[AT] Dad's tractor - What to do?

[jfgrant]

 Not to break the thread re: fuel but here is a "tractor story" I thought 
some of you might enjoy. 3 parts to get by the spam filter. Enjoy

 Dad's John Deere Tractor. By John & Reva (Bear) Grant

 Dean Bear's John Deere 630 Standard.
 #6309502
 Dean Bear owned and farmed a small size (for Kansas) farm located north of 
Russell Kansas near a town call Paradise.  This farm raised and supported a 
family of 7, which included 3 girls and 2 boys. My wife is one of the 3 
girls.

 At some point in 1959  Dean bought a John Deere Model 630 Standard, new 
from  the local John Deere dealer, John T. Harrell. John's folks opened the 
store  back in about 1910 and sold hardware and farming implements. John 
bought
 the  dealership from his parents and operated it until 1969 when John Deere 
withdrew their product line. At this point the dealership closed it's doors.

 The John Deere 630 Standard we are talking about was a special tractor in 
that it had power steering, adjustable front axel, 3 point, hydraulics, and 
weights.  Dean installed a Farmhand Stacker Loader on it to feed his Angus
 livestock. As long as Dean owned it, this was about the only  function this 
tractor preformed.

 My wife, along with our young family. were visiting one summer and Dad 
noted that the water pump on the 630 leaked and he continually had to carry 
water to the tractor every time he used it. My brother-in-law and I decided 
to help Dad out and removed the water pump and got it fixed and reinstalled 
it. Well along came cold weather and Dad forgot that the water pump had been 
repaired and failed to winterize the tractor. The block broke so Dad  had it 
welded and the weld worked.

 In the summer of 1969 Dad decided that he had enough of farming and within 
a  few weeks had an auction. Times were hard at that time especially in 
farming  country. Wheat was only 1 foot high at harvest time.  The John 
Deere 630
 Standard sold for $1,200. That's right, one thousand and two hundred 
dollars.  John Harrell, the John Deere Dealer bought it. Some years later 
the tractor was sold to Leo Zeigler of Natoma Kansas.
*