Jim Fetty, of North Jackson, Ohio, who started collecting and
restoring antique tractors five years ago at age 13, now has a
total of 13-11 John Deere and two Case.
Jim’s story was recently told in Farm and Dairy
Weekly, published at Salem, Ohio, which granted us permission
to quote. The way he started is picturesquely related by Judy C.
Wolford:
‘The very first tractor came from the woods on his
uncle’s farm. The uncle’s father had torn the tractor
apart, but before he could get the tractor back together, he died
and the tractor continued to sit in the woods. After many years,
the woods grew up around the tractor and its parts.
‘To get the tractor back to the Fetty residence, many of the
tractor parts had to be dug up as they had been covered over. A
tree had grown through the radiator. But finally the tractor and
its parts made it to the Fetty home. The parts and tractor were
cleaned up and then rebuilt. The radiator with the tree growing
through it was also repaired and is still in the tractor
today.’
Jim, now a seasoned restorationist, estimates that a tractor
‘in really bad shape’ costs about $300 these days-and
that’s the kind he likes to find.
He starts from scratch, taking off all removable parts. Then he
repairs all parts, replaces any that are missing, and proceeds with
total restoration. He estimates one winter, while going to school,
was needed to redo each tractor.
He repaints the John Deere tractors in Deere color, and spends
part of each summer exhibiting at fairs and shows. He has been a
regular exhibitor at the Canfield Fair since he started. He began
by hauling water and cutting wood for the steam engine exhibit with
his tractor.
He held the distinction of being the youngest member of the
Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association. He has also won two
awards for ag mechanic work at the Joint Vocational School and two
for welding at Jackson-Milton High School.
The family travels to Medina, Cortland, Kirtland, Dover and
LaGrange for Ohio shows, and exhibit at Hookstown, Meadville,
Clintonville and Porterville, and at Portland, Indiana, their
biggest event.
Jim uses a 1953 Chevrolet truck, painted Deere green, to haul
his tractors on a flatbed. He would like to find a 1960 Deere
diesel 830 to pull with.
You might think he spends all his time looking for ancient
tractors and restoring them, but he does have a job-as a painter of
school buses and dump trucks for Myers Equipment Co.
He has this poem framed:
Bring along those heavy loads that other
tractors fear:
And I will show you how to pull it
with a smile and an Old John Deere
and after I have convinced you,
you will be asking me to tell
why the Old John Deere is still pulling
and the rest are Shot to Hell!
The article and photo were sent to us by Jim’s mother, Mrs.
William Fetty, who notes that he has been a GEM
subscriber for five years. She adds: ‘He and his Dad wait for
it to come and read it from cover to cover.’