Makeshift Tractor Still Going Strong

Makeshift Tractor Still Going Strong “Back in the 1940s, it wasn’t really possible to buy a new tractor, so my father put together a Model A Ford from the parts and pieces he could come up with,” says 90-year-old Linus Schraner. “The rear end actually came from a 1 1/2-ton truck.” This method was common in those years, as tractors were a large investment and parts were scarce. Farmers often took older tractors apart, rebuilt, repaired and reassembled them. “The Model A was our main machine back then and the first piece of equipment I ever drove,” Schraner says. “It’s been around a long time, and we still run it today and play around with it a few times a year to keep it limbered up.” The 1931 Model A’s 4-cyl. gas engine is original, although it’s been overhauled. The tractor boasts two transmissions for a low and higher gear ratio, a governor made from the generator, and a belt pulley. Schraner used the belt drive to run a 9-in. Deere hammer mill and a cutoff saw to cut firewood. The makeshift tractor has pulled a 1956 New Holland hay baler, a 6-ft. tandem disc, a 14-in. mounted plow, a binder to cut small grain, and hauled grain bundles to the family’s threshing machine. “When it got warmed up, it ran well, but in the dark, you could see the exhaust glow red hot,” he says. Schraner still takes the Model A to town for get-togethers and to show it off. He says the cherished tractor will stay in the family. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Linus D. Schraner, 11150 Urban Rd., Derby, Ind. 47525 (ph 812-719-2079).

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