Local Farmer Still Using Equipment From The 70s 

Best part about older equipment is that you can fix it yourself. No computers to deal with

Ah, back when the farmer bought the equipment the manufacturer never had any thought of telling them what they could and couldn't fix. Looking at you John Deere.

I think this farmer is a very smart person. No computers, no pollution equipment robbing him of horse power fuel economy, more than likely no payment to make on any equipment. And it looks like all his equipment is shedded and very well maintained. And I really liked the look on his face he was smiling and looked to be very happy.

I think the key was that he said “I’m not a big operation.” It’s cool to see somebody showing that you don’t need 10,000 acres and $10,000,000 worth of equipment to make a profit.

This man is a real farmer not a New York businessman playing farmer. All is stuff is CLEAN, cows look excellent. Much respect !

His equipment looks very clean, he is proud of what he does

It's the only way a younger farmer like me can make it in farming today. My tractor is a 1967 John Deere 4020, grinder/mixer is a 1971 or older John Deere 400, planter is a late 70's/early 80's John Deere 7000. My newest machine is a 98 Case 1845C skidloader as its hard to find older skidloaders that can lift round bales that I use for bedding. If you want net profit, use older equipment and keep it running well. I bought my grinder for $800, and have put about 1k into it over 7-8 years. A new grinder is 30k or more. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what's going to make you more money.

Equipment manufacturers refusing to share right-to-repair is killing our agriculture industry.

Way to go! Farm with fully depreciated equipment. Do what ever you can to keep the bank off your farm.

My kind of farmer! Older IH equipment that still gets the job done just fine.

I am a dairy farmer in Australia and we use old equipment all the time it might be old but it’s good

Im 25 years old living in a farm town and I love/respect old equipment especially. They where just built to last with quality and passion put into them. Never let the outdated fade away. Let them live on.

My grandfather was born in 1908. He was the baby of the family he had five older brothers and sisters. Two brothers and a sister never married, although they lived at the same home their whole lives and farmed together. My mother and father moved to California but every year we went back to see our family in Indiana. We would visit my great uncles and Aunt at their house and I thought they were dirt poor. They were grain farmers. They still used mules to work the ground up, they're harvesting equipment dated from the 30s and 40s. They were very frugal with their money, when the last brother passed away his assets divided among his final remaining and nieces and nephews. My grandfather received over a million dollars in cash, and each niece and nephew (19 in all) received close to a quarter of a million dollars. I never saw a new piece of equipment or even a new truck or car on their ranch.

Well done to the Farmer. You can see that he cares for the machinery, the animals and the land..

Newer equipment is insanely expensive both to acquire and maintain. I think the cutoff must have been when mechanical diesel injection was replaced by common rail. I bet there is a huge market for restored older equipment.

In our area 9 out of 10 farmers still use equipment from 70s 80s 90s only or partially. Stuff like old masseys, John deeres, new hollands, deutz's fendts and Ihc's/case are most common. We still farm with a ihc 553 from 1972 and a Mc Cormick D-439 from 1962

if you really look at the majority of auction sales, they have 1000 bu grain carts, $500,000 combines, 1 ton dually's, $500,000 quad tracks, etc. The rooster has come home to roost, now the auction takes place, IRS takes a 1/3, but you were a self boasting big shot while it lasted..

Not everyone has the passion he does for the older equipment. I say it’s a passion because you can clearly see that all of his stuff is clean beyond necessary and literally looks like it just rolled out of the factory without a scratch.

Need more farmers like this, I grew up in farming and I'm still around it. A lot of farmers in serious debt and one harvest away from going under and losing everything.

It ain’t that uncommon to see old tractors still in operation. Heck, we use our old IH’s as much as our new ones.. And I can absolutely agree with the electronics being the root of all problems on most new tractors.

This man will continue to succeed where others will fail.

I love the old equipment, it’s cool to see them still working

Extremely nice equipment. We still run IH equipment, it was built to last

I love nostalgia and like to see the older equipment being used. Man... all this equipment looks to be in tip top shape!

It’s the real environmental saving, reality and practicality - the honest approach!

The new stuff is fine, but the corn or beans don't grow any better from a new machine,the weather has to be right for either, nice video!!

This guy is preserving the Golden Age of American farming. ❤️🇺🇸

Nice looking equipment !! Smart businessman making it work

Its not the cost of NEW stuff...its the fact (and huge running costs long term) that new stuff is almost impossible to repair yourself. This affects pretty much every product out there...its a really sad situation for the working people...

Old school is cool! My favorite kind of machine is called paid for!

Credit to all those who have classic usable machinery. U grew up with international tractor s , I have 4 oldies and a 1980 SAME . I just found my late father's 454 hydro as a forklift. Needless to say I'm happy as is the family to know we have that piece of dad history and now making my history with international. Thankyou international

I retired three years ago. My newest tractor was a JD 4430 '76 I think and a JD4400 combine, made a good living. Easy to buy old stuff and bring it back to new. Or close to new. I can't imagine carrying a note on some of this new stuff. A tractor cost more than the first farm I bought and a $30 sensor can shut you down for the day.

Can't go wrong with Pre-80 equipment, I'd like to say that around 1983-85 is when it started to become more and more popular. But otherwise i am in the same boat, I farm with that i see is most logical finnicanial wise and of which i can easily work on and find parts for.

Good for you, sir. My dad made a sizeable living farming because he refused to go in debt for anything. He diversified everything so if it was a bad year for corn, we could fall back on beans. And in raising cattle, we would butcher one steer a year for our own meat that would go in the freezer. Good to see somebody out there still does it right. And with the faithful old IH tractor. Ours was a little bit older than that one.

Nothing wrong with old equipment red or green it gets the job done .

Need more operations like this & less cornstars!

Respect to you sir From the Republic of Ireland 🙏🇮🇪🇺🇸

You mean he didn't go millions into debt buying "efficient" modern equipment?

The older equipment is more reliable and easier to repair. We are still running a tractor from the 50`s. We have never had an old tractor shut down the road because a sensor failure.

As a diesel mechanic i tell everyone to buy old equipment pre emissions while you can. You have to take care of you're equipment and it will last

The newest equipment I’ve ever seen on my farm was a combine from the 90s. We’ve got tractors, combines, and planters from the 70s. We still have this one tractor from I’d guess the 40-50s that uses a belt instead a pto shaft. That’s used to rake hay mostly or pull wagons.

No computers, no DEF, no solienoids is why I bought my retirement tractors before I retired. They are simple CaseIH under 100 hp tractors with very few problems. Now in their 16th year and will last as long as I can get fuel for them. They have never spent a night or day outside when not in use and it shows. My hat is off to this guy for taking care of his equipment.

Beautiful equipment, Farmers are the back bone of any country. God bless the farmers, they work hard day and night, live a simple but good life.

Equipment built in the 60s 70s 80s was built to last and it can still do the same job as new stuff

My dad’s “newest” tractor was from 1983. He just retired from farming last year.

Some of the newer larger equipment is very expensive but I am sure if you have a bad season or two, the creditors will be happy to take a percentage of your farm! This man is smart and he is not prevented from working on his own equipment like the new machinery!

When stuff was built to last, tough 💪💪💪👍

A lot of farmers do, there’s a reason the ones that start with brand new equipment go bankrupt fast

This is what our family farm does. All of our equipment is from the late 70's and 80's, and NO John Deere. The price of fixing IH is bad enough, John Deere is so expensive to fix that it is insane.

God bless our hard working farmers - I hope his aging machinery lasts for decades to come. Thanks and cheers

We use a 706 & 1086 for everything. They both look worn out. Both still run strong.

Man I love those red machines. Reminds me so much of the equipment I saw in the fields as a kid

My grandparents farmed when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's and all of our tractors and equipment was from the 1920's to the 1950's. I believe our 8N Ford was the newest tractor we ever had on the place.

I LOVE the 86 series Internationals, I have a 986, 1086, 1486, and a 1466, and they are some of the most reliable and easiest tractors to fix. You can do a clutch in them in usually less than 6 hours, but with new tractors, it sometimes takes up to 10 hours just to get a tractor ready to split.

It was made good back then, it's simpler, easier to maintain, not overly complicated. It's why I drive older vehicles. Its so much easier to work on.

My hats off to this guy, man that equipment is clean! Farms like I would!

Wow, does this ever bring back memories. My dad had a 1066, 706 and and old McCormick to farm 1080 acres in Saskatchewan. They were great machines that lasted a life time.

Looks like our farm, lots & lots of old IH equipment still being used & relied on every single day, they don’t build them like they used to!

I'm no expert but I wanna say alot of farms in western pa still use old equipment. Maybe not entirely but.....like I said I'm no expert. Maybe someone else can chime in here. Hats off to this gentleman for keeping old iron going!

Looks like the equipment we farmed with, we had a 706 and an 856 and I remember thinking we had hit the big time when my dad replaced the 402 combine with a 914! Awesome stuff! 👍👍

They don't make things like that any more. 50 years from now nobody will be using today's equipment.. especially not fridges!!

Leroy has done an amazing job keeping paint on these old machines. My family has owned IH 986, 1486, 656, 486, etc. for decades and none of them look quite as snazzy as these old horses.

My dad has an IH 806 he bought new in 1966, still uses it on the farm in Minnesota.

This is a farm of dreams.

The tractor I learned to drive on as a kid was ancient even in the 1960's, a simple gasoline fed beast that was greatness.

Best part is like the gentleman said, no computers to deal with that can shut you down mid planting or harvesting and the cherry on top, no wasted money on DEF .....

I've always liked the look of those old international tractors .

If it worked then it'll work now.... 👍👍👍

Good for you! I love old stuff! Made to last. Easy to fix. You are setting a great example. Simple is better. One third the cost! Amen.

In Poland we call it monday XD My father also still use a tractor from 70s and it's Ursus C-355 that my grandfather bought brand new. Respect! :D

My father (age 86) has farmed his entire life. The newest tractor is from 1982 and the oldest from 1960, all Blue tractors all long since paid for, the same as most all of our other implements and equipment. We even had the same pick-up truck for 28 years. Whenever my father would go to the bank to get a loan, they were always approved, most the same day. But mostly, my father saved up his money and paid 50 percent in cash for every piece of equipment he bought -- he saved for 3 years to buy the new combine harvester in 1971. I have an uncle who always chided my father for never "going bigger" and getting more land and more cows and bigger tractors. My father always countered with "That just leads to bigger bills and bigger bank payments." My uncle always had to have the biggest, newest Green equipment. He didn't fix anything -- he just called the dealer and told him to bring him a new tractor or piece of equipment. My uncle did NOT treat his lenders very well, either, and he eventually lost his entire farm to the bankers. My uncle and his son have spent the last 28 year working as EMPLOYEES on the very farm they once owned. The year the bankers came calling, our small farm managed to provide hay and corn silage for my uncles cows for about 3 Months. My father and uncle still talk farming when they get together, and AFAIK my father has never berated or insulted my uncle over the loss of his farm, not even behind his back to other people. Even I don't know all the ugly details all these years later.

very smart man and wish more folks went this way.....

This is just like the kind of equipment we use to farm with. Old IH's, a couple 656s, a 460, an 806 and a 1206. A John Deere 45 combine & a New Idea 311 corn picker. A John Deere 7000 planter & 8300 grain drill. We're making it just fine. The key is to keep it all going by working on it when it's necessary. Since we don't farm much, it's almost always cheaper to work on the old stuff than to buy new.

This is the future of family farms . If the news generation are smart they will learn to look after this older equipment and keep them running. The cost of dealership mechanics now a days is very expensive as well as purchasing the new computer run machinery.

There's no peace of mind as a farmer like being debt free and older equipment can help you achieve that.

I bloody love it, I farm 600 acres in the UK 🇬🇧 still use my Fathers old Leyland 270 everyday old MB Trac from the 80s and Unimog and have a John Deere 7830 which replaced a JD 7710 which I bought second hand for £28000 22 years ago and sold for £35000 it is not so stupid after all, old is definitely way cooler!!

Easy to work on …. I’ve heard that the old IH tractors all used the same size filters and many parts were sharable and you could do the work on them yourself. Definitely economical!

Thirty, Forty year old tractors rules: 1 Keep the oil & oil filter clean 2 Clean the air filters everyday 3 Don't overload the tractor capabilities 4 Clean fuel with a storage tank filter 5 Run it at PTO Limits 6 Keep it clean especially the core of the radiator

Many farmers use old really great quality equipment. It's just the best. My father has many old Deutz Fahr harvesters and they are really reliable and can be fixed easily. He gets spare parts from other sparepart harvesters because they are so cheap and easy to get.

A lot of farmers still use old stuff, it just takes longer

My grandfather bought a Golden Jubilee in 54. It has had regular maintenance (on the farm) for it's entire life. It isn't very pretty, but it and all of it's attachments still work. My uncle has it now, and uses it every year. I have seen quite a few new tractors that can out perform it, but none have come close to outlasting it.

to this farmer you sir are very smart to keep the equipment that you have so that you can fix it yourself my hat's off to you sir

Bet he don't have issues with soil compaction ,no need for heavy machines for cereal crops

My grandpa passed away in 88. He made it through the 80’s without a nick. He had that same era of all white top Internationals. We have all Deere here, but nothing but respect for those old IH’s. Grandpa never used any chemistry, kept 1/2 the farm in pasture with cattle on it, and never sold one kernel in to the commodity system. He never bought a seed either. Unfortunately, my dad, aunts and uncles only remembered the open station tractors, the chore work, and walking livestock along the trail all the way to Chicago proper to sell them. After he died they found so many boxes of EE savings bonds the leaf broke on the Catalina station wagon they used to haul them all to the bank. I know guys like the dude in this video. Keeping it simple. I envy them. I try and keep my operation like that to an extent, only times 7, because I’m trying to set up 7 kids to have a chance at farming. I tell the kids about their great grandpa, and guide them not to be one big farm, be 7 smaller farms that share the equipment, and work together as a team.

Looks awesome. Nice work!! One thing to consider when selecting equipment is determining what your own time is worth. If you feel your time is better spent repairing old equipment and tinkering, old equipment fits well. Some operators try to maximize efficiency and time and that’s ok too. I like both.

Some of my equipment is now appreciating in value. My newest tractor is a 1966 John Deere 4020 diesel. My oldest is a John Deere B, 1946. My newest piece of equipment is a Kuhn rotary rake and a late serial number 7000 notill corn planter.

We used 1940’s John Deere’s up until the mid 80’s when the family farm was sold because of my cousin getting a lung infection from moldy hay and grain dust. Sad week. We also had 2 vintage Case tractors and one Massy Harris. Two 1950’s Dodge 6 wheeled dump trucks to haul hay and silage. Wonderful years. God Bless all farmers but especially those who still work the small family farms.🇺🇸🚒🚑🐄. By the way we had just installed a DeLaval milking parlor to replace our stanchion barn operation. Our last milking on the morning of the sale was 125 Holsteins and a few guernseys.

That guy is awesome! I can't believe how clean his equipment is even after all these years of use. Great interview!

I worked on a dairy family farm in McCordsville, IN. The owner called their silos "bankruptcy tubes"!

Beautiful equipment such a lucky man. I wish him only the best.

Love this farmer's decision to keep his equipment running! If it is doing the job, then why not maintain using it? Save $! Use less of the Earth's resources. He's recycling by re-using his equipment! Smart! It may take 2 passes to equal the new humungous machines , but I'll bet he doesn't mind that one single bit! lol! Merry Christmas!

Started helping or farming at a young age First tractor I learned to drive / run was a john deere D Grandpa had a 1941 Farmall A I now have that one plus a Farmall H Chopped silage with an IHC 856 diesel Picked ear corn with a 190 XT Allis & New Idea 2 row picker My cousin with the John Deere D ... his newest tractor is a JD 4320 My next buy is about a 1945 - 1950 IHC M Will be 65 in Sept 2023

There's a guy I my area of Michigan that uses the same tractor. Two years ago I seen it at the repair shop but seen it back this harvest season. Cheaper than buying or renting new.

That's awesome. I have an old 1-15/16 IH wrench that I got from my grandpa, I wish I had more of them.

My dad has always been behind a generation or two in equipment. We're not farmers but do dirt work and have for years now. We've still got the old 1987 Case 580k that he bought in 1997. That was his third backhoe since 1975. We've considered "upgrading" but with many of the other machines having to take a break everyday to regen their emissions systems while we keep digging and pushing dirt, we just figure, why?? That old 87 Case digs the exact same hole in the ground as most other comparable models up to the brand new ones. Sure there's no ac or laser guided digging or whatever but it'll make a whole lot of hole without the emissions system crippling it in the middle of a job!

its cool that he has all this older style equipment because it shows how much farm equipment has come up during the past couple decades but also it makes young people like me who originally wanted to start my own farm not be able to due to how much equipment costs are these days, one tractor alone is already too much

This stuff is more reliable then the new stuff. And he's not dependent on the dealership to fix it . This is why tractors from the 80's are are now increasing in value.

Atta boy Leroy!! We also only have IH 1980 ish equipment on our little farm operation.

Here in Australia, as a hobby farmer I have a Inter 786 tractor, Super AWD6 tractor , 674 Frontend loader tractor and Inter combines, all have served me well and helped me make money, nothing wrong with RED !

Looks like an average small farm around me. Love those farmers.