Go to just about any farm, any where, and I'll bet you'll find an old tractor (or 2 or 4 or more) bidding time by the barn or forgotten field. This one was trying to hide in the grass at Jim's brother's place.
There's just something about a tractor that makes it hard for a farmer to let go of, even if the tractor is past its prime or flat out doesn't run.
I have to contemplate this: could it be that a farmer's tractor becomes like a beloved friend? After all, think of all that the two go through over the course of a career. Weather.Bugs.Bumper Yields. Drought. Bugs.Famine.Floods. Bugs.Breakdowns (from both parties).
I mow on an ancient Kuboda. When it gets tired, it coughs and spits a bit, then faints from a choking attack. There's nothing to do but get off the thing and let it rest. Yet I prefer it over our zero turn XMark.
Go figure. (hint: I need the breaks as much as the Kuboda!)
Yeah. I get it now. Tractors may not appear to have personalities like Old Nellie or Trigger, or Sparky, but really, they do. Becoming One With the Tractor is like having a business partner; the business being growing food. And when the machine has to be replaced by a newer, more efficient model, well...I can relate.
Marcheta *peddle to the metal
