Tom_Veatch
Platinum Member
Farmwithjunk said:Everyone has that moment in time where they would return to if it were possible. That defining moment in ones life. Everyone who's hooked on tractorin' has that moment too. That split second when you realized THIS IS FOR ME!
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Some people had to wait until later in life to experience their first "Kodak moment" on a tractor. WHen was yours?
A neat and touching story.
My older brothers have many more memories of the farm, but the few I retain contain no tractors. All our "prime movers" had 4 legs and long tails instead of wheels and exhaust stacks, so my memories are more of horse collars, harnesses and singletrees. The remembered aroma doesn't involve diesel fumes, either. Of course we didn't have to worry about fuel "jelling" in the winter, greasing zerk fittings, or changing oil, but proper maintenance was still something that couldn't be ignored. And, rather than letting it blow in the wind, a use could be found for the "exhaust". I'm sure there were times my brothers would have preferred a wind-borne solution.
My first (and, so far, only) tractor was purchased after I bought a few acres outside of town and retired. Thought it would come in handy around the place, and it has - very much so. But I doubt that I'll ever have the emotional attachment to the machinery (or the land) that many of you have, and I suspect that I'm the poorer for it.
Thanks for the story!