Vintage farmer and his tractor

[scott_vt]

he had an old jd h that was the 1st tractor he bought for his farm .

Good Evenin Jim;
That JD H was a great little tractor ! One of the guys over at our local volunteer FD, name Gene grew up on a JD H and he said it will walk circles around my 49 Super A ! He is an older gentlemen so I never argue ! It was indeed a great little tractor !

 

[JB4310]

nice post jb, reminds me of my grampa he would go out and cut/split firewood and tend his grapes/fruit trees and garden until he wasn't able to and was put in a home. he passed last jan and we miss him every day. he had an old jd h that was the 1st tractor he bought for his farm after the horse got too old to pull a hay mower and wagon, we still have the tractor stored in one of the sheds over at the farm. a few yrs back we gave it a paint job and some other work she needed, but his old yankee mentality kicked in and he wouldn't let us tear her down and do a complete over haul. one of these winters i will complete that task, then maybe use the old h in a parade or tractor show. the older generations like oscar, my grandpa, and my parents have a lot to teach us youngins how to live and be good neighbors. by the way where in ct is this? looks like it may be out in berlin/meriden area? i believe in my town they passed an ordinance w/ the zoning /planning dept that if a developer is putting in a housing developement near an agriculture operation they have to disclose it to the purchasers of the house/property to hopefully avoid any conflicts.

Jim,
Sorry about the loss of your Grand father.
This is in Newington, close to the Berlin and Rocky Hill lines.

Been visiting Oscar couple times a week, just for short visits. He is very frugal as one would expect, which in it self can be one of the most valuable lesson for any of us to learn these days.
Last week when I was there he had a pail on his 3pt carry all and he gave me a shovel and said we were gonna go get some gravel, so I hoped on the back and off we went, I assumed he had a pile or a bank of gravel. Well he pulls up to the side of this tiny little run off brook and directs me to the sandy gravel/pebbles in the bend of the brook. Had all I could do just to scrape one full pail up. We brought it up to the house and dumped and leveled it out at the bottom of his back stairs where it was getting a little muddy.
"That's pretty good stuff, ain't it" he asked, I just smiled, yes it is I said.


JB.

 

[LBrown59]

Jim,
Last week when I was there he had a pail on his 3pt carry all and he gave me a shovel and said we were gonna go get some gravel, so I hoped on the back and off we went, I assumed he had a pile or a bank of gravel. Well he pulls up to the side of this tiny little run off brook and directs me to the sandy gravel/pebbles in the bend of the brook. Had all I could do just to scrape one full pail up. We brought it up to the house and dumped and leveled it out at the bottom of his back stairs where it was getting a little muddy.
"That's pretty good stuff, ain't it" he asked, I just smiled, yes it is I said.JB.

Cute neet & sweet story about Oscar and his gravel.

 

[farmerjim]

jb i know that area pretty well lots of mc mansions built over there in the past few yrs. i was working near there about a week ago. it kills me that they built up around there and other farmland in ct, i would rather see an old/overgrown field when i drive by than the mcmansions or big box type stores that may sit empty after they go under in this economy. the soil in the whole ct river valley is some of the most productive/fertile soil around. grows some of the best sweet corn/ veggies, and did/still can/does grow some of the finest broadleaf tobacco for cigar wrappers, to bad alot of it it has been built over, which is a productive resource thats lost forever. next time i'm over in that area i'll keep an eye out for oscar. keep the posts coming about him reminds me of good old times around my familys farm, we still have good times farming but its not the same w/ out gramps to be the straw boss. take care jim

 

[robojox]

Everyone is right about the small farm dying and everything grow up around them there is another problem with the death of the small farm, because it takes so much land to make a living as a farm corporation now most farmers around me are farming 10,000 acres plus and dont even live nearby. On one hand it is great not to have deal with a subdivision, on the other hand there is a very slim chance you can end up with a working 80 or 100 acre farm unless you inherit it. You know when i was a kid and forced to farm I hated it now I wish I could afford to do it. A very good friend of mine said if he ever won the lottery he would farm till he went broke. Gotta love old guys and their wisdom.

 

[deerefan]

Wife and I bought 42 acres and a modest home (w/ a heatilator as its only source of heat!!) in east feliciana (about 50 miles north of baton rouge) in 2003. We are into our place for around 230k and are paying less than we paid renting. We have been offered twice that but refuse to give up the dream. There is something to be said for a secluded, simple way of life. Its just us and the animals, domesticated and wild.

 

[JB4310]

Spent a few hours at Oscar's on Saturday, helped cut up some downed trees, had to drag them 1500 ft back to his yard. I brought my saw and chains to drag them out of the woods about 50-60 ft up an embankment, he did all the seat work.

He will not waste anything, has plenty of nice trees that would be easier to harvest but he won't cut a living tree down. He's got a monster 4' dia standing dead oak perched right at the top of a steep slope that I thought I could help him with but after closer inspection I told him I was not comfortable trying to cut that one.

Also helped a few days getting his bee hives cleaned up, been learning a little from him.
It is like therapy, hanging around over there, it's easy to tune the rest of the world out.

One picture is from atop his right fender where I ride along with him, slow but steady.

JB.

 

[LBrown59]

Spent a few hours at Oscar's on Saturday, helped cut up some downed trees, had to drag them 1500 ft back to his yard. I brought my saw and chains to drag them out of the woods about 50-60 ft up an embankment, he did all the seat work.

He will not waste anything, has plenty of nice trees that would be easier to harvest but he won't cut a living tree down. He's got a monster 4' dia standing dead oak perched right at the top of a steep slope that I thought I could help him with but after closer inspection I told him I was not comfortable trying to cut that one.

Also helped a few days getting his bee hives cleaned up, been learning a little from him.
It is like therapy, hanging around over there, it's easy to tune the rest of the world out.

One picture is from atop his right fender where I ride along with him, slow but steady.

JB.

I would enlarge this frame it and hang it on the wall as a keepsake memory in honor of this old fellow.

 

[JB4310]

I would enlarge this frame it and hang it on the wall as a keepsake memory in honor of this old fellow.

Yeah I set this one as my latest desktop background, it looks great with no border in full screen.

Even though this thread started with reference to his vintage tractor, and he does use his Ford every single day, allowing him the mobility to get around his property and get out of the house, we don't spend much time talking tractors.
He doesn't seem to be that interested in talking tractors so I don't pester him about it.

I started something about the benefits of diesel power, that went in one ear and out the other and I now realize this 4 cylinder gasser has served his needs for 60+ years! It's only a 4 speed, he told me 3 speed and a high road gear? and he really lugs it at low rpms, said he had the motor rebuilt a couple years ago.
It does sound pretty nice even at that low R lugging.

JB.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Great thread JB!!!

I'm really glad your getting to spend some time with Oscar and helping him with his daily chores. It is a real joy to see the few ones that are left, and out working everyday with their tractors.

In all the pictures i seen of Oscar on his tractor, i could tell that he was still enjoying his life and his tractor

Do you have any ideal how many hours he has on his tractor???

The rear wheels look like they are set out REAL WIDE and it would probably be hard to turn over.

There is only 2 old timers left here that work with their tractors.
A old timer named Tom is 92 and he make molasses every year and was told that he was planning to make it this year, we all try and help him out every year with it.

The other old timer named Sam, he is 89 and he has a big garden every year, and sells fruits and vegetables in a little road side stand that he has out in front of his little farm.

I really enjoy talking to these old timers and try to help them with some work....IF....they let me...they like to do it all by their self's.

About 10 years ago there was an old man that lived on 110 acres about 15 miles from my home, and he lived by his self and was not able to work around his farm much anymore due to illness, so his 3 children talked him into selling his farm. After the land was sold they put him in a nursing home and there is a housing project on the land now

His 3 grown children seen $$$$$ and took advantage of him.

I really hate to see the old farm lands go and the big buildings taking over.

Thanks for sharing your time that you have spent with Oscar and hope you can get some more pictures.

* Tell Oscar that TBN really enjoys seeing him on his tractor