Tony's Ford tractor and a Gehl 100 grinder — Tony's Ford tractor is almost a part of the family. He uses it to run the vintage Gehl feed grinder.

Vintage farm equipment

Here on Payne Mountain Farms, most of our equipment is vintage or antique. Even Tony’s Ford tractor is almost fifty! Tony says the old stuff was made better, and I am sure he is right.

Farm equipment shed — If you want your equipment to last for decades, keep it in a shed.

Even though things were made to last back in the old days, vintage farm equipment can be a pain in the butt. It breaks down a lot, parts are hard to find, and it sure doesn’t look shiny and modern like the new stuff.

Tony inherited some of his older equipment from family, he even has a covered wagon that his ancestors used to haul grain from Union County to Atlanta.

Tony did purchased a lot of equipment in his younger days, including a tractor, baler, bushhog, rake, spreader, and many smaller items. Now he depends on those old stand-bys because new equipment, with skyrocketing prices, is no longer within reach.

This New Holland rake has seen lots of hay fields through the years.

Tony says, “My old equipment gets the job done and saves me a lot of back-breaking labor. Sure it would be nice to have an air-conditioned cab, a new tractor with all the bells and whistles, but then I would have a payment every month. I like being free from debt.”

Young people that want to farm should plan on a career in some other field for a while. They will need to save lots of money to go into farming, unless they are blessed with a good inheritance. Now, let me get back to the subject of vintage equipment.

Even our building are old.

Some of our equipment sheds are over 120 years old. They were built around 1900.

Old and new farm equipment should be kept out of the weather if at all possible. That means having plenty of out-buildings and sheds. If equipment is kept dry, it lasts a long time. Why spend money on expensive equipment just to let it sit out in the rain and snow to rust?

Seed and fertilizer spreader — We keep this spreader in the dry so it will last for generations.

Before purchasing farm equipment, decide where you will keep it. Barns, old chicken houses, garages, basements, and sheds work just fine for most things. You don’t need anything fancy or heated, just a pole-shed with a tin-roof will do.

Hay wagon with a load of square bales — The hay wagon saves a lot of hard labor. These square bales are fixing to be stacked in the barn for winter feed.

Where can I buy vintage farm equipment?

There is a huge assortment of used farm equipment on the market. Here in Georgia we have the Georgia Market Bulletin. It lists everything that farmers have for sale in convenient categories like machinery, livestock, seeds, and more. Check online to see if your state has a similar publication.

Vintage and used farm equipment can also be found at estate sales, on Facebook Marketplace, and on Craigslist. There are also farm and construction equipment sales that are held several times a year in most rural communities.

Try renting farm equipment.

Before buying farm equipment, it is a good idea to rent first. Renting saves the expense of buying something you really don’t like or need.

Once Tony bought a new hay unroller to help manage large round bales. Yes, it was nice the first few times he used it, but then he realized it was more time consuming to hook it up, than simply unrolling by hand from a spear.

After it sit for a year just taking up space, he sold it on Facebook Marketplace. Rent first, then you won’t have to deal with these types of costly issues.

Tony works on vintage equipment — Tony keeps all the vintage equipment in running condition.

Saving things for future generations

Up keeping vintage farm equipment takes some time, but it is worth the effort. Grease and oil are handy items that we like to keep on hand, and our tools are prized possessions.

Every time Tony makes a repair on some old machine or tool, I feel proud that he is saving something for future generations. Fancy new equipment is nice, but it is not nearly as interesting as our old stuff. Some of Tony's machines remind me of dinosaurs, especially the old corn picker.

Vintage and antique things have character and strength. Metal produced in the 1950’s and 60's will out perform anything produced today! Did you know new tractors have plastic fenders? I would not be able to ride on one of those like I do the old Ford.

blue Ford tractor — This Ford tractor was made to last a life time.

I swear I can feel Tony’s ancestors cheering him on every time he fixes something that they left behind. The antique sawmill, the old farm machinery, and the buildings are a lot of hard work. It is not easy to keep them all up, but somehow Tony finds the time and energy. I am sure his grandpa would pat him on the back and say, “Job well done!”

I don’t pat Tony on the back very often, but I do cook meals from scratch and feed him well. Thanks for visiting my blog post. Jan.

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To purchase heirloom corn seed, yellowroot, and other herbs, visit Every Green Herb (our herbal encyclopedia and online store).

Payne Mountain Farms
322 EV Farm Dr.
Blairsville, GA 30512 USA

This post contains original photos, text, and other content by Janice Boling. If stock photos are used, credits are given. Sources are also listed when applicable.