Treasured Tractors

These are not my favorites but most treasured.

What makes then most treasured? I have a
case 930 gas I bought myself when I was 16,
wanted it for years and couldn't not only
not afford it but the old guy wouldn't sell
it, "was going to do something with it." Sat
under an old oak tree about 20 minutes from
my house for about 15 years. Well I ended up
giving up and forgetting about it and soon
as I did, about a year later I got curious
and I went there to ask again, and it was
gone, had one of those heart sinking
moments. Then it ended up a John deere guy
bought it to save it from the local
scrappers when the prices were up. And I
ended up buying it from him and driving it
home. It's my next bare case restoration
project.

The w6 was an old man down the road. Mom would take us over there when we were young and he would tell us stories. I can't remember the stories but I always liked to listen to him. He was a farmer / logger. Later on another neighbor got it. He was my first boss. Taught me alot over the years. He was the guy that could fix anything and would help anyone. The tractor was parked for a long time and I asked him several times if he wanted to get rid of it. Well one day he just gave it to me. He had quite the junkyard and usually if I needed something he had something that would work and give it to me.

The TD6 belonged to a friend of a friend. He bought the dozer to clear some ground to build a house on the back side of a lake. The only way into the house was by boat. When he sold the house he told my friend he could have it if he got it out. It had not ran for several years and none of us knew anything about starting a TD6. I loaded up the truck and me and dad started out on the 100 mile journey. Then we loaded up the boat with everything we thought we might need and took off across the lake. It took us several hours to get it started. I actually got it running pretty easily after everyone else boated to the store after more supplies. Anyway it ran kinda so another one of my friends who was crazier than me and a better operator drove it out up the steep grade with one turning brake to the logging road. It was touch and go a few times. Didn't think he was going to make it but he didn't give up. Anyway when he got to the road we split ways. He went down the road and we went back to the boat and started or way back. It was probably over 30 miles. It was getting dark when we met on the logging road but we got it loaded and me and dad started home. That was my last journey with dad and close to the last one with the dozer driver as neither is with me any more. The owner of the w6 and the fellow that gave it to me are not either. That is a long story and that is the short version.