All farm toy collectors can sit down and share a story about how when they were a kid, they had that favorite farm toy and suddenly it went from the field to the junkyard in a matter of seconds.  Fortunately for children today, numerous parts suppliers and restoration services are able to get those farm toys up and running again.  In the past, when a farm toy was broken, it usually found its way to the trashcan.  Below are some stories that collectors decided to share with us:

I remember one time when I was very young my 86 series pedal tractor was run over by the stock trailer.  The rear tires were completely smashed and the rear axle was bent.  Not knowing of any companies who sold the parts, it was either going to the junkyard or my dad had to find some tires.  Luckily, he had a machine shop put on a set of pulling tires.  The only problem in the end was the pedal tractor didn’t steer like it did before. ~ Michael G. Henry

I grew up on red tractors. My first toy was an IH 460 from Ertl. It was my first toy tractor at age three. I was probably a bit too young at the time for such a toy but growing up a farm having a toy tractor is a must. I pretty much trashed this tractor in no time flat. The 460 was replaced by a new 1206 for my 6^th birthday . This tractor shows it hours of play but is in ok shape. P.S. I am a long time subscriber to The Toy Tractor Times and like what you are doing to an old favorite. ~ Robert Pope

 I remember my brother and I breaking several 1/16th tractors as kids. The most common problems were of course the inevitable bending of the front wheels. We would stand up and push the tractors all over the carpets, yard and sandbox while putting out weight on them. Most all of ours tractors had front wheels, which were extremely towed out. We mainly ran 1586's back in those days. I also had a JD 4430, which I had gotten from my uncle. That tractor suffered the same fate as the 1586's, except that its right front tire was ripped clean off and the spindle broken out of it. My grandfather fixed that up with some heavy wire, so we got many more years of use out of it on our farm. ~ Jason Rhodes

In 1980 my dad purchased a new 1460 Axial-Flow combine. The dealer gave him a toy Axial-Flow for me. I thought it was the best toy ever with the rolling bats and swing out auger. I played with toy everyday and would have taken it to bed if mom had let me. I was only five years old at the time and just wore the combine out. The auger broke off and the gear came apart on the header. A few years ago I purchased a new Axial-Flow for $40 at a toy show but still keep my original on the shelf. ~ Dan Smith

An 1/16th International 6388 that fell off the toy box and the back axle broke off.  Was the frist tractor that I have ever had.  Ended up getting another one though still have the old one in the new ones box.  Ryan Brunink 

My family has farmed with Case for years. Our farm still has Case tractors on it. I was only one when Case and IH merged so I never knew a time when new Case tractors were white. One of my favorite tractors on the farm is our 2590. My older brother got one when the 2590 came to the farm. He handed it down to me. It is well played with but still a favorite. I was thinking about getting it restored but Ertl fixed the problem when they released a remake of the 2590 last year. ~ Matt Bradford

I have always had a soft spot for Allis-Chalmers. One my favorite child hood toys was the 190 tractor. It came in a set with a plow and disk. It got many hours in the sand box plowing perfect furrows as I watched my dad and grandfather working in the field with their AC tractors. When I turned 10 I thought it would be good to touch up the old sandbox 190. I used orange model paint from K-Mart. It did not work out so well. It did not match and I got more on the tires than the tractor. The implements are long lost but I still have the 190. ~ Jim Simpson

I had a IH 3588 that I broke the rear axle off on which was my favorite. I also had a maroon belly AC 7060, 7045, and 8010 that I basically wore out that I wish I still had now.  JB

I had a 7150 Magnum FWA.  Due to excessive use, the front "axle" wore the whole in the rim down so much that it was no longer snug enough to stay on.  I remember, I was mowing, and it fell off.  I just swapped the front rim from my brother Duetz Allis when he wasn't looking.  Andrew

I had a 7800 row crop 2wd and my mom broke the hitch off. It was my everything tractor. Didn’t know a lot about grain carts then but it would bale spread plant pull the chopper move the chopper wagons.  Dairy farmer 2

I had a 2755 that had the loader on it. I played with it everyday until I left it outside & my dad ran over it. My brother had a nice ford 8000. Wish it were in good condition today. Justin toyfarmer2003

One tractor I wish I never played with is the John Deere 7520. I got for Christmas in 1974. It was the best toy ever. I would sit on the roof and ride it up and down the hall way in our house. I drove my mom crazy doing that. It was a neat toy with four big tires and a bending frame. Latter I got a center fold disk to pull with it. Unfortunately as I got older my interest turned from toy tractors to other things. After I started visiting ToyTractorShow.com I got back into tractor collecting with more of a focus on 1/64. With my renewed interest I dug around in the barn and found the remains of my old 7520. It is just hulk of die-cast now with the front axle and cab missing. I was surprised to see just the front half of a 7520 at the last toy show with a price tag of $100. I wish mine was whole again. ~ John Taft

TTT May 2003 Page 10

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