How I Fund My Tractor Hobby

Wondering how I finance this tractor hobby?


Meet my money.

Pretty, ain't she?  Once in a while I'll pick up vehicles and other scrap, haul it in on a day off, and voila. Seed money.  It works :)

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The Day the Engine Came Out

The 44 Massey is now engineless. 

I cleaned out near 5 gallons of grease and mud and junk from inside the frame. 

 The clutch lining was badly worn down to the rivets, and greasy. Very greasy. 

I'll be looking for a used clutch lining.

These kingpin bushings were worn out.

Found some new bushings at the local Massey dealer, and pins from Princess Auto.

The rad is in good shape, and the tin is reasonable too. The screen is tattered, 

but I'll probably use it the way it is. I'm not restoring it, just making it workable. 

The Latest Find, Newest Project

The newest acquisition.  This 1950 44 was parked for 2 years, but started up no problem.

it still has 13-30 tires on it.

Yes, that is a John Deere seat on a Massey. I don't know why.

I bought it anyway.

Please excuse the squishy picture. Our camera's weird. I don't know why. 

I plan to put a loader on it. (the tractor, not the camera)

First I'll be changing the tires. It needs clutch repair, 

and the brakes need serious adjusting. 

The steering wheel - a piece of metal - is a little rough on the hands. 

Then there's the seat. I may paint the seat... 

Stay tuned for more. In the meantime, I'm off to tinker.

Okay ... I Confess ... It's a John Deere.

Bought 2 plows in 2010, made one out of two. Hmm. I have a thing for that apparently. 

Anyway, converted the best one to rubber and used the other for parts.

Isn't that a great looking model number?

There's the indisputable evidence.  

Ready for painting...

... on this side too.

enlisted my child labour crew. They did great.

I think it looks good together with a Massey.

Haven't made decals for it yet. 

Ready to roll for August long weekend. 

Minus the Rust...

Here's my 1949 tractor, the morning of its first show. (May, 2010) Just got the decals on.  

All the pre-paint pics disappeared.

Our camera is irritating like that.

I would have liked to show the rusty pics... 

so, these pics are what I have left.

This Massey isn't a true original - it's actually two made into one. The frame was a standard, and

row crop axles were attached. 

see?