I grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa in the ’60s and ’70s. From as early as I can remember I was fascinated with anything that was self propelled. I was begging my dad to let me drive the tractor from the time I was five years old. He finally relented and let me when I was around eleven. The first tractor Dad let me operate was an old Allis Challmers WD. That had a hand clutch that was pretty easy for a kid to operate.
I could barely muster up the energy to depress the clutch pedal on our 1940’s era “M” Farmall but I was determined to do it nonetheless. That was the next tractor Dad let me drive. Dad sold that tractor in 1973, but has since bought another as a collector.