Guess I'm Gonna Hafta Buy Some Green Paint...

Ok - it MIGHT not be known to the whole world - or even much of the world outside of our Hillbilly Ranch - but I'm not a real big fan of John Deere.

I mean, they're ok, and all, but I grew up IH and learned to run a tractor on a Ford, so I tend to shy away from the Big Greenies.

Back in the 1960's, our neighbor down the road from our place had a "Johnny Popper". I don't know the model.

I DO, however, know the SOUND of that two cylinder motor.....POP...POP...POP...POP...

I remember running and hiding when I heard that thing heading down the road toward our farm.

Maybe that's why I never knew the model, huh?

Anyhow, that sound terrorized me when ever I heard it - and it STILL DOES - 40 years+ later. A couple of neighbor's run those old poppers to do light work. Occasionally, they drive by our place. That sound reaches my ears from a mile away, and the hair starts prickling up on the back of my neck.

I'm just glad I'm deaf in one ear, otherwise it would be TWICE as bad...

When it came time for me to buy a tractor, I knew I didn't want to be reminded of that sound every time I got on the tractor, so I passed up anything wearing green paint that I saw.

Of course, John Deere IMPLEMENTS don't make that annoying clatter, so I was safe with them. I'm actually "color blind" on most implements - as long as they work, I don't care.

It seems that a lot of things that "fell" my way happened to be covered in green (or rather, USED to be...).

The first was a 5 foot shredder that my brother had used, and used, and used. It was worn, but he sold it to me for $25, and I put another $18 into it. That was 8 years ago, and it still shreds.

Next came a 1950's model two row "Lister" planter. We bought this at an auction for $7. It has worked wonderfully for the past 5 years.

About 3 years ago, I drug home two John Deere Model "L" manure spreaders. I gave $25 to the man who owned them and hauled them out of his fence row. I spent about $20 on nuts and bolts for one, and it has been slingin' rather well since.

Now comes tonight. I was making some eggs and pancakes for supper (breakfast for supper thing this weekend....) when the phone rang. It was a friend of mine who lives about 15 miles southwest of here. He told me he had a plow to GIVE me.

Naturally, I hemmed and hawed....

RIGHT...

He came over about 30 minutes later to drop it off. I THINK it's a Model #52 on steel from the mid 1940's. The coulters are gone (one mount is actually an IH mount...), and a few other pieces will need TLC, but it's in pretty good shape.



With this type of plow, you get to the end of the furrow, pull a rope, and the plow rides a "dog" in the wheel hubs to pull out of the ground. When you are ready to start plowing again, you pull the rope again, and it rides back down to engage the ground.

It's been about 30 years since I plowed with one, so it will be a learning experience all over again.

At any rate, I am glad to have it, and very thankful that Kirk was thinking of me when he found it.

I am up to just under $100 for 4 pieces of usable equipment.

The green paint to cover them all will probably cost more then that.....