would drop slowly. I drove strait while the crew loaded hay bales on the wagon. I would stand on the clutch when they got a little behind. Any turning and someone else would jump on and do that.

This worked fine until we were on a slight upgrade. I stood on the clutch, the tractor stopped, then slowly started to drift backward, my father yelled so I got back off the clutch, big lurch and half the load slid off the back. No one was hurt, but I don't remember driving much after that. We moved to Pitsburgh when I was 11. Haven't driven a tractor since except to test drive CUTs lately.

Cliff

 

[rfawkes]

My Kioti was the first, just one year ago. I have not willingly gotten off it since. I retired to the country life and 30 acres. Before that I never even had a lawn tractor, but managed to take care of small tract house lawn with a lawnboy mower.

 

[Golfgar4]

I actually don't remember. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

My grandfather owned the International Harvester dealership in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. We lived in a suburb of Chicago, so the big thrill when we visited was Grandpa taking all of the kids for rides (Hey, this was back in the late 50's before anyone realized that it was a dangerous thing to do. And Grandpa smoked around us too! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif)

Anyway, he usually drove out into a field and then let us "drive". I DO remeber that we went on many different colored tractors, so I'd guess that I've "driven" just about every brand out there! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My first real driving experience was in '92 when I borrowed a friends JD770 to use to mow our local Boy Scout camp. I spent every day the entire week that our troop was there for summer camp mowing. Had a 4' rotary cutter on the back, and did a lot of snaking around platform tents, latrines, and campfire rings. Had an absolute blast! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[skent]

In 1967 raking hay with a 1951 Case SC at the age of 12. Worked on a Case pull behind combine tieing feed sacks of Barley and wheat (no hopper). Combine fed directly into feed sacks. Three man operation. One driving the tractor, One filling feed sacks, and one moving sacks around. Combine had it's own V4 Wisconsin Engine. When the feed sack was full, you handed it off to have it tied, and started with a new sack. Better be fast, cause the tractor driver couldn't hear you very well if you had to stop in a hurry.

 

[leaddog]

when I was 4(1946) my dad got a jd-b and I thought it belonged to me. I would steer it with my dad. When I was 8 I was driving it with the baler, a Case wire tie that my dad and sister rode on and poked and tied the wires. The bailer had its own motor so all I had to do was keep the hay going into the baler. I was real small for my age and was only able to drive it because it had a hand clutch. I couldn't have pushed a foot clutch. From then on I drove it doing all sort of farm work and I have loved driving a tractor ever since. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Rimmer]

After the Korean War my folks bought a small farm, and my father bought a used Ford 8N, which he used to plow, disk, plant, cultivate, and harvest about 16 of the 20 acres. I don't remember at what age I was first allowed to drive it, but probably somewhere in the single digits. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

BUT... My first tractor experience was one day shortly after moving to the farm, when my grandfather came out from town to help out with a "really big tractor" that he borrowed from someone. It was an Oliver, although I don't know what model. I finally got a chance to drive an Oliver last summer (a Row Crop 77) in a parade at the local fair -- a beautiful restoration done by the son-in-law of the fellow who now farms thse same 16 acres for us.

My wife and I have the little farm now, including the 8N, so I still have my "first tractor"! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Inspector507]

<font color="blue"> you can remember that far back? </font>

Yep /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
At the same age my Step-Dad had a 1963 Impala. In case some of you don't know, the key did not need to be in the ignition if the switch was turned to unlock and the key could be removed. Seems my Step-Dad was a member of the VFD at that time and always left the ignition unlocked with the key removed in case of a late night emergency run. Well........us boys "knew" that and if Mom and Pop went to town, the Chevy was ours to cruise the fields with. My older Brother could reach all the pedals and steer but I couldn't, I needed him to push the gas while I steered /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Oh yeah that car had a wailing siren and a red twirly light on top too........ /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif What fun we had.

I remember riding the bull bareback, the bull humping the tire of an old broken tractor out in the field, AND the night we set the barn on fire smoking in the hay loft.......

So yes, I CAN remember back that far /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif