SLEEPING BEAUTY

Dennis Turner grew up on a farm in Ohio, US, and one tractor that was always there throughout his childhood was the family’s Fordson Model F. However, young Dennis never actually saw the tractor move, or even heard it running. The Fordson was always parked up in the lower part of the barn and never moved from that spot.

Relegated

The reason for the tractor’s lack of activity was that back in 1948, a year before Dennis was born, the Fordson F had suffered a connecting rod and piston failure. This resulted in it being parked up for decades. Meanwhile, the failed Fordson F was replaced by a Farmall C, and there was little in the way of spare time to spend resurrecting an old-fashioned and outdated little tractor like the Fordson F.

“I never heard or saw the old Fordson running or doing any sort of task on the farm,” recalls Dennis, “but I remember that the rear fender made an excellent support for a radio, so I could play music while doing chores in the barn!”

Slumbering heirloom

So, when Dennis restored the tractor, it was