522 East North Street Brandon, Wisconsin 53919
The sun beamed warm on my back, but the occasional snowflake
that fluttered down was a sign from Mother Nature that it was time
to neatly pack them away for another year. A feeling of
disappointment seemed to linger in the air as Dad drained the water
out of each relic. To an outsider they appear to be piles of steel,
but to Harris Ferch they are relics of the past transformed by
pride and hard work into shining productive machinery prepared to
meet any task presented them.
In the 20 x 30 foot shed cowers a tiny 1945 Farmall A. It is in
good condition since all parts and paint are original. Harris
bought the Farmall A in 1958 to handle the three acre plot of land
which he and his wife had just acquired. The A might have looked
small to some, but it was ideal for the task at hand; it could
handle a one-row cultivator, a disk, a quack-digger, or a single
row plow.
Next to the tiny A towers the big burly 1937 Farmall 10-20. This
was Dad’s first real adventure at restoration. It had been
painted red, white, and blue for America’s Bicentennial. The
tires were leaking fluid, and the fenders had a million dents in
them. With sandpaper, time, and love, Dad brought that 10-20 back
to life. He even used hair spray to make the tires shine like new.
He has always treated this as his baby, his pet, even though it
just about jiggles him to death each time he drives it in a
parade.
Next to it proudly stands the 1938 F-20. When Dad found this
tractor the color scheme was at least right, or was that red color
really just rust. Well I can assure you, there is no rust on it
anymore. His love and imagination renovated that tractor into a
raving beauty ready for a date with any four-bottom plow, or
supplying the horsepower (guts) it takes to run the
McCormick-Deering threshing machine which is carefully tucked away
in another shed.
Squeezed into the north corner is the 1954 Super W-6. Dad
spotted this tractor in 1991, hidden from sight behind a barn near
Brandon. Aided by his wife and his grandson Mike, he carefully
restored that Super W-6 to showroom quality. Because of the time
and love involved in this project, the Super W-6 holds a special
place in the hearts of all the family. The tractor was even entered
in the local 4-H fair as a restoration project and received a blue
ribbon.
Next to the Super W-6 stands the tiny McCormick-Deering corn
binder. It may be tiny, but it gets the job done. Around September,
neighbors curiously watch as Dad and the A pull the binder through
the rows of corn with Mom faithfully riding the binder on behind.
The family is called together to shock the bundles. Recalling the
past when he shocked 20 acres of corn with his own father, Dad
reconstructed, from memory, a corn-shocking device to help stand up
the bundles of corn before they are tied into shocks. During each
harvest Dad prays the corn will dry fast so that it can be shredded
before neighborhood goblins try to tip over the shocks on Halloween
night. When the corn is dry, the family reunites for a day of
shredding and merriment. As I am dreaming to myself, I accidentally
say out loud, ‘See Dad, we may grumble a lot but the family
really enjoys helping you reenact your dreams of the past.’ Dad
answers, ‘What?’ but quickly goes back to his work since
the winter air is starting to chill his aching elderly bones.
Dad had all of his ‘babies’ put to bed in this shed, so
it is time to move on to the garage. I followed him to the garage,
but not consciously knowing why. As Dad opened the overhead door,
Felix, their cat, ran out. Dad mumbled, ‘Stupid cat!’ Felix
likes to sleep on the feeder platform of the 1935 New Idea
husker-shredder. Down deep, Dad has a soft spot for Felix and
doesn’t mind him taking a catnap on the shredder as long as he
doesn’t scratch the paint. This piece of posterity was also
originally purchased from the heirs of an old friend. Tucked around
the shredder is the 1951 Farmall H. Several years ago, Dad hauled
it home and dismantled it, piece by piece. When the weather got too
cold to work in his shop, he hauled each piece to the basement to
sand it down. The job looked endless to others, but as Dad sanded,
he dreamed of spring when his latest creation could be repainted.
Mike developed an allergy to paint fumes, and Mom seems to get
busier each year with her gardening, greenhouse, and sewing, but
Dad refuses to let the McCormick-Deering-Farmall legacy die.
Squeezed ahead of the family car is the 1926 Farmall Regular. It
sure shines now, but was a total basketcase when it arrived. It
hadn’t run for years and someone had either started to tear it
apart to fix it, or had just swiped parts from it to fix something
else. Dad and Mike rummaged through several tractor junk yards
before finding the missing pieces. Again the legacy lives on.
Everyone seems to fight over the opportunity to drive this tractor
in parades. I’m not sure why, I’m just proud that his son,
sons-in-law, and grandsons drive the legacy of the past down the
parade route with pride in their hearts and smiles on their
faces.
By the way, 1995 marked the beginning of another legacy. A
female Ferch heir was allowed to drive one of his pets in a parade
for the first time; my daughter Patty drove the 1945 Farmall A in
the annual Pickett Gas & Steam Club Thresheree Parade. In 1996,
the female Ferchs built a float for the Pickett parade entitled,
‘Behind every good man, is a good woman!’
Back to the business at hand. Dad has put the final baby to
sleep. As he closes the overhead door, again I let my thoughts spew
aloud, ‘Why did a man who farmed with John Deeres all of his
life end up collecting Farmalls?’ He replied, ‘What do you
say?’
P. S. Just in case anyone wants to know why all of those people
are wearing the same shirts in the picture, Dad’s three
children, three in-laws, 12 grandchildren and wife all wore custom
made Ferch’s Farmall shirts for Christmas last year to show
their love and support for his legacy. As you can see by the smile
on his face, he loves those Farmalls just as much as we love
him.
