Good morning, Friends – Sharing this heartwarming IA-KS Tractor story with you to start your Monday.
Tonya bought me the attached Farmall M tractor yesterday (Sunday) for my 60th birthday.
It’s a 12-volt system with an alternator, and all the lights are in working order. The tractor is located in Aplington, Iowa. Tonya found it online for sale yesterday a.m., and we secured the purchase just in time—a growing list of collectors were competing to buy it.
This is a deeply personal and meaningful acquisition for many reasons.
The tractor is owned by the same farmer whom I purchased my Farmall H from 15 years ago—the one I wrote a three-page contract for and later mentioned in my National Ag Hall of Fame induction speech. We sadly sold the H in Minnesota 10-12 years ago due to our relocation and other circumstances at the time. When we originally bought the H, the family sold it to us, to help buy feed for the quarter horses they were raising.
We learned yesterday that they are selling the M to help cover funeral expenses for the farmer’s wife, someone we have stayed in touch with over all these years. She underwent heart surgery late last year and shared her daughters’ contact information with us beforehand so they could update us on her recovery. Sadly, she passed away approximately four days after the surgery.
This truly is a family tractor in every sense of the word.
Now the next step is finding a hauler.
Michael Hinton | Founder, Antique Tractor Preservation Day
