Christmas came early this year. Oct. 19, 2009
This tractor was sitting out on RT 522 Sunday with a sign saying "Tractor and Implements $1500 OBO". The owner was a young guy, maybe mid 20s. He said the tractor was his father's and had been in the family since it was new. The engine has recently been rebuilt and runs great. It has been sitting out for at least two weeks with a few tire-kickers but no offers. I made him an offer of $1000, without seeing what he had for implements, SOLD. We had to wait until Monday to get some money from the bank. Monday evening I found out that it came with a bush hog, plow, blade, and cultivator. Then, when I was loading implements Monday night, they told me the 4'disc and 6'disc that also go with the tractor are down the road at an aunt's house, Woo Hoo!
It was obviously more than my trailer would hold. I was planning to make several trips, but they also had a trailer, so I paid the guy's brother an extra $50 to help me get the stuff home. We loaded implements on the two trailers and made a quick run up RT 522 to the house. When he saw where we lived, he told me we didn't need a tow truck for the tractor. His family owns all the property in-between. All we had to do was cross RT 522 and go trail riding for about 3 miles. We could easily make it before dark. Great! He jumped on a 4-wheeler to lead the way. The plan was working right up to the point that the tractor ran out of gas. Yes we checked it, and it looked like there was plenty in the tank. However, halfway home, in the middle of a cornfield, it sputtered for the last time, and died. I had already opened the reserve by then, Bummer.
There was no moon Monday night, none, so it got very dark, very fast. It also got very quiet, lonely, and spooky waiting for the 4-wheeler to come back with gas. All I could see was stars, and the looming shadow of trees around the cornfield. All I could hear were bugs and some cows in the next field talking about the tractor that just ran out of gas. They seemed happy, I was probably their best entertainment of the season. As the minutes creeped slowly by, the trees seemed to get taller, darker, and more ominous. Every once in a while there were strange noises from the woods. My imagination insisted on turning those into a hungry pack of vermicious knids.
Eventually the guy came back with a buddy in a 4x4 and some gas. Of course the headlights on the tractor didn't work, but with the 4-wheeler in front and 4x4 behind, off we went. What they had forgotten to tell me is that the trails would get much worse before they got better. Have you ever been mud-bogging, at night, on a 2-wheel drive farm tractor? It only took about an hour, but seemed like several hours of wallowing through mud holes and navigating ravines without actually being able to see what we were getting into until we were in it. At times muddy water was up past the running boards. I do not remember any actual major mountain ranges, swamps, or rivers near our house, but it sure seemed like we found all of that and more.
We made it! That was FUN! (in a scary, twisted, wet, cold, muddy, way that most normal people wouldn't understand) GRIN.
