Classic Tractors BECOME DAILY DRIVERS

Lots of people like to stop in at McDonald’s for a cup of coffee, but most of them don’t pull up on an antique Massey-Harris tractor. For Barry Hatch, though, the 2-mile jaunt on a tractor is a great start to the day. “People come out and take a look,” he says.

Barry enjoys keeping his fleet of eight antiques on the road — in season. “I take the tractors all over,” he says. “We have parades in Princeton every year, so I get my tractors into those.” In the summer, he and likeminded friends occasionally drive tractors to restaurants in neighboring towns. “I have umbrellas for the tractors, and we have wide-open spaces here and good roads, so it’s nice to go,” he says. “These Masseys are real fast, so I can get around.”

His interest is rooted in nostalgia. “When I was a little boy, my dad, Howard Hatch, bought the first rubber-tired tractor — a 1936