“How Far Do You Go To Get Your Tractors?”

I thought this would be a good subject to write about since this is a common question. The first ten tractors I restored required twenty tractors to get the quality parts I needed to complete the ten restorations. Since I live in Monroe Michigan the most distance I traveled was over 500 miles to pick up three of them in Tennessee. The others were purchased closer to home in Michigan and Ohio.

My intentions were to stop at ten restorations until my good friend John Locke from Missoula Montana notified me of 8-N serial number 275 being offered for sale on E-Bay. It is rare to have the opportunity to purchase such a low serial number especially since over 545,000 were made. I immediately contacted the seller who was located in Minnesota and requested numerous pictures. It is extremely difficult to purchase anything from pictures so there is a lot of trust that must take place. When the sale ended I was the winner of 8-N serial number 275.

Because of my show schedule I was not able to pick up my purchase for two weeks, the seller required payment in full at the end of the sale, which I immediately sent to him by United States Postal Service Overnight delivery and arrived at his door four days later.

In a review of the map I discovered it was 890 miles one way, to pick up the tractor. I was planning to attend a show in Northern Michigan so decided to combine the trips. The shortest distance was to take a ferry across Lake Michigan from Ludington Michigan to Manitowoc Wisconsin. On Friday August 15, 2003 I boarded the Lake Michigan Car Ferry, the S.S. Badger and was on my way to Minnesota. I called the seller of the tractor the night before I arrived at my destination and he said he would meet me at a gas station in the small town the next morning. We met and drove to where the tractor was located. Surprisingly the tractor was as described and even exceeded my expectations. After loading the tractor I had a choice to either return through the large congested cities of Minneapolis and Chicago, return on the ferry, (very expensive), or return through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My choice was the lesser-populated route through Michigan so I headed for Duluth Minnesota to get on Route 2 and travel to St. Ignace Michigan. From there I crossed the Mackinaw Bridge connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan and headed home. My total mileage for the trip was 1755 miles, which covered three states and a ferry trip across one of the Great Lakes. To give you an idea of the distance that can be traveled in one state, I checked my mileage when I entered Michigan from Wisconsin. Upon my arrival at home I had traveled 660 miles in Michigan.

This tractor will be restored sometime in the future and with the low serial number I hope to find a home for it in a museum.

Click Pics to Enlarge

Serial Number 8N 275

Ready to load on the Lake Michigan car ferry SS Badger

Loaded ready to leave for home.  Previous owner poses with tractor

Lake Superior from Ashland WI

Lake Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Mackinaw Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan
 
 
How Far Do I Go?