Is the tractor trend dead?

This has been on my mind for quite some time. A few years ago, where ever you would go there were tractor décor and collectibles available. Now at craft shows, swap meets, etc. you see very little of the tractor theme stuff. What"s your thoughts, is our hobby of collecting tractors and related items dying out?

I imagine like so many things, it has run its course. I have collected four antique tractors. Now I find myself enough older that two are especially hard to get on and off of. They are for sale. I bought something with modern features, and is much more user friendly!

me too.

I think that the ones that people want to collect and or rebuild are getting scares and the prices have continued up so it's harder to do what we did ten years ago. Beside Obams care has eaten into the extra money needed giggle.
Walt

I can only speak for myself, I've lost interest in the old tractors. I'm tired or driving the old ones when a much newer one you can have power steering and three point hitch or hydraulics and live pto plus a differential lock plus 8-16 speeds. I still like the old ones but can't say that I would want one any more restored or not. I just can't see sticking all that money into one now and just letting is set just to wait for a parade. I have noticed that the attendance at this year's shows has been less than other years.

Remember the geese in the bonnets with the ribbon around their necks? Or the dolphin craze, or the piggy thing?

Every where I go all I see is John Deere green. Toys,kids clothes,calenders,you name it. More John Deere junk than there is NASCAR.

Yes.

Dean

Every hobby, or fad, or craze eventually peaks in popularity. There will always be those who hang on for one reason or another, and that is good. As someone mentioned, certain makes and/or models are becoming scarce which makes them more expensive.
I only hope that much of the remaining earlier farming and harvesting equipment will be preserved, such as horse drawn turning plows and cultivators, grain binders and threshers, balers, etc. And not just horse drawn, but steam powered as well. It is much easier to comprehend what was involved in farming "back when" if one can actually see the equipment instead of just pictures.
Unfortunately, I fear that the majority of those who desperately need to be educated about early farming methods will have to be hogtied and drug to the location, as the majority of them don't really give a rat's patootie.

a hobby he says...huh? I'm still useing them to farm with...

Probably $4.50 corn has a little to do with it.Land seems to have peaked in our area after 10 years or more of 10% increase or more each year.It seems like the persons like myself seem to like what we had[1206IH/72 4020 /66nova SS] are all things I would have liked to have 20years ago but all the extra money went into our farming operation.The Mecum auction the first part of Nov. was strong on the really nice tractors.Sorry but the 2cyl JDs are being replaced by NewGen in some collections.I still have excellent demand for nice low houred originals.They are hard to find and buy right but they will sell right away.So I think it may have slowed but is still strong.

A lot of farmers here sold out to the developers during the building boom, so most of the dealers went out of business too. The ones that remain don't stock any toy tractors or tractor collectors items so they must think it's dying.

I noticed awhile ago that there aren't any western paperbacks in the magazine racks around here anymore. I made a list of all the books that Louis LaAmour wrote and went to a book exchange place and bought up 50 more of his books. I'm still short 10 of his books to complete my collection; I'd like to get those before they disappear completely.

(quoted from post at 23:04:57 11/24/13) a hobby he says...huh? I'm still useing them to farm with...

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Same here. You could always tell the farmers here from the weekend warriors that were in it for a hobby. I'd say 75% of the people here over the years were guys living on a lot in a town that had to have a tractor to keep up with their pals or something. That's why 8n's used to go for $3500.00. The only good thing is that usable, not so pretty tractors are more realistically priced now that the townies have decided cup holder, stereos and A/C are more fun than a pan seat and crank start.

(quoted from post at 23:04:57 11/24/13) a hobby he says...huh? I'm still useing them to farm with...

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Huh???? what percentage of your income?

it may be shifting some those of us like me who grew upon these old tractors still like, heck, im still using mine, but with uncertain economy and fuel prices for awhile, we may be seeing a reduction in people who were just in it because it was the thing to be seen doing, not because they liked it or had the memories to go with it

There is no way I could or would farm using an antique tractor(s). And, I simply do not have time to screw around trying to get some old piece of iron ready for a parade. I do, however, enjoy getting on the YT photo ads and spend a few minutes looking at some of that old stuff from the 30s, 40s and 50s. That's what I grew up with. In the neighborhood, we had them all. I could drive you through our local town today and show you where Massey Harris, J.I.Case, John Deere, Minneapolis Moline, Ford, Allis Chalmers, International Harvester, & Oliver dealers were once located. Many right on or just off Main Street.

A lot of the old 2 bangers are going to the scrapper yards,
no mess, no fuss, immediate cash.

I believe that the young'uns are getting away from the old values that we were brought up with.. I saw a nice "Ollie" 55 go to scrap last week.. Nearly broke my heart.. I've been without a paycheck for 7 months now due to 2 separate surgeries, I couldn't do a thing about it.. My grandson went and bought himself a Play Station 4 .. It only cost 400 bucks.....Suppose it will go by the wayside when Play Station 5 comes out ?? My 2 cents worth.... R.S.

(quoted from post at 19:12:16 11/24/13) This has been on my mind for quite some time. A few years ago, where ever you would go there were tractor décor and collectibles available. Now at craft shows, swap meets, etc. you see very little of the tractor theme stuff. What"s your thoughts, is our hobby of collecting tractors and related items dying out?

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Getting to your point, the décor stuff goes in cycles. The tractor cycle is now out of fashion. I think that reflects that people who were buying that stuff have A. don't have room/space for any more B. follow the fads. And the folks who make and sell that stuff follow the current trends.

As far as the tractor collector hobby dying, well I think it's slowing way down. Part is the economy, part is the city/town folks who have only room for one and have it. Part is that the older guys are getting rid of their collections because of age. Collectors are dying off. And little has been done to attract enough young people (20-40) to keep it afloat. Yea you got some younger ones, 12-20 interested but life happens. The get romantically involved, get married and stat making babies. A lot of the time the money for these young people just isn't there to have/restore a tractor, have a pickup and trailer to travel to shows. For some odd reason kids would rather go to Disney World than to a tractor show. At the former there are many things to see and do. At the latter there are endless rows of old JD A's or IH H's that all look pretty much the same. At one there are rides that are exciting and the other they may get to ride on a wagon pulled a slow speed. As far as most of the tractors on display it's look but don't touch. You do something to get little Johnny hooked and dad will follow along cause he's always liked tractors too. Bore little Johnny and you lost dad.

I was the active member of several different black powder clubs. At one the yearly shoot had people coming but everything was displays or exhibition. Getting new members was a problem. At the others some of us would approach people "ever shoot a black powder gun?"."Wanna try?". We had people who had never fired a gun at all trying and having fun. It was amazing the number that not only went and got outfitted but who also joined the club and the next year they were out there showing others how to shoot. And there were always multiple things and games for the kids too young to shoot.

Rick

You know what burns me (just a little)?

Seeing all those "IH" stickers on every young redneck's jacked-up truck.

Now, maybe they DO have a red tractor at home, but I doubt it. Maybe Daddy has one. But generally, I think they just put those stickers on because it's "trendy" to be country boy.

(quoted from post at 23:04:57 11/24/13) a hobby he says...huh? I'm still useing them to farm with...

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So do i,..only mine are late sixty's early seventy's.
I have no use for them as lawn ornaments

Well - a few different thoughts on that subject.

First - I think what makes "old tractors" a hobby in the first place is that a generation grew up seeing them in use, and that generation now has the means and the time to restore them.

Just like old cars - you can buy a model T for next to nothing nowadays, but you can't even think about a hemi cuda.

That's because the crowd that grew up gawking at model T's as children has, for the most part, moved on beyond the age where they'd be interested in spending time and money restoring one or collecting them.

Same is happening now with 50's era cars - getting harder to give them away.

The current batch of collectors/restorers with the real time and money grew up gawking at late 60's muscle cars, and that's what's hot now.

There are of course people of age now that grew up with 70's and 80's tractors, but are less inclined to restore them because they're just too complicated. They're no where near the simplicity of the 30's/40's era tractors. So you need much more dedication and devotion to restore one. On top of that, tractors of that later era are not the works of art the earlier models were. You start getting a whole lot more plastic and cheaper materials.

Just like cars. I'm not sure there will be a huge market for 80's dodge aries K cars or volkswagon rabbits.

So that tends to bunch up the collectors to the last era of the "good ones" because there's nowhere else to go. And as the population ages and people become less and less romantically attached to them, there's less and less reason for anybody to care about them.

Combine all that with high scrap prices - and ultimately it'll get harder and harder to find parts, making the hobby less and less easy - and therefore less fun. It'll always be around, but it's probably peaked.

Having said all that - I've got six kids in my 4H group who sure love the 43 B we're restoring! I like to think these kids will keep the interest alive into the future.

(quoted from post at 05:24:28 11/25/13)

(quoted from post at 23:04:57 11/24/13) a hobby he says...huh? I'm still useing them to farm with...

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Huh???? what percentage of your income?

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In my case not a huge percentage, but the farm is slowly growing. Up here there are still many, many farms running the 800 Ford, H Farmall, Case VA or 730, JD 2 bangers, MF 30, 50, 65, Cockshutts, Ollie 77's, etc every day on the farm. I understand in other parts of the country it's different. I look at Fastline and see what would be $10K tractors up here going for half that. A 5000 Ford in good shape is a $8K tractor up here, but it's an antique in other parts of the country. My newest tractor is a 1972 IIRC, most of my dairy neighbors don't have anything newer than early 80's. Cabs with AC are rare up here, even among the BTOs. Don;t judge everything by what happens in your area, it's not the same everywhere.

I am 23 years old and just starting to get into the hobby. I can tell you that some are correct when they say it is difficult for those just starting out to have the spare money/time/space to collect and fix up the old tractors. One thing I have noticed is that it is easier and cheaper to get parts for my 1978 F150 than my MH 22. I just hope that there will still be the 1930s/40s tractors around to save when I do eventually get the time and space to collect them.

The old people that grew up with tractors are dying.