Who are we??????? And where do we come from??????

jim_wilson · Jan 27, 2005

I grew up and still live in the suburbs about 20 miles outside of Boston MA. Never lived on a farm or had direct family who lived on a farm except for grandparents and that was many years ago. What I have always been into though is do-it-yourself projects. Rebuilt cars, motorcycles, equipment, and now houses. Got turned on to the BX23 last year when I was looking for equipment to do a driveway reconstruction, landscaping and dig a foundation hole for a garage. With only 1/2 acre in a suburban type neighborhood I knew I didn't need or want a very big tractor for most of the work. The BX is just about right for what I have been doing - it has got me wanting more land though. I figure if I had more land I could buy myself a bigger tractor! Those new B3030's look really nice!

texastomtom · Jan 27, 2005

Was anyone else born ON a tractor ? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ok I wasn't born on Tractor. Born to a farm family - though we lived on edge of town and drove to farm daily.

Unlike todays kids - we helped on the farm as early as I can remember. I mostly loved it except for hoeing.... I especially loved the tractors and equipment and helping dad use/work on them.

I can not remember learning to drive a tractor and other equipment.... Its not that I have a bad memory - just that it seems I always did it.... I'd say by the time I was 3 ---
as in 3 MONTHS.... lol

Dad bought me my own ford tractor when I was about 6.... Gosh I loved that thing...I cant remember the model but it was good for 2 row equipment and burned gas instead of diesel... ( what was he thinking-GAS).. If anyone knows where it is now I'll pay $50,000 U.S. bucks for it....

Helped on the farm till i was about 11..... Farming wasn't so good during those years and my brothers got most of the decent work.... Tired of hoeing and being low on the totum pole (youngest ) I went to work in town most of the time although still helped on the farm when a Tractor driver was needed... Family left farming when I was about 19...
Any YES it is hard to find a job in town at age 11. I stayed same place for 5 years - retail... I think that is illegal now - what a shame....

Plenty of other friends and such that had tractors so even through the years you'd ocassionally catch me on a Ag tractor.

Mostly worked retail then early 20's went into technology/computers... Been there every since although moved to the country in 2004 and Love it. First time I've actually LIVED in the country.

Place came with a MF 230 that refired my interest in such things and traded that in for a JD4720 in Aug 2004....

It's not a big tractor like we used to have but it is just as much fun ( more really ) due to all the things you can do with it that a big ag tractor really isn't good for on a small 5 acre place with orchard.

Out of my 41 years I have only lived 1 year in a place where I did not have a view from at least one direction into the open country.

I have always lived in this town,,, now 8 miles from that same town.

I'm on call 24/7 except for when I'm on the tractor... In which case I'll call you back when I AM DONE... It is my escape and personal time..

Sometime me and her pull up on the ridge, sit and watch the sun go down... It's a truely wonderfull day if the wife is out there with us....

How can anyone bare the pain of living in a concrete city ? Surely they just have no clue........

Tom

ps
if you wanna try and pry the gun out of my hands I'll at least enjoy burying you with my JD and FEL..... and they will never find you !!!!!!!

OMG - I just proof read this - I sound like a redneck !!!!!
NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE INTENDED

Alan L. · Jan 27, 2005

First, we bought 24 acres of grown up wilderness. One day in late March when it was about 85 degrees and 99% humidity my wife and I were in the middle of the property pulling thorny vines out of the trees and trying to drag them to a pile in grass and brush 4 feet tall. Finally, my wife says "we need a tractor!". I didn't argue.

I grew up on an old Ford 8n or 9n (I forget which). All it had was a box blade and it was ALOT of work. But I loved it. Dad was in the construction business and I always enjoyed it when he gave me a tractor project.

SKOALMAN · Jan 28, 2005

Hi All!
I grew up on a 100 acre farm in East Tennessee. We had a Massey Ferguson 135 (1964) and my Grandfather was the local Hay Baleing man. He baled hay for about 80 head of his own cattle, of course Tobacco, Corn, Garden all the standard East Tennessee crops and everything on that MF135. I can remember when that tractor was delivered and most of my childhood memories are tied to that Red MF135.

My Grandfather offered to set me up in the Dairy business but at that time I was wanting to see the world and frankly did not want to spend that rest of my life on a Southbound end of a Northbound Cow. Joined the Marines and 6 months later was in Japan. Went around the world I don't know how many times, been shot at a couple of times and always dreamed of the day i could "GO HOME!"

Decided in May of 2004 that it was time to leave the Military and Bought my Homeplace from my Mom and Dad. Could not think of a better place to raise my kids. Being military kids exposed them to many different things, but they are now involved with things like 4-H and wanting me to get them both a "Show-Calf!" 1 year ago, they did not even know what a show calf or 4-H was. So, coming home to the Farm was the RIGHT THING!

When my Tractor was delivered two weeks ago, I tried to make it an event they would both remember the rest of their lives. I took pictures and gave them rides on the fender just like my Grandpaw and Dad used to do. They love it as much as I do! I hope that think of Ole Blue with fond memories and I hope they fight over who gets Dad's tractor when I am gone.

I just hope that they have the Great Memories that I have of the MF135. My Dad still has that tractor and all I can do is smile when I look at it! I guess that farming and tractors is just simply about LIFE! Learning to appreciate the simple but yet important things in life.

JD3130 · Jan 28, 2005

Not sure I should join in, sounds like a bunch of kids on this forum. I grew up on a 300a dairy farm in the blue mountains of VA. Had a steel wheel Case, don't remember the model. 2 JD A's, a brace of mules. I decided early on, getting up at 4am milking cows, and doing a day's work before breakfast and most folks were out of bed, was something I didn't want to do the rest of my life. Most of my time was spend with those hard headed mules, before I got old enough for the A's. Dad used tell me he could tell if I was working or not by the sound they made. We got a B but I never used it much. I joined the AF the day I graduated from HS. 22 yrs later my last duty assignment found me in TX married to a city girl, who loved animals, and insisted we move to the country. So we got a ranch and drove 40 miles a day to work until I retired from the AF and again from teaching. Needed a tractor for the ranch, purchased a Avery B, which worked it's heart out for me. Then I got an 8N, then another and finally the JD3130 85Hp.
But at least I ain't milking cows! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Truth is I don't think I could live in the city!

Bird · Jan 28, 2005

You and Texastomtom have sure got it right. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Never did like that hoe or getting out there in all kinds of weather twice a day to milk that cow. Growing up on a farm was great except for those two things. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Indydirtfarmer · Jan 28, 2005

My wife would shoot me if she knew I DIDN'T say our wedding day, but the single happiest day of my life was when dad announced that he was selling off the 140 head dairy herd. It was in 1984. I was starting to distance myself from farming at that point. I didn't want to milk cows for the rest of my days. I figured it was time for me to "find another path to follow". After those blasted Holsiens were gone, I started taking a real interest in the farm again. It's completely changed my outlook on farming. I enjoy grain farming. And Kroger hasn't ran out of milk since those danged cows got trucked away.

EastTexFrank · Jan 28, 2005

( My Grandfather was a farmer and lived 1 mile from my folks so I started helping him at around 5 or 6 years old )

Yea ... right. I bet you both had a great time though and have some great memories. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

GeneD14 · Jan 28, 2005

I grew up in the suburbs NE Indiana just East of Chicago. Spent vacations and summers of my childhood on my Grandparents farm in Southern Indiana. They used Allis Chalmers tractors and I spent alot of time sitting on them pretending to drive. My dad also had a Ford 9N, IH 240, and a JD 500 TLB. It got me hooked on tractors early on. About nine years ago I started collecting and restoring Allis Chalmers tractors and recently have grown fond of compact diesels. Now my 6 year old son Luke is becoming a tractor nut also. Eventually we want to move down to Southern Indiana to a small farm.

GaryE · Jan 28, 2005

I grew up in what was then a small town in Connecticut. Loved being in the woods as a kid. A few years after I got out of school, I moved to South Florida for a job. On thing led to another and I ended up with my own business, got married a couple of times. I was stuck down there for over 20 years. Hated every minute of it.

Finally moved everything up here to Maine. Bought a little farm house on 15 acres then bought another 7 next to it. Working on buying another 20 or so. The fields were a mess and twice a year I would have someone come in with a bush hog and have at 'em.

I ended up selling a boat I was not getting time to use , but the buyer was about $1,000.00 short and asked if I would take his old Kubota B6000 with a Woods RMM in trade. I said, sure. So I started cutting my own fields and found these things are real handy!!! Been hooked on tractors ever since! Now it is time to add an addition to the house and clear out some more land. The addition is going to be a slipform structure using the rocks from the fields and the many stone walls on the property. I am now waiting for my L3710 GST to get here.