Tractor show and shine has everything but the dirt

Third year for tour draws more than 60 vintage tractors, many owned since new and restored

Jul 25, 2009

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Special to the Star

It's a common summer scenario: antique vehicle owners polishing their rides, getting together with like-minded enthusiasts and "going cruising" on a sunny day.

But don't assume it's all about cars. Tractors are just as popular with a huge number of people, and last Saturday, some 60 of them took a four-hour drive in the countryside around Dunedin, west of Toronto, to enjoy their vehicles.

Now in its third year, the tour was arranged by Jamie Adam, 71, whose passion is the British-built David Brown.

Although the company exported much of its output to Canada, his 1955 model is believed to be the only running 50D model in the country. And like most tractor enthusiasts, he owns more than one; a friend piloted his smaller 1962 Model 880.

"It's the same as old cars," he says. "It's what your dad had when you were a kid. I never owned a farm, but I worked on them."

The owners are a diverse lot. Some are farmers, while others live in rural areas but don't work their land.

While owner enthusiasm is the same, tractors can differ considerably from vintage automobiles. It's a much cheaper hobby, at least in Canada: while Adam says his rare David Brown could bring some $60,000 in England, and many unusual models go for big dollars in the U.S., many owners say even their fully restored tractors would only range from $3,500 to $7,500 here.

Finding parts is also relatively easy: many older models are still hard at work, and so if a tractor company is still in business, parts to fit models from 60 or more years ago are still on the shelf.

And unlike most cars, a well-worn tractor is often left that way in its "working clothes."

What's tough can be determining exactly how old one's tractor is, since they aren't always as easy to identify as old cars. Neil Metheral, 66, is a lamb and beef farmer who thinks his Allis Chalmers G is from the mid-1950s.

"It's a `market garden' tractor," he says of the small, spindly machine, which would be fitted with scaled-down implements and used to work small gardens.

"I've had it five years now. When I was about 10 or 12, I'd go with my dad to get Allis Chalmers parts, and I always collected the pamphlets for these. I always wanted one, and now I have it. It's a novelty; I never worked with one."

The group's 30 km tour, which weaved along small back roads, went through at about 10 km/h. Such events are popular with tractor fans, who also show their machines at county fairs and parades.

"It's a fun thing to get together with a lot of people with the same interest," says Bruce Burgess, a 67-year-old retired bodyman who restores old cars and tractors. He hauled several riders on a wagon behind his Canadian-built 1950 Massey-Harris Model 30.

"I've plowed with this tractor, but now it's just a fun thing. I restored it and rebuilt the engine. Between my brother and me, we have nine tractors."

Do they all earn their keep? "We mostly stand and look at them," he laughs.

One tractor that's earned its semi-retirement is Glen Millsap's 1949 Minneapolis-Moline, a defunct brand that was made in Minnesota. The 73-year-old, who's "been a farmer since I was able to carry a pail of milk," has owned it for seven years, along with three other "Minnies" and a John Deere.

"It's the shape it was in when I bought it; the fellow before me fixed it up," he says. "It's now mainly for show. I like antique equipment. They're plain-Jane, no electronics, just a carburetor and a generator. I paid $4,000 for it from someone who was also into old tractors and he said he was going to sell it."

It was just an interesting old machine to Millsap, until he got to the owner's manual that came with it.

"I opened it up and saw my neighbour's name," he says. "They bought it brand new. I drove this tractor when I was 13 or 14, when I was plowing for them. They were glad to see it again. It's now back a mile from where it was when it was new."

Toronto Star