Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them: How to Keep Your Tractors Happy and Your Family Running (Paperback)

by Roger Welsch (Author) "One day, shortly after acquiring The Fantasizer and facing some maintenance work on Sweet Allis, I was up in the town tavern talking with my..." (more)
Key Phrases: restoring old tractors, detente spring, tractor restoration, Allis Chalmers, The Giltner, Bubba Ring (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Anyone who has spent more time than they care to admit in the garage will enjoy noted humorist Roger Welsch's exploration of the do's and don'ts of tractor restoration. He offers invaluable advice and discusses resources, tools, shop equipment, and the relationship that develops between old machines and their owners. Illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: MBI (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760301298
• ISBN-13: 978-0760301296
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,962 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Tractors, January 21, 2008

By	A. D. Cox (northern PA, USA) - See all my reviews

Old Tractors


I find myself on a back road, late at night, with a flat tire. It's not snowing heavy--well, not yet--but there are flurries dancing in the beam of my headlights. Okay, headlight--I still haven't fixed the passenger side headlight after I hit that deer. I take the flat off. I hate having to do anything with my car. I am male and so I am obliged to pretend I know something about cars. I mean, if there is steam coming out from under my hood, I will open the hood and stare at the engine just like I am diagnosing the problem. All the time, I am hoping someone will stop by and help, or at least offer me a shotgun so I may put the car out of my misery, but hey, I can handle a flat...

I believe that's why I find the tractor books by Roger Welsch so appealing. The first rule of writing is to write what you know. If you write all you know, and you don't learn anything new, then what is there to write about? Welsch is a retired college professor from Nebraska who was about as mechanical as myself. He had never even changed the oil in his car. He still doesn't, and so what could be more natural than writing a book about how to get rusted piece of iron running again?

Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them is about rebuilding a 1937 Allis Chalmers WC tractor. Welsch is a folklorist and humorist who has appeared on the CBS News Sunday Morning program with a segment called "Postcards from Nebraska". There's lot old Rog doesn't know, and he's the first to admit it. "Okay, so I don't know many of the answers," explains Roger. "Thing is, most books like this are written by experts who have forgotten the kinds of problems beginners like me run into." He may not have all the answers, but he knows all the questions.

So, why restore an old tractor? Well, for one reason everything is right there. You don't even have to lean over to reach the oil filter. It's at waist level, right where any sensible person would expect it to be. An Allis WC has exactly four wires, one to each spark plug, which sits right out in plain sight. You don't need a lot of tools to work on them. It was understood by the manufacturer that these tractors were going to be worked on by a farmer without a lot of time and who owned a couple of wrenches, a screwdriver with a broken tip, and a hammer.

Sometimes, it is just as important to know what not to do, and Roger gives many examples of his mistakes. For example, you should never eat peanuts in the shop. Anyone who has ever had red squirrels in their attic can identify with the why. These little pests will stash peanuts in transmissions, valve covers, rag boxes, and everywhere else they can squirm.

There's some good solid advice for a mechanical novice. Welsch covers the basics like the shop, tools, safety equipment, and resources. He does all this with a quirky sense of humor, observations on life, and how to manage to stay married while dragging home yet another pile of orange rust. He makes tractor-restoring sound therapeutic and fun and heck, I feel like even I could do it. If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out his follow-up, Busted Tractors and Rusty Knuckles. Thing is, learning is a process. Hmm, maybe instead writing what I know, I'll write about what I want to know...


Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" and editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Look at Old Tractors, January 18, 2000

By A Customer

This has been one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time. Makes Tractor restoring sound like anyone could do it (he says he had never changed the oil in his car). If you are not sure whether you want to restore antique farm tractors, this books for you. You'll be tractor hunting when you finish it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You have to read this book!, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This book is one the antique tractor restorer - and anyone with an interest in tractors or machinery - *must* read. Welsch's humor and tales add a great deal to the subject matter - I laughed out loud a number of times while reading the book. There are many not-so-obvious and simple-but-great ideas about working on old equipment, all of which are presented from the viewpoint of a person that considered himself a very beginning amateur (he had never even changed his own engine oil). This book is understandable and enjoyable regardless of your skill level or mechanical ability - I suspect many will read it just for the humor.