Hard to let go

I have been debating for some time but it is just a hard decision to make to turn loose of part of the collection. Several years ago I bought a MD and many thanks to guys on the forum she still starts and runs fine. It pretty much just sits in the shed as a memory of the struggle to get it running the first time and with other projects it just gets neglected. Not fishing for buyers as I"m not ready to turn loose yet, just reflecting on the aging process of both me and the tractor today.

I struggle with the same thing. I have 1 each of the letter series, and 1 each of the F series. I have pretty much decided to focus on the F series. Last fall, I sold the SM. I am now thinking about selling the SC. I still have a B, a BN, 2 A's, an H and a Cub.

In the end, I will probably keep the Cub and the H. Still debating around the rest..........

Is it not amazing that a lot of us have the same problem?

Same here with 2 Hs and 2 Ms. All are basically retired now after the farm neighbor modernized operations with bigger and faster in the early 2000s.

Very interesting as I am still considered young, and have the same thoughts. I put a new engine in my combine that may never be used since I lost the farm. Could not afford the 18k plus an acre that the ground around here is bringing. I have some nice projects in front of me and always enjoy working on stuff but the thought of not being able to use them just kills me. The guy I help farm after my 11 plus hour a day job does not want me waisting my time even if I pay for the fuel, and cannot take them to my dads farm because my oldest brother thinks me and this hobby of mine is stupid. I enjoy the shows but do not think I would enjoy having a bunch of trailer queens. Current project is a 460 gas with less than 3,000 hours, and future is a 1963 560 gas, 62 560 diesel both with a little over 3000 hours and then a 450 diesel for a total piece by piece rebuild and restoration. And then having to keep up my 560d that i restored in high school, my 1456 and then m under a 2MHD. We are trying to find a few acres close to home to buy so I can get my collection home. Right now I have stuff in 4 different counties and 8 different places! Writing this makes me both happy, depressed and overwhelmed. At least my wife understands. I offered to sell a majority of my collection before we were married to pay bills, but she said if I did that she would not marry me as my stuff is a big part of who I am. Sorry for the ramble, but feels good to vent.

My dad and started collecting and restoring in the 70's. He passed away and I just keep collecting, JD at first, now IH. We restored the pre WWll and donated them to a museum, now in April I am having my farm auction so 5 JD's and 2 MH's are going, a tough decision but after they are restored the maintaince, insurance, housing, etc just gets to be to much. The looking for, buying and restoring is the big fun, then the club stuff is a lot of fun, but the stuff we have had for 30 years is getting to be a drag, even though it has been fun for 30 years .

I agree with you guys. I have a small collection and most need a lot of work. My father and I used to farm with them but a few bad breaks eventually left the farm in the hands of the bank back in the 80's. Big farmers who were much more progressive had the money to pay big dollars for farm land so there was no way to keep farming a few acres somewhere with the old machinery. Too bad, I really enjoyed doing that. I still have most of them but now they sit and deteriorate. It was actually seemed easier to keep them in good condition when you could put them to work and "stretch their legs" once in a while. Also, when you worked them the tractors earned their keep. It doesn't seem to make sense to spend money on old tractors that don't go to work anymore. Rotting tires, dead batteries, gummed up fuel systems, seized engines, not to mention parts are getting harder to find. I can't seem to keep up with it all so it makes me seriously consider selling if I can't use them for what they were intended.