Restoring old tractors to their prime gives a retiree job security

June 22nd, 2010 | Tags:

You will find hundreds of decades of history lined up in Junior VanderGiesen’s “bone yard” in Smith Center, Kan.–from scrap tractors utilised for elements to plows that will only fit on their two-cylinder counterparts, even a cotton implement VanderGiesen couldn’t stand to find out go towards scrap iron pile.

VanderGiesen’s history
VanderGiesen and his sons purchase, market and trade tractors and parts, as well as collect two-cylinder tractors. But for the elder VanderGiesen, restoring two-cylinder tractors is becoming a full-time hobby.
“Been performing it rather a spell. We’ve continually piddled with them,” he stated. “Dad accustomed to say that, when I used to be 7 many years older, he purchased an old engine and left me with it when he went to go milk the cows. I had the engine operating through the time he came back.”
VanderGiesen began doing work for that John Deere dealership in Downs, Kan., and moved to Smith Center, Kan., in 1973. He worked 44 years as services manager for John Deere, retiring lately.
“When we moved up here, we had an extra good deal at the house, and we began getting unwanted tractors to part out for iron. Then we commenced repairing them up,” VanderGiesen stated. “Back then, I just worked on them for just a hobby–restoring them.”
With VanderGiesen’s expertise working as being a support manager, he had a good amount of training for his activity.
“It’s been a trial and error process when repairing the tractors, particularly with the older stuff,” he explained. “I turned as several wrenches when I was program manager at John Deere, as being the mechanics did back again then.”
Restoration course of action
Now VanderGiesen works on primarily two-cylinder John Deere tractors, but is commencing to work on some 4010 and 4020s. He primarily fixes his personal tractors, but one son is helping other people get their tractors restored.
“The two-cylinders are starting up to obtain picked over pretty terrible,” he claimed. “Prices are acquiring so large, generally since there are obtaining to be a smaller amount and a smaller amount of them.”
VanderGiesen buys his tractors at all stages of disrepair.
“Sometimes you tend not to have a very choice while using the condition these are in,” he mentioned. “I attempt to get the lower quantities (serial amounts).”
When VanderGiesen gets a tractor in to do the job on, he will entirely overhaul it–go as a result of almost everything from the transmission on the hydraulics towards the bearings and also the engine.
If he functions on a task often, he can get a single fixed up in about four months–that is, if he can discover all the locations. But he doesn’t need to look far, as he carries a fairly extensive two-cylinder salvage backyard at the rear of his shop.
“If we usually do not have it, we buy it new off an individual else,” VanderGiesen said. “We also rebuild elements on our personal or invest in rebuilt.”
He does his looking for parts the old-fashioned way, as well.
“I’ve by no means been very much for the World-wide-web. I know exactly where the yards are and just start calling close to,” he explained. “My brother in Iowa features a (salvage) garden and I use his pieces hotline.”
The components hotline was important to VanderGiesen when he was operating for John Deere, and he kept the process when he retired.
“We familiar with do that with John Deere–the hotline,” he claimed. “We ended up ready to find out what’s in existence as they’re hooked to the yards.”
But it is less complicated to start out a restoration task having a tractor that seriously isn’t in too negative of affliction.
“I won’t purchase a rusted up mess–one that’s stood in drinking water or been opened as much as water. No value in it besides the iron,” VanderGiesen stated. “There are individuals tractors which have complications that may be fixed.”
VanderGiesen normally keeps the ones he’s restored for a while. He’s obtained a 530 that’s in around perfect affliction. It sits all shined up outside his Smith Middle look.
“With the 530, I positive like the way in which it runs.”
Look of restored tractors is very important, and VanderGiesen leaves the painting to the professionals.
“I will not paint. I’ve a guy paint them for me,” VanderGiesen claimed. “There’s a kid using a body shop up north of Kensington (Kan.) that painted some of my tractors. He painted the 730 all fuel, as well as the community system shop painted the 530.”
VanderGiesen also has some implements as nicely as plows, and pointed out a plow that would only suit a John Deere H tractor–one of the completely restored tractors he has in his shop. He also has several “walk-behind” plows or those people pulled by horses.
Proudly displayed
VanderGiesen also likes to display off his difficult perform, as well. He has taken several of his tractors to nearby shows which includes types in Mankato, Downs, Kensington and Aged Settlers Day–”The Way They Were” in Smith Center, Kan., and a person in Steele City, Neb.
He also is for the committee for any community “plow day time,” as properly since the Old Settlers Day–”The Way They Were” event.
“They try to possess a “plow day” in April, but it is been acquiring pushed back again to July because of wet weather and wheat harvest,” he explained. “Around 40 or 50 guys get together, 35 average–just depending on what is going on.”
The group finds a nearby farmer who will permit them to plow their field.
“Normally it is usually 80 to 160 acres. We can plow 120 acres in 4 hours,” VanderGiesen explained. “With no-till, it really is been tough obtaining guys who will allow us plow. But we still use a few which will let us.”
Participants can bring their own plows, but VanderGiesen features a handful of extras that he loans out.
VanderGiesen also goes to some couple of other plow days locally, plus a couple of in Nebraska.
“It’s having being quite a pastime.”
What the future holds
VanderGiesen plans to continue his retirement hobby till he is not physically in a position to perform it anymore.
“People have told me I bleed green, but I will not know about that,” he stated.
Although he’s only totally restored six or seven tractors from commence to finish, and got a few hundred up and operating, Junior VanderGiesen is much from slowing down, himself.
Kylene Orebaugh

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