Family heirloom brought out of the barn
Growing up, Rodney Bettenhausen loved visiting his grandparents' farm. His family made regular treks from their New Lenox home to see them in rural Manhattan. There, Grandpa Fred and Grandma Sylvia lived and worked on land that had been in the family since 1882.
Their 80 acres in Will County were spellbinding for young Rodney. Of all the wonderful sights to take in, most special was the image of Grandpa proudly riding atop his 1939 Farmall H tractor.
Fred Bettenhausen purchased the tractor from a neighbor in 1942. He paid $748. For years, it went to work plowing, cultivating, pulling wagons and harvesting corn. Rodney still remembers seeing Grandpa Fred puttering along through fields and pastures. He also remembers trips around the barnyard in Grandpa's lap atop the machine.
Fred retired in 1965 and parked the well-worn Farmall in a storage building. That was the last time he drove it; he passed away in 1969. Not long after, the family auctioned off all his farming possessions, save for the tractor.
"My dad kept it as one single keepsake," said Rodney, who now lives in Palatine.
In 1971, Rodney's family, including his three brothers, moved to the property. Attention to the tractor, however, turned away to other more pressing matters. Days turned to years, which became decades. All told, the Farmall sat from 1965 to 2005.
"It was always my dad's and brother's dream to restore it," said Rodney. In the late 1990s, one of his brothers, a diesel mechanic, made a valiant attempt. "He got it dissembled but ran out of time and skills," Rodney said.
The tractor then sat torn apart for a few more years. Finally Rodney made the right connection.
While at a Farm Progress Show, he met just the man who could do the job. He was a farmer in Kankakee who restored old tired workhorses like Rodney's. It rolled into his shop in November 2005 for a full, top-to-bottom restoration. Completion of the project came in June 2006.
"It's just amazing how it came out," Rodney said. "I'm convinced grandpa never saw it look this good."
With such an attractive rig, Rodney never hesitates to show off the treasured heirloom. It's appeared in local shows, parades and even on a racetrack. As part of a 2015 vintage tractor ride, Rodney got to putt around the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said.
The enthusiast has logged some 200 miles on the tractor - and not just in dirt and meadows. As part of tractor club events, he's gone on daylong rides around the area. Some span 50 miles at a time. The pace is always leisurely, just how Rodney enjoys it.
"You're able to fully take in and appreciate the natural beauty around you."
• Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.