Bob Oakes of Casstown, Ohio, had two objectives when he got involved in restoring Wards and Custom tractors. First, he saw restoration as a way to preserve his family’s farming tradition. And second, it served to capture the heritage of a rare tractor brand.
Bob’s mechanical aptitude evolved through hands-on experience working on farm machinery at home and military equipment during his time in the service. Bob has restored eight antique farm tractors, including two Wards Model HR tractors and a John Deere Model 120 patio lawn tractor.
New tractor delivers a life-long memory
Bob learned to drive on a Wards Twin-Row tractor at age 9. With that handy tractor, he admitted to enjoying farm chores. Bob soon graduated to a Farmall
