Driving the antique Case tractor, at the Threshing Bee

Never pass up the chance to have some fun. When I was asked if I wanted to drive this old Case tractor, I jumped at it. You can't tell it in the photo, but the tractor was moving. It was fun! I drove all around the yard, and down by where Robert was talking to some people who had an old sawmill working.

When I went by Robert, I yelled, "Hey Robert!" He looked up and saw me go by on the tractor. He got so excited, he told the saw mill people, I gotta go get pictures of my wife, she just went by here on a tractor!" They were laughing at him so hard.

I felt like a celebrity driving this because every where I went spectators stopped to take pictures of the old tractor.

There were also some old International M tractors here at the threshing bee. I couldn't help but remember the time I had the M up on the hill at Charlo in the hayfield. I was showing off for my kids and I came down the hill as fast as the old M would roll. I was on the county road. I got to the mail box, and I had planned to hit the left wheel brake hard and throw gravel all over the place, to make my kids laugh.

M tractors are designed for men, and if you're a short legged woman, and you want to use the brake or clutch pedals, you hold really tight to the steering wheel and pull against it so when you apply pressure to the pedals, you don't slide back on the old tin seat. At the point I got to the corner, I was pulling hard on the steering wheel, pushing hard on the left wheel brake, and the steering wheel came off in my hands. I was pulling so hard, the wheel came right up over my head and to keep myself from going backward off the seat, I let go of the steering wheel and grabbed the metal bar that held the seat to the tractor.

I held on tight to the bar between my legs, and frantically worked the steering brakes until the tractor came to a stop. My son has a real dry sense of humor, he said, "Real cool mom." And walked off. I sure impressed him...:)

Anyway, driving this old Case brought that memory back to me yesterday and it was fun to relive a little of the past. After all, that's what threshing bee's are for.

I've posted photos of more old time equipment on my photo site.
Donna Ridgway

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