My first tractor was, I’m pretty sure, blue, so almost certainly a Ford from the late sixties or early seventies. The tractor that I remember much more was the second, a legendary Ford 8N.
I was thinking about that tractor this week (that’s a 1949 model pictured) while doing some serious shopping for a lawn tractor for our lovely property in Western Head. The combination of lots of grass, lots of ticks, and lots of time better spent elsewhere, meant that I want something that will keep the grass under control and help out on other jobs, possibly including snow removal.
The challenge is that there’s a lot of brand loyalty when it comes to lawn tractors, often from people who have never had experience with a “real” tractor, so advice is not always entirely useful. It’s one of those times when some real research is due.
The number-one name, at least around here, is John Deere. The green and yellow workhorses are an obvious first choice, but they’re also not cheap - maybe $3200 to start, plus accessories. Plus that damnable HST at 15%. That’s for an entry-level machine, not a “serious” tractor.
After that you’re talking about names like Cub Cadet, TroyBilt, Kubota and Husqvarna . And of course all of the oddball Chinese-made non-brands and store brands…
So it’s been week of checking and comparing horsepower, mower width, accessories, and a dozen other things to get an idea of what looks good, then Googling reviews to see how the reputation survives.
And then there’s the question of whether it’s better to pick up something used for a couple of thousand dollars less. The factor here is that these are the kind of small-engined machines that tend to roll along great for a few years and then one day just die a horrible death. They’re also, it’s true, often abused.
Still, any task that reminds me of Farquahr is a good job. Incidentally, the guys from Farquahr are still around!
Suddenly this evening I realising that in some ways I can track large parts of my life by the tractors that I have owned or driven. Sometimes it was the Ford 8N with a big red Bush Hog behind it laying waste to anything that grew there. Sometimes it was the relatively suburban riding lawn mowers that do an OK job on the grass, but nothing else.
That second memory came back this evening, about twenty minutes ago, on the way into town for a bottle of wine from the NSLC store. I turned on our local community radio station QCCR, and found Vina Moses, QCCR's Queen of Country Music, and the bluegrass part of the show.
Suddenly it was time for a blast from the past, Jeff White’s cover of the Doc Boggs’ classic “Wise County Jail.”
I actually lived for a few years in Wise County, Virginia, and surely knew this song well.
The thing that I’m reminded of is that in Appalachia, and in the Maritimes, the focus is on the local. Stories, songs, gossip are all about people, places and events that are just down the road. It’s about sharing traditions and songs, passing them down from one generation to the next. And it’s about the masters of traditional music understanding that teaching and sharing with the young pickers is an important part of their job.
I’m thinking that this is why I seem to keep returning to living in small towns or rural places. The anonymity of large urban centers and the endless desire in Canada to obliterate the past in favour something new and shiny, just don’t suit me. I like the towns that keep their old buildings, and old theatres, and old traditions.
Incidentally, here’s the original Doc Boggs version. (Shout out of course to WMMT Radio, and Rich Kirby’s “Deep In Tradition.”)