MONROE - They have pulled plows across American soil for more than 100 years. Today, many of them still are in the fields, and carrying stories of history of the United States and its farm families.
Farmall Days, hosted by the Country Store south of Monroe, featured about 30 International Harvester tractors on Saturday and Sunday.
Restored IHC McCormick Farmalls, mostly from the 1940s and 1950s, stood like sentinels forming the front line of the sea of red.
Roger Disch, Verona, and Darold Albertson, New Glarus, spent several hours Saturday in the shade under the Country Store tent, drinking sodas and telling stories about their first loves - the IHCs. Albertson even has on his prepared tombstone a big "M," for the favorite series in the Farmall family.
"Red is beautiful," he said.
"If it's not red, leave it in the shed," Disch said.
Disch said a gallon of the famous red paint can cost up to $375. Fortunately, he can get the three or four necessary coats out of one can. But to get the painting done requires scraping with a wire brush and then primer, buffing in between the three red coats, then a clear coat, and finally shining. He spent between November and March painting his last tractor.
The decals take a long time to line up just right, he said.
Owners can have as much as $10,000 tied up in parts and labor in just one of their darlings.
The red tractors' lovers seem to be mostly men, who just shrug and grin about their obsessions.
"I just love 'em," said Larry Knouse, Monroe, who owns 13 Farmalls.
But Albertson warns "if you're going to collect antique tractors you need a (tractor enthusiast) woman to go with them."
He lost all his antique tractors in a divorce, and had to start collecting all over, he said.
He once bought a tractor for $500, when another man wanted to sell it before his wife came home; they were going through a divorce, too. Albertson's now up to 14.
Disch made a deal with his wife; if she didn't buy another horse, he'd sell a tractor.
Ben Tredinnick, Monroe, who owns no tractors, said he's "partial to Farmall H and M" series because his dad had them.
The Bartels family has restored the 1947 M Farmall of their father, John Bartels, Sr.
"It took two years to completely rebuild," grandson Nick Bartels said. "Of course, that's because nobody was paying us to restore this one."
The tractor has been restored to its original condition. Even its original magneto was returned, found in a machine shed where it was set after being replaced with a more reliable distributor many years ago.
Nick and his father, Irv, restore antique tractors full-time. Irv's been in the business 20 years. Irv's brother Bill stops by to help as often as he can, especially to work on this special family possession.
"Tractor restoration is probably a million-dollar business," Nick said.
In fact, manufactured reproduction parts and the Internet today make restoration a bit easier than actual repairs back in the 1940s. Some companies specialize in one brand of tractor, but Nick Bartels said he and his father deal with about 15 to 20 companies, because they restore many brands.
Their M still gets to drop a plow into the ground quite often; it's still a working machine on the farm. But Bill Bartels said they are thinking seriously of getting "Old Ironsides," as their father called it, back into the tractor pulling contests.
John Bartels competed in tractor pulls for 32 years. Before that, he pulled with Belgium horses, Floyd and Harry.
According to his sons, John Bartels used to weigh down his 5,000 pound M Farmall tractor with an extra 5,000 pounds of iron weight to compete in the 10,000 pound weight class. The M series was made to pull a three-bottom plow.
Each contestant had to pass an obstacle course. If he could pass, he couldn't pull, said Irv.
John Bartels won his first contest in 1952 and his last in 1984, both of them in Belmont, where he was born.
His impressive wins got John named first into the Lafayette County Tractor-Pull Hall of Fame. They also got him three offers of $5,000 to $10,000 for his beloved "Old Ironsides" 25 years ago.
"Dad finally turned to him and said, "Don't you understand? It'll never be sold.' Dad thought so much of it," Bill said.
And it's still not for sale. It'll never be sold, they all agreed.
Bartels ordered the tractor, with a free manure spreader, from Olson Implement in South Wayne for $1,200.
"His dad said he'd never get it paid for," Irv said.
It arrived in Darlington, and was left at a John Deere dealership.
"They wouldn't drive it out to the farm," Irv said. "So Dad went to Darlington to pick it up. He drove it home seven miles in the rain.
"Dad put it in the shed, walked half-way to the house, and then stopped and turned around and just looked at it," Irv said.
There would be other tractors on the farm, but the Farmall remained the main piece of equipment and, by far, the favorite. John Bartels farmed until 1989, and always drove his M.
Bartels also helped start the Green County Tractor Pull Association, his sons said.
Farmall Days, hosted by the Country Store south of Monroe, featured about 30 International Harvester tractors on Saturday and Sunday.
Restored IHC McCormick Farmalls, mostly from the 1940s and 1950s, stood like sentinels forming the front line of the sea of red.
Roger Disch, Verona, and Darold Albertson, New Glarus, spent several hours Saturday in the shade under the Country Store tent, drinking sodas and telling stories about their first loves - the IHCs. Albertson even has on his prepared tombstone a big "M," for the favorite series in the Farmall family.
"Red is beautiful," he said.
"If it's not red, leave it in the shed," Disch said.
Disch said a gallon of the famous red paint can cost up to $375. Fortunately, he can get the three or four necessary coats out of one can. But to get the painting done requires scraping with a wire brush and then primer, buffing in between the three red coats, then a clear coat, and finally shining. He spent between November and March painting his last tractor.
The decals take a long time to line up just right, he said.
Owners can have as much as $10,000 tied up in parts and labor in just one of their darlings.
The red tractors' lovers seem to be mostly men, who just shrug and grin about their obsessions.
"I just love 'em," said Larry Knouse, Monroe, who owns 13 Farmalls.
But Albertson warns "if you're going to collect antique tractors you need a (tractor enthusiast) woman to go with them."
He lost all his antique tractors in a divorce, and had to start collecting all over, he said.
He once bought a tractor for $500, when another man wanted to sell it before his wife came home; they were going through a divorce, too. Albertson's now up to 14.
Disch made a deal with his wife; if she didn't buy another horse, he'd sell a tractor.
Ben Tredinnick, Monroe, who owns no tractors, said he's "partial to Farmall H and M" series because his dad had them.
The Bartels family has restored the 1947 M Farmall of their father, John Bartels, Sr.
"It took two years to completely rebuild," grandson Nick Bartels said. "Of course, that's because nobody was paying us to restore this one."
The tractor has been restored to its original condition. Even its original magneto was returned, found in a machine shed where it was set after being replaced with a more reliable distributor many years ago.
Nick and his father, Irv, restore antique tractors full-time. Irv's been in the business 20 years. Irv's brother Bill stops by to help as often as he can, especially to work on this special family possession.
"Tractor restoration is probably a million-dollar business," Nick said.
In fact, manufactured reproduction parts and the Internet today make restoration a bit easier than actual repairs back in the 1940s. Some companies specialize in one brand of tractor, but Nick Bartels said he and his father deal with about 15 to 20 companies, because they restore many brands.
Their M still gets to drop a plow into the ground quite often; it's still a working machine on the farm. But Bill Bartels said they are thinking seriously of getting "Old Ironsides," as their father called it, back into the tractor pulling contests.
John Bartels competed in tractor pulls for 32 years. Before that, he pulled with Belgium horses, Floyd and Harry.
According to his sons, John Bartels used to weigh down his 5,000 pound M Farmall tractor with an extra 5,000 pounds of iron weight to compete in the 10,000 pound weight class. The M series was made to pull a three-bottom plow.
Each contestant had to pass an obstacle course. If he could pass, he couldn't pull, said Irv.
John Bartels won his first contest in 1952 and his last in 1984, both of them in Belmont, where he was born.
His impressive wins got John named first into the Lafayette County Tractor-Pull Hall of Fame. They also got him three offers of $5,000 to $10,000 for his beloved "Old Ironsides" 25 years ago.
"Dad finally turned to him and said, "Don't you understand? It'll never be sold.' Dad thought so much of it," Bill said.
And it's still not for sale. It'll never be sold, they all agreed.
Bartels ordered the tractor, with a free manure spreader, from Olson Implement in South Wayne for $1,200.
"His dad said he'd never get it paid for," Irv said.
It arrived in Darlington, and was left at a John Deere dealership.
"They wouldn't drive it out to the farm," Irv said. "So Dad went to Darlington to pick it up. He drove it home seven miles in the rain.
"Dad put it in the shed, walked half-way to the house, and then stopped and turned around and just looked at it," Irv said.
There would be other tractors on the farm, but the Farmall remained the main piece of equipment and, by far, the favorite. John Bartels farmed until 1989, and always drove his M.
Bartels also helped start the Green County Tractor Pull Association, his sons said.